The following is a compilation of two articles written by Running Start and Her Campus.
Women make up half of the population, but less than one in four elected leaders are women. When women run, they win at the same rates as men – the problem is that there aren’t enough women running.
We know now that countries led by women did better in the face of the pandemic. And though it may feel like progress is being made at home, despite a record number of female presidential candidates this election cycle, still none managed to clinch the nomination. What’s more, the stakes are at an all-time high to use our voices to effect change–by showing up, by voting… but why not go a step further and become the ones actually doing the decision-making?
Research shows that engaging women in politics in high school and college is key to increasing the number of women in public office. More than 56% of Congresswomen got their start in student government.
This is why for the first time ever Her Campus teamed up with Running Start, a nonpartisan nonprofit that empowers young women to get involved in politics and transform our world one elected female leader at a time, to launch a 360-degree movement to open college women’s eyes and ears to this possibility so they can start to shake things up.
Only 100 college women from across the globe were selected to participate. During the event held on October 30, 2020, these accomplished and impassioned women learned how to pinpoint the issues they are most passionate about, identify how they can best leverage their networks, and craft and workshop their “run for office elevator pitch,” all while hearing from majorly inspiring female politicians. The pitches turned into a friendly competition, with the winner taking home a $500 grand prize. Minnah made it into the final round of the top nine candidates.
“I was honored to be selected to participate in the Elect Her program. The speakers were phenomenal, offering us helpful insight from their successes and failures running for a variety of different offices,” reflects Minnah Stein, Founder of EMPOWERU and SSAIS Advisory Board member. “My fellow participants were so inspirational. It was great to be surrounded by so many like-minded women who are driven to transform our communities, our country and our world through their actions.”
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