Women's Leadership Program

The Embassy of India Student Hub is organizing a Women's Leadership Fall Pilot Program for F1 & J1 students in India and the United States to realize their inner potential and create transformational experiences for themselves and their communities.

The Women's Leadership Program is crafted for young women who are aware of their inner calling. This program equips these young women to achieve their goals and break through barriers by allowing them to analyze and build the foundation of their journey on values, love, and our inherent divine feminine.

Developed and tested by the Hub's Summer 2020 Volunteers, the activities carried under the program allow participants to challenge their perspectives, learn and unlearn the preconceived notions about their inherent ability and explore empowerment in their everyday life. The program instills a sense of belongingness amongst the fellow participants and creates a conducive milieu for the leaders within them to thrive.

PROGRAM TIMELINE

Duration: 8 weeks

Start date: 4 October 2020 | End date: 26 November 2020

Day and Time: Every Sunday (12PM - 1.30PM EDT) and Thursday (12PM - 1PM EDT) - To be confirmed

APPLICATION PROCESS

Applications are on rolling basis, and close on 20 September 2020

Round #1: Online application form | Round #2: Virtual discussion

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

  • Participants must be at least 18 years, have the ability to communicate in English, and be committed to learning and engaging with fellow participants.

  • Participants must have a predetermined community project idea(s).

  • Participants must be able to attend all meetings and must complete all required activities and assignments.

The DIVA Outline

FEEDBACK FROM SUMMER VOLUNTEERS/PARTICIPANTS

Here are interesting statistics from our summer volunteers who participated in all the activities that make the Women's Leadership Fall Program special:

83% of the summer volunteers thought that the program helped them find their unique voice as a leader. While one of our participant thought that it helped her unleash a stronger version of herself.

All the summer volunteers thought that this program was designed in a way that instilled a sense of accountability towards the tasks and our team members.

The activities conducted challenged the volunteer's nuanced perspectives and helped them learn, unlearn, and relearn.

50% of the participants felt that the activities gave them a sense of direction for future planning while for the remaining 50% the program induced clarity in thoughts.

Some learnings/insights/sensibility from the Women's Leadership Program that are NOT likely to go on the resume but may be an important tool ahead as listed by our summer volunteers:

  • Vulnerability is a leadership characteristic

  • Each woman has her own definition of women empowerment

  • Appreciating yourself & other women around you

  • Resilience

  • Self-awareness

  • Building strong relationships

  • Do not compare your insides to other’s outsides

  • Gratitude is powerful

  • Calling out what’s wrong takes courage, fixing it takes perseverance

  • Inner transformation

  • Accepting constructive critisicm

  • Communication

The journey of summer volunteers/participants through the Women's Leadership Program:

I have a newfound respect for the word gratitude and this I have realized in the course of this program. This program has made me feel grateful about the opportunities that I have accepted and the ones that I couldn't. Each conversation and activity in the program established a space where each of the volunteers always had encouraging words for one another.So, all through this, I have learnt to be grateful to 'you' for helping in making a 'me'. - Abhisri N.

The program gave me clarity on some of the things I've wanted to pursue but never felt like I’d actually be good at - like being a mentor & helping others find their voice. During the last session, hearing everyone refer to my outspokenness as confidence caused a little shift. Part of me has viewed my outspokenness as a shortcoming and I’ve never quite seen it as a quality to be admired. I think my journey through the WLP has changed the way I’ve seen myself and allowed me to be more compassionate with my own self-image. - Aditi T.

I came into WLP with the intention to use this opportunity to "give back" to my community although I can confidently say that I have gained a lot of knowledge about my own personal journey in the process. Understanding and working on my biases and perspectives as well as using some of the tools and concepts to identify my core values and purpose in life has opened up doors that I did not know existed before. This experience has made feel the entire gamut of emotions. - Pooja B.

The program has helped me realize that everyone around you is facing issues and struggling to keep sane, however, we all are still managing. The good part is everyone is attempting to learn something new, or do some interesting activity. Indulging into activities that sooth your soul. Paying attention to your health, body, mind, and yourself is truly important and I am in the process of learning that. The program definitely brought positivity in my routine. - Sukanya K.

APPLICATIONS CLOSED

If you have any questions, please email [email protected]