Bush Institute Welcomes 2015 Women's Initiative Fellows

This week, the Bush Institute at the George W. Bush Presidential Center’s Global Women’s Initiatives launched its fourth cohort of Fellows for the Women’s Initiative Fellowship. This year-long program for women, this year made up of 14 women from Tunisia, empowers and equips them to become effective leaders.

Designed to develop leadership skills for women from around the world, the program has an initial focus on women in the Middle East and North Africa. Fellows exchange ideas, techniques, and expertise; learn effective tools that help them become better advocates for social stability; and build a strong global women’s network.

The program begins with four weeks in the United States, where they participate in courses at Southern Methodist University specifically designed for women in leadership, covering topics such as collaboration across boundaries and influence without authority. During their visit, the Fellows also travel to New York City, Washington, D.C., and the Silicon Valley in California to visit civil society organizations and Fortune 500 companies, and experience the practical application of what they learn in the classroom.

Each Fellow is paired with a mentor, a prominent American woman who works in a similar field. The mentor supports the Fellow during the development of a personal action plan, and supports the Fellow through the year-long experience by providing guidance and advice.

After their travel in the U.S., Fellows return home to employ their newly acquired stills, participate in multiple in-country seminars in trainings, and implement their action plan project. The Fellows will return next year around International Women’s Day to graduate from the program.

For more information about the 2015 Fellows, click here.

For more information about the 2015 Mentors, click here.

To follow the Fellows, please click here.

To see the success stories from the 2014 cohort, click here.