Empowering Women leaders of Today & Tomorrow
Many refugee Eastern women have faced multiple crisis and challenges in their lives due chaos and wars in their countries of origin which has negatively impacted their ability to achieve formal leadership positions. A host of barriers left these women with disrupted education and career paths, fragmented families, and sometimes ongoing trauma and distress.
GASF Women’s Empowerment Initiative (WEI):
GASF is proud to announce the launch of the Women’s Empowerment Initiative WEI, a brand new initiative that seeks to train, motivate, and empower refugee women, with a special focus on new comers, to become leaders is all aspects of their lives. Through sponsors, partners, and programs, GASF will provide tools and resources to help women succeed. WEI is a leadership program, designed to empower women to become strong leaders by giving them confidence to be advocates for themselves, their community and the country.
WEI is designed to mentor and empower, a selected group of women ages 21-35 on an annual bases, to become strong and powerful leaders in the community by giving them the tools and confidence to succeed. The WEI Committee will select these women for the program through an application process. Each participant one will be assigned a mentor to guide, empower and educate to become a strong leader.
Program Goals are:
- To strengthen refugee women’s abilities to be leaders in their home, business and communities;
- To increase advocacy and awareness within their community and the country;
- Increase capacity and knowledge to access resources , establish allies and collaboration across ethnicities for civic participation and community building;
At the end of each fiscal year, the women in the leadership program are encouraged to present their project and experience at the annual WEI luncheon. The luncheon will include an inspirational female Keynote Speaker along with a panel of community women leaders. In addition, ten high school graduate girls will be recognized and presented with Scholarship Awards for their academic and civic achievement.
Empowering girls with Science, Technology, English and Math (STEM) education is a key to closing the education and economic gaps that are too prevalent in underserved community. WEI will award three young Chaldean American and Middle Eastern girls ages 11-14 with socio-economic disadvantages that excel in math and science with Apple iPad. Each will be enrolled in a one year after school program that promotes coding, program design, and robotics education.
WEI will highlight successful and inspirational women leaders, executives and entrepreneurs across the country who have made significant impact in the lives of others and their communities. Through blogs, live panels, videos and more, these women will share their stories and words of wisdom to help inspire young women to become strong and powerful leaders of the next generation. Through this campaign, UCFS hopes to empower our community women to take the necessary steps to achieve their goals and become strong future leaders, innovators and mentors.
WEI will also implement a series of skills and knowledge development trainings, and informational workshops that will prepare women entering the world of entrepreneurship. In doing so, we hope to nurture the entrepreneurial spirit and provide support to driven Chaldean American and Middle Eastern women who seek to launch and/or expand their business endeavors. Such workshops and trainings will include, but not limited to:
- Qualities of a good leader
- Communication
- Social connectedness – building good networks
- Assessing needs and identifying and responding to risks
- How to find and access resources
- Project management, budgeting and event planning-fundraising
- Advocacy – How to work cooperatively with each other to achieve goals
- Knowledge of government structure 10. Importance of strategic planning, governing policies and operational procedures
Human trafficking awareness campaign, through a series of workshops and media will be launched to empower women facing this situation to reach out for help and encourage others to learn the signs of human trafficking situations and report it.