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Building Global Leadership Networks in Indonesia    October 31, 2012 ––“During the revolution, women did far more than just send sons and husbands to the front line,” explained Amal Elhaj, president and founder of the Free Communications Charitable Association of Libya and CEDPA alumni. “They hid fighters and cooked them meals. They sewed flags, collected money and contacted journalists. They ran guns and, in a few cases, used them.” Amal, known as Mimi to her friends, left her audience amazed at the October 17 reception held by ExxonMobil to honor the participants of CEDPA’s 57th Global Women in Management (GWIM) workshop. She explained the just a few of trials and tribulations she and the women in Libya faced recently. “The six-month uprising against the old regime propelled women in this traditional society into roles they never imagined,” Mimi went on. “I myself filmed the regime’s hired guns in action while I was in disguise and sent the footage to Al Jazeera. I also did day-long drives to Tunisia to get medications for the injured, among other things.”Beyond the revolution, Mimi shared, Libya was beginning to be rebuilt, and she was helping to construct a new civil society. Her speech provided clarity as to what she and the other 24 participants from eight countries, all already powerful leaders in their own right, expected to gain from a leadership and management workshop. “When I arrived to join the workshop, I brought my small note book with me to write down any new ideas and inspirations,” she said. “After two days in the workshop, I changed my notebook to a bigger one and started to wonder how many projects ideas I could take back with me to Libya for my organization and other ones.” 
The GWIM workshop, sponsored by the ExxonMobil Foundations’ Women Economic Opportunity Initiative since 2005, is geared towards midlevel, nonprofit women leaders. During the workshop, participants build practical skills and learn the latest technical information from experts. The program also recognizes the leadership ability of every participant and supports continuous learning. Participants are partners in the workshops—they provide continuous feedback, are engaged in decision making, and provide input and learning to other participants. Often the cross-cultural component of the workshop is what participants value most. In GWIM 57, participants came from China, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Libya, Papua New Guinea, Russia, Thailand and Vietnam. They valued the knowledge gained directly from each other about the challenges and solutions for women leaders in their respective countries. During the workshop the participants formed an email network and a Facebook group, where they shared news and asked for and offered feedback. The group formed strong bonds during the four-week workshop that were not broken by distance when they returned home. As a more formal approach to building on what was gained during the workshop, the newly-trained alumni will be paired with a senior-level CEDPA alumna for a one-year coaching program. The program provides continuous learning, ongoing feedback and professional trouble-shooting over structured phone, e-mail and in-person consultations over the course of the year. As with all alumni, CEDPA will maintain contact and follow the progress of participants of this GWIM program. “We are extremely proud of our alumni and we have high expectations for what they will achieve after GWIM,” explained Sue Richiedei, director of Leadership and Capacity Building for CEDPA, at the reception. “After spending a month together, we know the greatness that they are capable of…Who knows, you may be speaking to the future President of Libya.” Learn more about CEDPA’s training programs. |
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