Women and girls play a critical role in advancing both peace and development.

 

Research shows that families, communities and nations prosper when girls have the opportunity to participate fully in every aspect of society. Empower Peace’s Women2Women International Leadership Program (W2W) builds a network of promising young women (ages 15-19) from around the globe, engages them in the issues that define their lives and provides them with the tools, relationships and opportunities required to lead.

 

Women2Women was launched in the summer of 2006. Sixty eight young women from 8 countries attended the conferece in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Since 2006, over 600 young from over 40 countries have participated in the program.

 

Words of Inspiration from our Conferences. . .

 

“I am standing here and looking at women who are going to drive the future of this planet...You were chosen to be here because inside of you there is a drive, an intelligence, a sensitivity, a compassion, a creativity, a sense of urgency an ability to connect to others that is extraordinary.”

- Ambassador Swanee Hunt

 

“ You break the borders between each other. We are from different countries, from different cultures; people think in a different way. But when we talk, we are women. We have faced the same issues there are no borders anymore.”

- Sukainah, Yemen

 

“Be prepared, courageous, conversational, humble and get ready to get challenged. A leader is not a boss but a servant. Get ready to serve the world!”

- Simonia, Rwanda

 

"There are giong to be moments in your life where there will be a wall and you are going to have to make the decision of how you are going to climb that wall, and some of you won't climb it. Some of you will stand and say there's got to be another way. I'm not going to go over this, I'm going to go around the ide or you're going to turn around and you're going to walk the other way. And that's fine, but you need to understand that you are going to fail and it's okay to fail. Just learn from that please and move on from that."

- Yasmine Dannawy

 

One of our delegates from 2010 wrote a song about Women2Women and performed it at the Conference.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Testimonials from Women2Women Alumnae

 

"It’s not just a different and unique program...It’s a life changing experience."

- Amira, Egypt

 

It will certainly make you believe that women hold up half the sky and you are one of them.

- Izzah, Pakistan

 

"We showed everyone that we can understand each other and that it’s not about money, or relations; we just understand each other being humans and women."

- Seden, Turkey

 

"A week-long and life changing experience that reveals a part of you, you may not have known existed!"

- Kabila, Cameroon

 

"You will have the confidence to change the world to a better place with the support of your new sisters."

- Reem Al-Shar’e, Jordan

 

"I met a lot of girls who are strong and fantastic. This opened a door for me to be a leader in my community."

- Soumiya, Algeria

 

"W2W is a platform where you can realize all your strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats and then you can work on your strengths and weaknesses in order to maximize the opportunities and minimize the threats."

- Faryal, Pakistan

 

"Without women, there is no peace. Without peace, there is no future."

- Fatin, New Jersey, USA

 

"I am capable of doing anything with the support of these young ladies I call my sisters."

- Nancy, Massachusetts, USA

 

"The true sacred meaning behind the word "women" will be fully explicit that after it (W2W) you are going to raise your community with your energy, power and passion."

- Gheed, Lebanon

 

"There is so much knowledge to be gained at Women2Women; it's a once in a lifetime opportunity. It's so fun to say I have such good friends all over the world!"

- Chelcie Alcorn, Erie, Pennsylvania, USA

 

"Women2 Women impacted my life in so many ways by gaining confidence, improving leadership skills, and connecting with inspiring young women. I am so grateful to say that the program led me to see my true passions. Everyday I remember sitting in a room surrounded with my new best friends and feeling empowered. To this day, I still feel empowered! I love my best friends from all over the world!!"

- Susan Baltes, Massachusetts, USA