Raising the sights of young women from across the Middle East and North Africa who aspire to political careers was among the accomplishments of the Young Women Leaders Academy (YWLA), a 10-day program held recently in Doha, Qatar.

The program, sponsored by NDI and hosted by the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service in Qatar (SFS-Qatar), is now in its second year. It provides the women with practical skills and knowledge to help them use the political process to make meaningful improvements in their communities. The women, aged 19 to 28, were selected for their leadership potential. They came from Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Kuwait, Lebanon, Morocco, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Yemen.

At the academy, the women worked closely with NDI staff, experienced academics and political practitioners from around the world in training sessions and interactive seminars. Gathering in small groups, they developed advocacy and political campaigns that they presented at the Academy's closing ceremony. The women also met with researchers at the Brookings Doha Center, toured Al Jazeera and the Islamic Art Center, enjoyed a private screening and discussion at the Tribeca Film Festival - Doha, and met with women leaders in Washington, DC, via Georgetown's virtual classrooms in DC and Doha.

For many of the women, this was the first time they had traveled outside their countries and had the opportunity to interact with women from other Arab nations. Areen Ahmed, a participant from Palestine, said she learned that "even though we come from different countries, we share so much and can communicate with each other, no matter the differences between our cultures."

Following the Doha meeting, the young women returned home to put their new skills to work by completing an internship or designing and carrying out a project that promotes young women's leadership. They continue to stay in touch by posting updates on their activities on a YWLA blog.

After completion of their internships and projects, NDI will bring the women together again for a leadership retreat, where they will present recommendations for future programs, participate in advanced skills training, and create tailored plans for continuing their leadership and career development.

Members of last year's group, which included participants from seven countries, continue to hone their leadership skills. An Egyptian alumnae, for example, is the director of an Egyptian NGO promoting community development. A Qatari alumnae established a political society at her university. The two Algerian alumni are organizing training programs for women candidates and political parties. The Lebanese participants are active in student elections and the youth wing of a prominent political party.

This [conference]," said Bahraini participant Fatima Ali Hussain, "was one of a kind as it gathered many extremely talented and powerful young leaders who have not been involved in other events in the region."

The Young Women Leaders Academy was covered in the Qatari press with articles appearing in the Peninsula, the Qatar Tribune and the Gulf Times.

Pictured above:Participants learn from each other at the YWLA.

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Published on September 9, 2009