The GALS program is a great way to serve your community and make a positive impact on emerging women leaders. Some of the characteristics/skills for being an effective coach include:

• Belief in the importance of developing relationships built on respect and trust
• Willingness to be oneself and to encourage the participants to be themselves
• Ability to guide, coach and encourage
• Willingness to listen and observe attentively and intervene when appropriate to help each participant find her own voice
• Belief that hard work and fun can co-exist while working with amazing young women during a series of Saturday seminars!

Please contact:

Karen Doyle, the GALS Program Director

karen@womenscampaigninternational.org

610-220-5784

Location of PIRC 2011 on the University of Pennsylvania’s campus

WCI’s Liberia Program Officer, Monica Gadkari, represented WCI on the first day of the conference. Joining an illustrious group of speakers, she presented on WCI’s overarching goals, using WCI’s Liberia as a program example. “I wanted to present to people how important it is to focus on women in development projects,” explains Ms. Gadkari . With the focus on contemporary Africa, WCI’s Liberia program proved to be highly relevant in the discussion of development trends and strategies in Africa today. With its focus on women’s participation in society, Ms. Gadkari’s presentation stood out in the conference’s discussion topics. Ms. Gadkari also highlighted WCI’s commitment to the sustainability of its programs. “This means more work and more time spent in communities understanding the constraints women face,” Ms. Gadkari said.  For example, in Liberia, WCI transitioned to an entirely local staff in order to ensure that the programs established by WCI may live on after non-Liberians leave the country.

A slide from WCI's presentation on its Liberia program at PIRC 2011

Students in the audience were very excited to learn about WCI’s mission and the work the organization is doing in Liberia. In today’s global world, students are thinking more and more about global coordination and cooperation. Students at PIRC 2011 gained a new perspective on the positive effect women have on their local economies.

While attending the One World Foundation and Rifa’a El Tahtwai Forum for Democracy and Human Rights Studies for Development Seminar Workshop, journalist Amina Alnakash spoke of the many hardships women face in modern Egypt, as the current lack of infrastructure and institutions present in the wake of President Mubarak’s deposition has caused a backslide of female involvement in the political sphere. The offices for the National Council of Women, headed by Suzanna Mubarak (wife of the former president) and UN Women’s primary contact in the country, was burned to the ground and lies in ruin. Political parties, which no longer have a gender quota in place, do not have any obligation to include women in their leadership, and the few female political candidates who exist have extreme difficulty raising funds for their campaign.

National Democratic Party Headquarters Post-Revolution (Photo credit: www.desertnews.com)

Despite these difficulties however, WCI team members have found cause for optimism in Egypt. While meeting with Nashwa Aly, Government Relations Officer for Google Egypt, WCI learned that there exists incredible potential for large-scale female involvement in the sociopolitical rebirth of Egypt.  The use of new technology—facilitated by such sites such as Google Plus, YouTube, Facebook and Twitter—will give voice to citizens (especially women) throughout the country as they express their grievances with the current leadership. Social media use—while limited in Egypt—provides Egyptian youth with unprecedented power to unite for social change. These tools combined with the unbelievable dedication and conviction of the youth witnessed firsthand by WCI, as well as the whole of the world during the revolution, can surely lead the way to a more open and democratic society in Egypt. Women are involved in every sector of this newly forming society. Whether or not they are seen by the public, these women represent the forgotten voice that is far too often drowned out by political rhetoric and previously established gender norms. With these new tools offered to Egypt, the cause of women can take equal stage to other pressing issues to form an Egypt that truly represents people that labored, fought, and died for it. Though there have been remarkable changes—both positive and negative— since the revolution, Egypt finds itself with the people, the devotion, and the tools to forever change the political landscape of the region for the better. The greatest work is about to begin, and WCI is both humbled and honored to be a part it.

Map of countries participating in WCI's newest initative

Creating a coalition requires the fulfillment of four overarching program objectives: the creation of country committees in each of the 17 participating MENA countries, a two day summit in Amman, Jordan, a youth mentorship system, and an interactive website that will be crucial for generating public discourse on women’s leadership at the national and regional levels. Country committees will consist of 10-12 youth fellows and 2-3 leaders, experts and academics. Committee members will work together over the course of one year to identify an issue that is an obstacle to women’s leadership (in any sector of society) in their country, and to then create and implement an advocacy campaign that includes targeted policy recommendations. The 2-3 experts and leaders in each committee will act as mentors to the committee’s youth fellows. Through monthly in person meetings, and the website created specifically for this program, mentors and mentees will be able to connect and maintain a fruitful relationship. Next fall, program participants will have the opportunity to come together for two days of social/new media and leadership trainings, and the drafting and signing of Constitutions for the Advancement of Women’s Leadership in the region.

WCI is excited to announce that while conducting a preliminary assessment in Jordan, the team was able to secure its key partner, Schema. Schema offers sustainability solutions through corporate governance and corporate social responsibility. Maali Qasem, CEO and Founder of Schema, brings a wealth of knowledge and insight about the region and well-established connections. She and her team will manage, lead and serve as the point of contact and coordinator for the 17 country committees.

Amman, Jordan

During the October trip, the WCI team also had the opportunity to meet with a handful of key stakeholders including academics, technology firms, public relations and marketing firms, government ministries and agencies, and youth and women’s organizations in Amman and the surrounding areas. They were excited to find energized and invigorating youth who are tapping into positive channels of expression through advocacy and social media. WCI’s program will compliment the urgency and interest of the region to engage through social media outlets. The team also found a clear desire by the local community to advance women’s leadership. Across the board, women are able to attain mid-level corporate positions, but meet challenges when wanting to advance further. Policy changes have been established, but there have been clear setbacks to the implementation phase. WCI’s program strives to address these challenges through engaging a wide array of stakeholders, leading experts and youth committed to effective change.

WCI team meets with leading business women of Albania

As Albania and Kosovo begin to integrate their economies with the global market and aim for EU integration, women have positioned themselves as an instrumental part of leading this change. Last month, a team of four WCI staff, including President, Marjorie Margolies, Director of New Initiatives and Strategic Partnerships, Cathy Zurbach and Program Officers Nickie Séne and Marion Abboud traveled to Albania and Kosovo to conduct leadership trainings, deliver speeches and establish relationships with potential partners, key leaders, program participants, and funders. This trip also allowed WCI to identify the gaps and needs with respect to gender equality in the region.

WCI Partnered with She is the Key on this trip. She is the Key, founded by Ernesta Redi, recognizes women and girls as the key to a thriving society and seeks to engage women leaders in business, politics, and civil society as mentors for women and girls in the region.  Ms. Margolies and the WCI team conducted trainings on leadership, communication and advocacy for young women and a few men at Albania’s Luarasi University and the American University of Kosovo. Ms. Margolies’ words inspired training participants, empowering them to work towards gender equality in their countries and the region. WCI is doing in the Balkans what WCI does best and that is taking talented, passionate people and helping them reach their goals.

During their stay, WCI connected with, and were supported by, many impressive individuals, all of whom shared the same passion to advance opportunities for women in the region, including: the First Lady of Albania Mrs. Berisha;  Kosovo’s Minister of Trade and Industry Mrs. Mimoza Kusari-Lila; Mrs. Najada Balla Taci of the Taci Foundation;  2008 Woman of Courage Valdete Idrizi; Executive Director of the American Chamber of Commerce of Albania Mrs. Floreta Luli-Faber; and American University of Kosovo’s Vice President Ilir Ibrahimi.

Training participants at Luarasi University in Tirana, Albania

Though President Sirleaf—up for re-election last week with the results still pending and a run-off looking likely—is certainly the most familiar female face in Liberian politics, a number of women have begun to display strong political personalities and were listed on the ballots last week under several political parties. The presence of multiple women on the ballot for election is a step in the right direction, but they must be elected to bring their experience and insights to the legislature.

The Media Campaign

Billboard: Bringing Liberia to a New Shore

This is where Women’s Campaign International’s team in Liberia comes in: to help women get elected and to the decision-making table. Our media campaign employed a three-pronged approach to mobilize the Liberian population to support women in the elections. We designed billboards, recorded radio advertisements, and sent SMS messages to voters. All of these together were meant to reach as large an audience as possible—men and women, both the literate and illiterate, youth and adults. If the future generation of voters sees women on equal footing with men in all sectors of society, women will increasingly be elected to hold public office and bring their knowledge and skills to their positions.

Creating Slogans and Billboards

Billboard: Moving Women Forward, Moving Liberia Forward

The WCI home office in Philadelphia collaborated with the WCI Liberia office to brainstorm slogans and taglines for the campaign, which became components of the billboards, radio advertisements and SMS messages used throughout Liberia. WCI’s staff in Liberia ultimately made the decision as to which slogans would be used, based on what is most relevant to their country and their people. Each of the four billboards features a slogan, along with an image presenting the slogan’s story to make the message accessible to all of Liberia’s population, a large percentage of which is illiterate due to the disruption of education during the years of conflict.

An additional element added by the billboard’s images was the presentation of women leaders from all backgrounds and of all ages, in both traditional dress and modern business attire. Program Manager Monica Gadkari emphasized: “We wanted women to know that women leaders take many forms, that they don’t have to be from the city or come from a wealthy family to lead. We wanted different women to see themselves in those ads.” All of the billboards will remain up indefinitely, though the national elections have concluded, to stand for local elections and as a reminder of the progress women have made in Liberian society.

The Radio Advertisement

Billboard Women are the Backbone of Liberia

The second component of the campaign, presenting advertisements on Liberian radio, was necessary in order to reach the large Liberian population living outside of the cities where the billboards would be located. The WCI Liberia team created a montage combining their choice of the five most important reasons to vote for women in the election with a sound clip of women from the rural area of Fishtown in River Gee county singing a popular Liberian song, “Side by Side.” Upon completion of the piece, five different radio stations across the country were given the recording and asked to play it for the seven days leading up to the election. Compliments and requests to hear the ad flooded into the WCI office as it gained popularity, resulting in our decision to play it on another station to reach an even wider audience.

Follow this link to sample the radio ad:

A Vote for a Woman is a Vote for Liberia: WCI Liberia Campaign Radio Ad

The purpose of this campaign was to support women’s participation in all of Liberia’s political elections, as both candidates and as voters. At WCI we believe that, regardless of party affiliation, women’s voices must be heard in order for a nation to grow, especially in the difficult years following a conflict environment. These billboards and radio advertisements are for them—the women of Liberia—and for the future generations of women who will grow into strong leaders.

The Women’s Campaign International team in Liberia are optimistic about their country’s progress and the growing presence of women in the country’s political processes.

Day One – Arrival

As I took in the fact that I was in Africa and surveyed the land around me I realized how small Monrovia Roberts Airport actually was. Our Delta flight was the only plane on the runway besides a few UN Helicopters. I later learned that Roberts Airport is a UN Base because the UN maintains a large role in Liberia.

Getting through Liberian customs was not as hard as I had expected it to be. I handed the Liberian man my passport, yellow fever card and immigration papers. After he looked over my documentation for a few minutes he looked up and smiled. With a Liberian accent he asked, “Why are you only staying for six days?” without me answering he said, “I will let you stay for fifteen!” I could tell already that I was going to meet some very interesting people here in Liberia.

Driving through redlight we saw a merchant pushing his wares to sell.

Women’s Campaign International Office

Upon entering the WCI building we were greeted by JoJo, one of the young women that works in the office, a friendly doorman, and a chicken given to WCI as a gift named Princess…We met everyone in the office. They were all hard at work in the very nice office space, which also had an incredible view of the Atlantic Ocean.

Visiting Ellis the potter's workshop on the Saint Paul River

Trip to Kakata Village

We drove north on one of the three roads out of Monrovia. The ride is about an hour and a half, but travel time for me seemed to pass quickly. Driving isn’t boring when the scenery is new and exciting. I wanted to take in every moment because I knew the things that I saw were things I would never see again.

Hannah of Kakata

We went to Kakata today to visit WCI’s friend Hannah. She wore a beautiful traditional green dress and the sweetest most caring smile. She is well known throughout the village and surrounding towns as a kind, caring person…Her most recent work includes running a clinic for the town and also running for Congress! When asked why she does the things she does to help people she replied with an incredible and beautiful statement: “I do the things I do because no one else is doing it, and they need to get done.”

One of the many markets we passed on our way to one of the trainings.

I was told before I left that Liberia is a country run by strong women. The president is a woman, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, and her entire secret service security team is made up of women. In actually visiting and experiencing the culture of Liberia I learned firsthand that what I heard is completely true. Women really do take a leading role.   It was incredible for me to see a country with little wealth to try and better themselves and their community. We would drive across the countryside and see war torn villages, buildings burned to the brick with nothing but a skeletal structure left, but next to it would be a new house. People know that they don’t have much, but they still find happiness and try to better their circumstances.

The MV Explorer serves as the campus for the Semester at Sea program throughout the year.  Commencing in 1963, this program has organized over 100 voyages to sixty countries, while amassing over 50,000 alumni.  However, for this event, the ship was transformed into the nucleus of conversation about the direction of Sino-U.S. relations.

Many alumni, along with leaders in education, business, and public policy, boarded the MV Explorer in order to create a comprehensive understanding of these relations.  Topics included the growth of entrepreneurship, environmental concerns, development of the education system, immigration, and women’s roles in a rapidly developing economy.  The conference also offered Tai Chi lessons, Chinese music, and documentary films in order to give participants a multi-faceted understanding of Chinese culture.  Many prominent guest speakers graced the bill, including Ambassador Stapleton Roy, the former US ambassador to China, Chung Po Yang, President of DHL International, and Molly Corbett Broad, President of the American Council on Education.

Marjorie was invited as a guest speaker, elaborating on her role as a leader in the United Nation’s Fourth World Conference on Women, hosted in Beijing in 1995.  This conference, she says, laid the groundwork for many international women’s groups including Women’s Campaign International.  Her insight into women’s roles in global development, in combination with a stellar group of keynote speakers supplemented the Semester at Sea’s mission to offer a comprehensive global education.