It is often hard to find advocacy training for young conservative women seeking to make an impact on their campuses or in their communities. For decades, the Left has dominated grassroots advocacy, successfully mobilizing younger generations to speak out about contended issues. As a result, most available resources and materials are written with a liberal bias.
The good news is the Network of enlightened Women, also known as NeW, is stepping up to fill the gap. This fall, NeW launched a new program that brought nine students and young professionals from states across the country to Washington, DC, for three days of exclusive, hands-on education on conservative policies and training in grassroots organizing and strategic advocacy.
During the program, participants met with Andi Bottner, Vice President of External Relations at the Independent Women’s Forum; Jaryn Emhof, Chief of Staff for Representative Daniel Webster (FL-11); Senator Markwayne Mullin (R-OK); Tara McFeely, Senior Advisor for the U.S. Senate Select Committee on Intelligence; and Lauren Gillespie Sommer, Operations Director for the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. The ladies also had the opportunity to tour the Conservative Partnership Institute and The Heritage Foundation. The speakers provided realistic tips for becoming an activist for an issue and how to build a network on the Hill.
The NeW 2025 Advocacy Day program concluded with participants attending the Fall Capitol Hill Intern Summit at the Capitol Hill Club on Friday, October 24.
Despite the government shutdown, the inaugural cohort of this new program was an immense success. The women went back to their campuses and cities confidently equipped to promote conservative ideas and be activists in their communities. Some of the participants are planning to reach out to their local representatives and schedule meetings, while others are looking to publish op-eds on policy issues that they are passionate about.
This blog was written by Kirsten Golinski, Member Engagement Manager at the Network of enlightened Women (NeW).