A Worthwhile Cause

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"By educating young women and girls about the importance of politics, and imbuing them with the skills they need to be leaders, we give women the “running start” they need to achieve greater political power. With an earlier start in politics, women will climb higher on the leadership ladder, allowing more women to share in the decision making power of this country.

The Young Women’s Political Leadership Program introduces 50 high school girls to the importance of political leadership. This five-day retreat in July includes workshops led by experts in the field on public speaking, messaging, networking, on-camera media training, and platform development. The goal of the program is to encourage the girls to channel their leadership into politics.

Running Start began a series of luncheons in Washington DC in 2008 for local young women. The Path to Politics series runs throughout the year and features young women legislators, candidates and campaign gurus. Each speaker focuses on a particular aspect of what it is like to run or serve as a young woman. There is an emphasis on practical advice (such as fundraising, building your base, working with the national parties, establishing credibility as a young woman legislator) as well as on inspiring the audience to run for office themselves.

The Running Start/Wal-Mart Star Fellowship program brings 14 college women to Washington, DC each year to learn about politics first-hand. Our Fellows are placed in the offices of female Members of Congress on Capitol Hill where they hone their policy and political skills. Each Friday, the Fellows take part in a seminar conducted by Running Start, which rounds out their internship experience by giving them the skills and contacts they need to become political leaders. The seminars also give our Fellows a better understanding of what their boss had to do to win their seat in Congress. The Fellows emerge from their semester in DC with a deeper understanding of the need for more women to run for office, and confidence in their own abilities to lead, whether at their schools or on the national stage."