WOMEN TRANSFORM POLITICS ACROSS THE EMPIRE STATE
Innovative Leadership Program Aims to Increase Numbers of Women Running for Office
Panelists Include U.S. Representative Yvette Clark and
New York City Council Speaker Christine Quinn
New York– This Friday, The White House Project, with the support of the Lifetime Network’s Every Woman Counts campaign, will bring its ground-breaking Go Run political training program to New York, allowing over 100 women from across the state to take the next step in their political leadership. New Yorkers have ushered the innovative three-day training into the region as a proactive solution to the Empire State’s bleak rating for women’s political leadership – 23rd in the nation.
Currently, not a single woman holds an executive position in New York, nor has the state ever elected a female governor; and just eleven of New York’s 62 State Senators are women. The lack of women serving in the upper echelons of public office mirrors the dearth of women who are ready to fill the political pipeline at the local and regional levels of political leadership. New York Go Runwill address this shortfall by training women to run for office at all levels of government.
As they prepare to launch their political campaigns, New York Go Run will teach participants the nuts and bolts of how to run for elected office. Representing a range of political affiliations, these women will emerge from their training ready to embark on a spirited political journey to bring positive changes to their home state. Among this weekend’s dynamic participants are:
- Irene Villasenor, a 30-year-old Project Manager from Woodside, NY: "I grew up in exile in this country due to the political climate in my native Philippines. I have seen both the costs of reckless political leadership and the huge capacity for positive change when marginalized communities become a part of the process. Getting a diverse array of people into political office is a direct path to empowerment, and I'm excited to learn how to make this journey a reality through The White House Project's Go Run training."
- Catherine Collins, a University Professor from Buffalo, NY: “As a professor and former administrator in our nation’s higher education system, I have seen the fallout from our failed education policies. It is a travesty that a nation as rich as ours has college students who can’t read beyond an eight-grade level. Education is the lifeline for our children and our nation, and without it, our criminal justices system will be the recipient of our public education failures. It is up to us to lead in the political realm as advocates for our nation’s children, who deserve infinitely more than what we are currently giving them.”
New York Go Run couldn’t come at a more pivotal time. At the state level, women comprise just 23.6% of the New York state legislature.
“Women remain New York’s greatest untapped natural resource,” said Marie C. Wilson, President of The White House Project. “Go Run inspires, informs, and equips women with the tools to lead. When women sit fully at the tables of power, we create stronger governments, from the school board to the city council to the senate, and compelling solutions to our nation’s most pressing problems.”
Speakers at New York Go Run will include a number of political pioneers, including U.S. Representative Yvette Clark, New York State Senator Liz Krueger, New York City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, New York City Council Member Annabel Palma, former New York State Assemblymember Barbara Patton, and Binghamton City Council Member Lea Webb.
The multi-day workshop, led by both state and national experts, aims to create a permanent, nonpartisan pipeline to women’s political leadership throughout the state of New York. Across the U.S., the innovative Go Run program has already been instrumental in propelling a diverse group of women into positions of political leadership, having trained over 2,000 women to run for office since its creation in 2005.
New York Go Run will be The White House Project’s second training in the state, in conjunction with the national expansion of its signature Vote, Run, Lead program. The White House Project currently operates field offices out of Michigan, Minnesota, Colorado, Georgia, and New York. Much of the program’s popularity is due to its hands-on, practical approach, which demystifies the political process for women who are not traditionally tapped for positions of political leadership. Vote, Run, Lead participants include some of the most underrepresented women in our political system: 41% are women of color; 46% earn less than $35,000 a year; 20% live in rural communities; and 50% are under the age of 30.
In conjunction with their Every Woman Counts campaign, Lifetime Networks is teaming up with The White House Project to encourage women to run for office on a number of political leadership trainings throughout the year, including sponsorship of the "Why Women Matter" Saturday night dinner which will spotlight local leaders in each state.
Scheduled to take place September 19th through September 21st, 2008 at The White House Project’s New York City Headquarters, New York Go Run will train participants in the fundamentals of campaign strategy, fundraising and communications.
Applications are open and a few spots are still available on The White House Project’s website, http://www.thewhitehouseproject.org. Travel and childcare stipends, as well as tuition and housing scholarships, are available based on financial need. Sponsorship opportunities are also available.
The White House Project, a national, nonpartisan, 501(c)(3) organization, works to advance a richly diverse, critical mass of women into leadership positions, up to and including the U.S. Presidency. For more information, please visit: http://www.thewhitehouseproject.org.
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