Educating Young Women to be Global Leaders: A Model

The United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization estimates that over 40 million girls worldwide are not being given the same opportunity to attend primary schools as boys. The World Academy for the Future of Women (WAFW) leadership preparation program for young women is working to change that statistic and many others regarding the inclusion of women in global society. A survey was conducted to ascertain the knowledge, perceptions, and opinions of the participants who are university students from various schools of study at the university who demonstrate leadership qualities and the facilitators who deliver the leadership content, concerning the WAFW. A key component of the Academy is the eight modules of study which seeks to meet the United Nations Millennium Development Goals (UNMDG). The intent of our study was to gather initial data on the value of the Academy. The majority (93 % of respondents) of the responses indicate knowledge of the vision, mission, and goals of the WAFW. The responses overall indicate value in continuing the WAFW; 93 % of the respondents knew and believed in the oath they had taken; after completing the modules, almost 88 % of the young women believed that they had inner strength would allow them to be global leaders and that WAFW was critical to being successful women. Similarly, 88 % of the WAFW members understood how to utilize the problem solving skills they learned to generate new strategies and approaches to solve global problems. We believe this research to be significant as it is supported by World Bank research (2016) that says “Empowering women and girls is not only the right thing to do: It’s also smart economics and vital to ending poverty and boosting shared prosperity”—women cannot be empowered if they lack the opportunity for education and leadership knowledge and skills. Without a seat at the global decision making table, gender inequality will remain a global issue.