UCWLC

The United Collegiate Women’s Leadership Conference is an interactive transformational experience where women from all walks of life come together to understand the authentic leader they have within themselves, while preparing them to tackle critical issues facing their campus and larger communities.

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Upcoming Conferences

Learning Outcomes

The overarching goal of the UCWLC is to help collegiate women become stronger leaders in their personal, organizational and community spheres of influence; inspiring them to create a more accepting, equitable environment for they and other women; and empowering them to embrace their authentic selves. To this end, experiential workshops and discussions will focus on the following four crucial areas for learning:

Raise Awareness

  • Awareness of and ability to explore aspects of own identity, culture, etc.
  • Self-awareness about their own biases, fears, and comfort levels.
  • Awareness of the “womanhood” dimensions of diversity, including life stage, ability, age, ethnicity, gender identity, geographic origin, national origin, race, religion /spiritual traditions, sexual orientation, and socioeconomic class.
  • Awareness of inequity of privileges.
  • Appreciation of the ways in which they are different from each other and similar to each other.
  • Empathy and concern about the impact of social injustice.

Increase Knowledge

  • Understanding the value of authenticity in leadership.
  • Recognizing how to exert the power of one’s own voice in personal and professional settings.
  • Understanding that a true leader values and empowers all the members of the group.
  • Understanding the levels of misogyny and prejudice–how earlier levels pave the way for even more damaging levels.
  • Learning more about the history of women’s issues in America.
  • Learning more about global diversity issues –e.g. women’s access to education, limitations placed on freedoms of women, sex trafficking, sexual assault and inability of women to occupy leadership roles.

Develop Skills

  • Communicate effectively, both verbally and non-verbally, preserving one’s authentic voice.
  • Respond to issues of conflict and confrontation without sacrificing personal power.
  • Develop the skills of inclusive leadership, valuing and involving all members of the group for their unique contributions.
  • Invite others to open up and share their stories through an attitude of respectful interest and curiosity, using open-ended questions.
  • Respond to statements or acts of bullying, bias, and misogynistic statements in a way that invites dialogue rather than debate or arguments.
  • Stand up and speak out for their own rights and for the rights of others without getting caught up in the myth of finite resources and access.

Plan for Social Action

  • Take a leadership role in service projects and other programs that serve the cause of women’s rights.
  • Increase their interactions with women different from themselves.
  • Support other women through a spirit of communal uplift.
  • Work more effectively with diverse groups, including male-dominated spaces.
  • Actively try to impact those who are within their spheres of influence regarding issues of misogyny, bias, discrimination, and social justice.
  • Make a positive difference on their campuses and in their communities, including challenging systemically supported “traditional” gender roles.