Welcome
Welcome women student leaders from
Afghanistan, India and Pakistan!
Congratulations on being selected for the 2010 Study of the United States Institute (SUSI) on Women's Leadership sponsored by the Study of the U.S. Branch at the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, U.S. Department of State.
We send you warm greetings from Washington State! We are busy making preparations for your arrival and look forward to meeting you at the end of June.
The five-week Leadership Institute hosted by Green River Community College is focused on achieving the key objectives of facilitating a deeper understanding of the United States, while enhancing your leadership skills.
This Institute is a wonderfully enriching experience and certainly our former SUSI participants found that this visit to the United States you are about to embark upon has noticeably changed their lives in ways that enhance personal and career success. In 2010 we have designed an entirely new program which focuses on Women’s Leadership drawing upon a wide variety of resources and expertise and delivered by our experienced team, supported by community leaders and consultants.
Especially, you will gain new perspectives on contemporary America, as well as:
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How empowerment and gender issues have affected the progress of women around the world
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How such key issues impact your contribution to -- and future role in -- society
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How leadership is the art of making a difference in your own lives and those of others
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How role models of women’s leadership can transform your vision of what is possible
We will look at Women’s History and Gender Studies from a comparative perspective.
Together, we will discuss significant changes in women’s lives of the past 50 years, in our country and yours. Are women’s issues different from men’s? If so, what are the differences? How does sex affect the way we think about poverty, violence, and the law, for example?
We will also discuss women’s political leadership. Are there gendered leadership styles that are more or less effective? Gender refers to the array of socially constructed roles and relationships, personality traits, attitudes, behaviors, values, relative power and influence that society ascribes to the sexes on a differential basis. Gender is fluid, gender changes over time and place. We will reflect on gender identity as a personal project, but also as a framework of analysis in order to assess how women and men affect and are affected differently by policies or projects. A gender perspective will also help us think meaningfully about representations of women in popular culture.
This is our fourth year of hosting a SUSI Leadership Institute and as a result we have made many wonderful friends in your countries of India & Pakistan and in Bangladesh. You will have the opportunity to join the ranks of some very accomplished alums and network with other past program participants in the US Department of State Alumni Organization. Consider that about 30% of the current world leaders have participated in programs such as these in the United States.
For the 2010 Study of the United States Institute on Women's Leadership at GRCC, twenty participants have been selected from universities in these countries:
Afghanistan (6)
India (7)
Pakistan (7)
Participants in Study of the U.S. Institutes (SUSI's) are among the approximately 40,000 individuals who take part in exchanges managed by the Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) each year.
Other ECA exchange programs include the Fulbright Program and the International Visitor Leadership Program. Through a range of academic and professional exchanges, the Bureau seeks to increase mutual understanding between the United States and other countries.
To make the most of your experience, some advance preparation will help you with your studies and enhance your understanding of the overall Leadership Institute for Women. Here are some links to explore in areas that complement the curriculum:
Textbooks:
§ How to Change the World - Reading
United States:
§ US Constitution & Bill of Rights
§ Women’s Rights History in the US
Leadership:
§ Leadership and Self-Deception (Arbinger)
§ David Bornstein – Stories of Change
§ Harvard Business School Knowledge Network
§ Women Leaders – Diversity Works
§ President Obama and Michelle Obama – International Women’s Day Address (video)
§ Secretary Hillary Clinton on Violence Against Women -fix
§ Celebrating Women’s History (video)
§ Perceptions of Women Leaders – South Asia
§ NYTimes Article – Women’s Leadership in South Asia
§ America – Great Women - Hall of Fame
§ Biographies of Women Reformers in America
§ Leadership Styles in Politics
Women’s Organizations and Resources – national and international:
§ United Nations Women’s Treaty to eliminate gender discrimination
§ National Organization for Women - NOW
§ American Association of University Women - AAUW
§ UN Millennium Development Goals
§ South Asian Women’s Leadership Forum
§ UNIFEM
§ UN Development Fund for Women–Afghanistan
§ Women in Afghanistan
§ South Asian Women’s Organizations - India
§ South Asian Women’s Organizations – Pakistan
§ South Asia Groups Empower Women
§ Indus Women Leaders
§ Women in World History - Curriculum
§ Women's Rights - from Past to Present
§ Women’s World Banking (video)
Local Community Organizations supporting Women, Girls and Families:
§ YWCA
§ Washington Women’s Employment & Education - WEE
§ Chaya – Seattle Serving South Asian Women
§ Center for Women and Democracy
§ St. Leo's Community Services
§ Washington Cash - Entrepreneurs (video)
The Pacific Northwest:
§ Pioneer Women: Lives of Women on the Frontier
§ Women in Pacific Northwest History
§ Pacific NW Native American Art
§ Pacific Northwest Coast First Peoples Resources
§ Pacific Northwest History Resources
§ Pacific Northwest Museum Collections
§ Pacific Northwest Natural History Resources
Inspiration:
§ Tribute to the Women of the World (video)
§ A Grameen Story (video)
§ Earth Song – What About Us?? - Michael Jackson
On your arrival, we will meet you at the
Seattle (SeaTac) airport.
Due to security regulations, we cannot meet you
at the arrival gate lounge, but will meet you in
the baggage claim area. We will carry a
banner, which identifies our staff members.
From the airport we will provide bus transportation to the College where your host families will be ready to meet you and take you home.
If you should miss your flight, or in case of any other emergency on your arrival day, please contact:
Edith Bannister, Administrative Director
Telephone:
+1 (253) 288-3324 (office)
+1 (253) 632-8177 (mobile)
Email: ebannister@greenriver.edu
Important links for more information