The Young Women’s Leadership Symposium aimed to inspire confidence in the political efficacy of all women and girls. The event drew 90 females and 28 males. The speakers included Interim Provost Jaime Taylor, Taiji Peebles, and Project Yesu founder Mallory Fundora. Fundora encouraged the audience to acknowledge the issues they face daily.
Developing leadership skills
The political science department of APSU recently hosted the sixth annual Young Women’s Leadership Symposium. Guests were welcomed by APSU President Alisa White, who set a positive example of female leadership. The symposium brought together 72 participants and focused on developing leadership skills and female empowerment.
Developing leadership skills requires a holistic approach. Young women can change the course of their communities and their futures by empowering themselves as leaders. To this end, UN Women is working to support young women and increase their leadership potential. For example, the UN Women Regional Leadership Programme recently supported the Africa Centre for Transformative and Inclusive Leadership, strengthening youth’s leadership skills and participation in political and policymaking processes.
The YLC’s curriculum focuses on developing leadership skills through practical experiences. Students participate in multi-day workshops that teach them how to become influential leaders. The courses also incorporate service learning and experimental learning. In addition, participants develop their civic responsibility skills and improve their public speaking skills.
The program was designed to build leadership skills among diverse student leaders and empower women to make a difference. It includes a one-day Leadership Retreat and six 2-hour training sessions over six months. Participants will also complete the leadership in action project. It is intended for emerging women managers, business owners, and women in leadership roles.
Students are encouraged to work as a team in groups. They are expected to make decisions that impact the community. Participants are encouraged to think critically and take responsibility for their actions. The course curriculum includes theoretical knowledge, expert-driven seminars, role-playing, and perspective-taking. Students also worked with local industry leaders and provided strategic leadership in developing a community project.
Youth teams should identify pressing issues that concern them. In this way, they can make recommendations for tackling these problems. They may conduct a focus group or complete a youth survey to get more information on the topic. Once they have done so, they should decide on an action plan. The action plan may include organizing a school-wide event, a lunch group, or a media campaign. Once they have agreed on an action plan, they should assess their progress and celebrate their successes.
As the leadership field has primarily focused on developing leaders at an older age, there needs to be more literature examining leadership development in young people. The literature must be completed and often requires a thorough understanding of the factors involved in developing leaders. Studies of leadership in young people have varied results. Some of the literature has focused on developing leaders at an early age. Others have focused on developing leaders at higher education institutions. The latter is a growing field of research.
One of the critical leadership skills is the ability to resolve conflict. Even the best teams can run into conflict at some point. When this happens, the manager’s responsibility is to resolve the dispute. In these cases, leadership development activities focus on helping groups manage conflict better.
Networking with female C-level executives
Whether you’re an emerging executive, a mid-level manager, or an established CEO, you can benefit from strategic networking at a youth women’s leadership symposium. These events bring together a diverse group of women leaders and encourage reflection about what success looks like. Participants will learn about the challenges women in senior roles face and strategies to overcome these challenges.
As a senior executive at a wholesale beverage alcohol company, Philana Bouvier is working to bring more women into C-level roles in her industry. Her efforts focus on providing women with access to high-level networking opportunities and enabling them to participate in everyday workplace projects.
For example, one session at the conference focused on public policy, which can be beneficial for young women. Panelists on the topic included Rosalind Hudnell, Intel, and Arlene Isaacs-Lowe, Moodys. Also featured were Gerry Thomas, Bank of America, and Moodys.
