Young Women’s Political Leadership Program (YWPL), offered through Running Start, is an opportunity for high school age women to receive political leadership training from women who are at the helm, Congresswomen, lobbyist and reporters who are beacons of change in the political arena and for the nation.
Monday, July 19, 2010 through Saturday, July 24, 2010, fifty high school women live in Washington, D.C. on the campus of American University receive training in public speaking, speech writing, media training and networking. This is an all expenses paid opportunity.
Susannah Shakow, the President of Running Start, stated, “If [Running Start participants] can’t pay for the plane ticket to get [to D.C.], we buy them the plane ticket. And we take care of every meal. We house them the whole time. We take them to the airport and back.”
Shakow also commented that these women, the participants, had already become successful in their own right before applying to YWPL. These young women had held fundraisers, one raised $20,000. Other women who were selected had started non-profits.
“By far, the best part of the program, however, was meeting so many inspirational girls,” Fiona Lowenstein, a Sophomore at The Calhoun School on Manhattan’s Upper West Side and a 2009 YWPL participant stated. “The girls who participated in the program had amazing accomplishments and innovative ideas. It was such a pleasure to be able to spend five days with these young women.”
During a panel discussion held at American University, Jennifer Lawless, the Director of the Women and Politics Institute, commented that there is a disparity in the number of young women who have political ambitions. YWPL’s mission is to encourage women at an early age to enter politics, to tell them that it’s not just a man’s world.
Lowenstein also created a website, Barbara’s Angels. “I hope to inspire girls my age to be come interested in politics, leadership and feminism.” In 2009, she was featured in a book, She’s Out There: Essays by 35 Young Women Who Aspire to Lead the Nation: The Next Generation of Presidential Candidates.
Lisa Femia, a senior at Wilson High School in Washington, D.C. and another 2009 YWPL participant is an activist for D.C. Voting Rights. In 2008, she entered a competition, submitting a speech on D.C. Voting Rights and won. As the D.C. Voting Rights Scholar, was invited to speak at the 2008 Democratic National Convention in Denver, Colorado as a Junior Page.
“Many of those I spoke with at the Convention all told me the same thing: once you’ve gone to one convention, you’re going to always want to go back. And it’s true! You can’t help but be moved by the ferver on the convention floor and can’t help but want to maybe someday be the person at the podium giving the speech.
Femia stated that without Running Start she would not have had the opportunity to meet women she admired, such ad Dee Dee Myers and Julianna Smooth, as well as to build her political connections.
“I was so impressed with the effort Running Start made to assemble a diverse group of young women,” Lilly Jay, an intern for Running Start, 2009 YWPL participant as well as a Senior at Georgetown Day School in Washington, D.C.
“The depth of conversations I was able to have with such a diverse group of young women is a testament to both Running Start’s commitment to nurturing future leaders and to the political possibilities young women represent,” Jay said of her YWPL experience.
These women have great aspirations. Jay, an admirer of Michelle Rhee, the Chancellor of the DC Public School System, aspires to reform America’s public school system. “I dream of synthesizing the best of what private and charter schools have to offer with the convenience and prominence of public schools.”
Lowenstein is open to the possibilities life has in store for her. But she also said that, “I would be surprised if I end up doing something that doesn’t involve international relations, reporting on politics, or helping women enter into the political arena.”
“At this point,” Femia said, “I’m interested in being an editor of a publication or running for public office. The YWPL retreat definitely helped prepare me for either career path by providing me with training in basic leadership and networking skills.
YWPL began in 2006 and is an excellent leadership training program that reinforces the idea that women are powerful, leaders and they have the skills to bring positive change. For the 2009 retreat, they received 30,000 applications. The application deadline for 2010 participants is Tuesday, February 16, 2010.
“Young women must take it upon themselves to learn how to be authentic, empowered girls before they can realize their potential as authentic, empowered leaders,” Jay said. “We must take the notion of thinking globally and acting locally to heart. If we don’t begin teaching girls to be comfortable asserting themselves, saying something unpopular and (for the love of god) giving a firm handshake, we will miss out on a generation of would-be leaders.”
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