Hello John,

This past week, the Network of enlightened Women hosted the the annual NeW Leadership Retreat in Austin, Texas. More than 70 NeW chapter leaders came together for a weekend of leadership training, networking, and chapter development seminars. I had the immense pleasure of attending this event as a chapter leader and NeW summer intern. 

As school starts back this fall, I am looking forward to serving as Vice President for NeW at Baylor University. This will be my first full year in a leadership position with my NeW chapter so attending the NeW Leadership Retreat helped me feel prepared going into the school year. I first got involved in NeW at Baylor University when I was introduced to the chapter after writing an article for my school’s paper. Several women read my piece and encouraged me to get connected with the NeW community on campus. And I’m so glad I did! 

Attending the NeW Leadership Retreat last week further confirmed that I found the best community for conservative women.

My favorite part of Retreat was being able to spend time with my chapter’s executive team the entire weekend. We got to know each other more on a personal level which strengthened our bond and ability to work as a team. Retreat helped our chapter in numerous ways. The most significant way was being able to use what we learned during the sessions to come up with a vision and master plan as a team. It was helpful knowing first-hand how as a chapter we can continue to uphold the values of the organization.

It is important to build a community where strong conservative women can truly belong and where we can use our skills and talents as women to uplift and empower each other to pursue a mission that we believe in. Community and who you surround yourself with is so important and I think the environment that NeW provides is a reflection of that. 

If you know a young woman that is not already involved with NeW, I urge you to encourage her to join or start a chapter and become a NeW National Member to get access to NeW’s national events like book clubs and conferences.

The NeW Leadership Course: How to Make the Case for Conservative Policies is an exclusive three-month leadership course during which conservative women will learn how to make the case for how conservative policies benefit women by hearing directly from top conservative women leaders. Participants will have the opportunity to be mentored on how to become an effective advocate for conservative ideas through training on persuasion and communications techniques. Attendees also will have the chance to learn about Opportunity Feminism, a new brand of feminism which seeks to maximize freedom so women can build the fulfilling and meaningful lives they want. 

In addition to growing their network of top conservative women leaders and learning how to advocate for conservative policies, course participants get extra benefits including:

• The chance to sign-up for a one-on-one career or internship conversation with a NeW senior staff member 
• A copy of Dana Perino’s book, Everything Will Be Okay: Life Lessons for Young Women (from a former Young Woman)  
• A free sticker pack upon applying and attending the first session 
• A letter of recommendation based on their performance and language to add to their resume and LinkedIn profile 
• A certificate of completion 

Participants will have the option to write an op-ed for publication or blog post. Here are two of the pieces that were published last year, Other states should follow Michigan’s lead on occupational licensing reform and The Gender Wage Gap: Fact or Fiction? 

Applications close Wednesday, August 24. Learn more.