‘Women2Women’ is empowering young female leaders to help build global peace

BOSTON — We are living in a dangerous reality. It’s a reality where terrorists are holding hostage Islam, a religion that, at its core, is peaceful, compassionate and tolerant.

Since Sept. 11, 2001 and continuing with the most recent executions of journalists, including James Foley of GlobalPost, a misunderstanding and manipulation of Islam and Muslims has permeated discourse about the Middle East and the Arab world. American-Muslim relations are strained and Islam is not portrayed positively in the media.

Amid this harsh reality, why does the kidnapping of the Nigerian schoolgirls outrage us? Why has Malala Yousafzai captured our hearts? Because we know that there’s something about a girl. Something strong, bright, authentic and inextinguishable. This terrifies those who preach death and destruction instead of peace and tolerance. They know, as the world is coming to know, that educating a girl means she will likely transform not only her own future, but also that of her family, community, and country.

We know girls like these. Since 2006, nearly 100 girls from all over the Middle East and North Africa have come to Boston each summer. Unlike, perhaps, diplomats and politicians from their own countries, they come armed not with agendas, approved statements and back-channel negotiations, but with curiosity, a map of Boston, and yes, a little trepidation.

These are the girls of Women2Women, a program run by my nonprofit Empower Peace, which since 2006 has empowered more than 1,000 young female leaders from over 45 countries by breaking down cultural barriers and misconceptions.

These young women come to Women2Women with issues about which they are passionate: Reproductive health, domestic violence, education, human trafficking and many other women’s rights topics.

Throughout the week, they interact with girls from the United States through an intensive series of leadership workshops, speakers and activities at Wheelock College in Boston. By the second day, the campus is buzzing with conversations, a flurry of languages and smiles that everyone understands, no matter where they’re from.

The girls that arrive from predominantly Islamic countries are not all the same. This becomes apparent to their American counterparts in whether they veil or not, in what music they listen to and what hobbies they have.

This discovery is the first step to establishing common ground — diluting the novelty of “Islam” or “Christianity” and focusing on the person, rather than stereotypes. They discuss conflicts and oppression in their home communities, but they also let their personalities shine through, making friends quickly and easily as they find links in family, music, food and literature.

The Women2Women delegates are chosen for their demonstrated leadership potential, but we suspect they do not know their own power. We who have seen our world devolve into sectarianism, war, violence and terrorism know how crucial it is for tolerance to begin with young people.

At Women2Women, delegates are exposed to speakers and educators from Harvard Kennedy School, Harvard Law School and Tufts Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy.

These high school students are already envisioning themselves as leaders in their fields, following peaceful means of achieving their goals. They find inspiration in Malala Yousafzai, by now an internationally renowned activist, but they also find inspiration in one another.

This is why we invest in them — they start building alliances that we know will one day lead to genuine and constructive relationships among their own governments. They return to their countries after one week, but they implement action plans they developed during the program, and continue networking with prominent female leaders in the Women2Women network.

Major campaigns have been harnessing this idea that girls are the key to our future: The Girl Effect, UN Women and GirlUp, Half the Sky, Girl Rising. The data is indisputable and the energy is building for focusing resources, planning and policy on girls and young women.

Empower Peace is one of the stakeholders taking concrete and positive steps towards the mission of global peace building, through Women2Women.

Now more than ever, amidst ISIS’s terrorist reign in Iraq and the civil war in Syria, we want girls to follow their instincts about challenging gender inequality.

With women as two thirds of the 774 million adult illiterates worldwide, we cannot afford to shirk our duties as a global community in empowering young women in whatever way we can. Because we have seen the remarkable talents and potential of girls in Women2Women, we know that there’s something about a girl, and we are doing something about it. Are you?

Rick Rendon is a strategic communications consultant and the Founder of the nonprofit, Empower Peace.