With the political and economic transition in Central and Eastern Europe, many women with higher education have benefited from improved access to good jobs, university education, and higher salaries. The challenge for young women is how to fully take advantage of these opportunities, to gain the skills to be future leaders, and to strategize about being women pioneers in emerging fields. Partners helps young women successfully take on these challenges.

Partners' Leadership Institute for Young Women of Central and Eastern Europe brought over 30 young women, ages 20-25, from Belarus, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia, and Ukraine together for four regional meetings over two years. They participated in empowerment, leadership, and cooperative planning trainings, and shared lessons learned for promoting women's participation. Between the regional meetings, the young women participated in skill-building and mentoring programs organized by their local Partners Center or an affiliated organization. They completed internships in local business, government or non-profit organizations, attended additional Partners training programs, and met women leaders in a variety of careers. Through the Institute, the participants also developed an international network with their peers that will support them personally and professionally as they progress through their lives and careers.

Partners Centers in Central and Eastern Europe recruited a talented, motivated group of participants, concentrating on young women who are members of minority groups or who live in underrepresented rural areas. The training provided skills in personal empowerment, career, leadership, and change management. Partners invited local and international media to cover the training programs in an effort to draw attention to the special needs of young women and to highlight the strength and diversity of tomorrow's leaders. A Lessons Learned Conference in June 2001 in Prague highlighted the participants’ experiences in applying the skills to their own lives, work and communities.

The young women have made significant accomplishments through the program. One participant gave a speech to 80 librarians, while another presented a program to police officers. Others became active in NGOs, and at least one started her own NGO for democracy building and human rights. One Bulgarian participant described how she had gained confidence in her work with the Roma community, where many of those she deals with are older men. Belarusian participants trained over 120 women in six rural communities in communications skills and civic participation; more than 20 of the Belarusian women have since joined NGOs.

The young women were enthusiastic about the opportunity the meetings offered to meet with their peers and share experiences: “I am very interested in a political career and after the trainings, I’ve become a much more open person. Now I’m not so afraid to say what I mean; I have more courage,” said Manuela Papic from Croatia. Many of the participants emphasized the inspiration they gained to pursue their own community initiatives. “I see that the field of nonprofit work is very attractive, open and challenging to women, and women can represent the interests of socially disadvantaged or underrepresented groups very well,” said Hungarian Ivett Karvalits. The young women also gained a new perspective about women’s rights. As Maja Branka from Poland, said, “Thanks to YWLI, I became a more gender-aware person. Problems of women’s rights have become very important to me… I chose to write my masters thesis on political rights of women in the European Union.”

By giving young women the chance to build their leadership skills and develop relationships across national, ethnic, and socioeconomic borders, Partners strives to empower a new generation of women to succeed in diverse careers and lead their countries into a more inclusive era.

Additional Resources
Photograph from the Young Women's Leadership Institute