Free workshop for college women interested in leadership, politics
A free training workshop for college women who are interested in sharpening their leadership skills and learning more about political campaigns will be held Saturday, Oct. 1 at Wells Conference Center on the University of Maine campus.
Elect Her — Campus Women Win participants will learn the basics of running a successful student government campaign, as well as meet local campaign winners during the all-day program.
Throughout the event, Elect Her facilitator Katie Shorey, a public relations professional specializing in coalition building and communication strategies and current director of partnerships at Venture Hall, will lead workshops on topics including the importance of young women running for office, campaign strategy and elevator speech.
Presentations by elected officials will include “Making an Impact” with state representatives Ellie Espling and Michelle Dunphy, and “The Importance of Message” with Sarah Nichols of Bangor City Council and Maulian Dana Smith of Penobscot Nation Tribal Council.
The workshop also will feature a showing of “Next Step RUN!,” a documentary film on women political candidates, followed by a panel discussion with filmmaker Pam Maus, Espling and Dunphy.
Student government officials from UMaine, Husson University and the University of Maine at Presque Isle will lead the panel discussion, “The Nuts and Bolts of Running for Student Government.”
A networking reception with local city and state officials will close the program.
This year, several Maine NEW Leadership alumnae are serving as Elect Her ambassadors on their campuses; helping to recruit students and arrange carpooling. Several UMaine ambassadors will be on hand to welcome students and provide directions to parking and registration. Offered through the Margaret Chase Smith Policy Center, Maine NEW Leadership is another program aimed at encouraging women to run for public office.
A continental breakfast, lunch and refreshments will be served. A full agenda is online. Registration can be completed online by Monday, Sept. 26.
Elect Her is the only national program that encourages and trains college women to run for student government and future political office. A joint program of the American Association of University Women (AAUW) and Running Start, Elect Her was offered at 50 sites around the nation and Jamaica in 2015.
This is UMaine’s third year hosting the event. Last year, 40 students from institutions around the state participated in the program. The Division of Student Life and Margaret Chase Smith Policy Center are co-sponsoring the event along with AAUW and Running Start, with additional support from Husson University.
More information about Elect Her is available on the AAUW website or on the Elect Her Facebook page.