This year marks 10 years since the creation of the HERlead Fellowship, and in honor of this anniversary, we are thrilled to share the new HERlead Map! This tool lets you stay up-to-date on the inspiring work of the 370 HERlead Alumnae through the HERlead website.
The HERlead Fellowship provides training, mentorship and a dynamic network for young women from across the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico, who are the next generation of women leaders. This map helps us see the power, reach and impact of the HERlead Network; since 2011, HERlead Fellows have transformed their communities, impacting over 202,885 people in over 20 countries.
One of the most valuable components of the HERlead Fellowship is the powerful network that fellows across cohorts regularly utilize for collaboration, brainstorming, advice and friendships.
Now, through the map, there is a database accessible both internally and externally to expand the influence of the network and connect all HERlead cohorts over the last 10 years.
We hope that this map increases the visibility of these leaders and allows more people to learn about the HERlead Fellows’ impact around the world. If someone is interested in contacting a specific fellow or learning more about their work, each HERlead Fellow’s profile contains their biography, picture, location, project title, website, Twitter handle and LinkedIn profile.
Viewers can type any word into the search box in the upper right-hand corner or they can use the established search function on the left-hand side to search via “Fellowship Year”, “Grantee”, “Location”, “Field” or “Program”.
If a viewer is looking for projects within one topic area, they can use the “Field” search function on the left-hand side of the page. The projects have been grouped into the six categories defined below to help viewers navigate the map and find HERlead Fellows who share their passions!
Economic Empowerment: Economic Empowerment projects focus on enabling, supporting and advancing the economic status of those individuals who are at an economic disadvantage. These projects may include themes like housing, homelessness, business/careers, etc.
Education: Education projects focus on enlightening, teaching and mentoring individuals in order to help them develop particular skills, cultivate interests and/or become more understanding of social issues. These projects may include themes like STEM, media, religious/cultural understanding, literacy, etc.
Environment: Environment projects focus on lessening the impact that humans and human activity have on the natural world. These projects may include themes like sustainability, gardens, recycling, sustainable suppliers, etc.
Human Rights: Human Rights projects focus on raising awareness for and confronting issues that center around an individuals’ right to dignity, equality and respect in all aspects of their lives. These projects may include themes like human trafficking, domestic violence, sexual assault, gender and/or racial equality, etc.
Political and Public Leadership: Political and Public Leadership projects focus on nurturing, promoting and refining those skills and characteristics that are necessary to be successful in a leadership role. These projects may include themes like leadership development, political participation, debate, etc.
Public Health: Public Health projects focus on bettering the health, well-being and physical and/or mental condition of individuals and/or a community. These projects may include themes like hunger, sports, physical and mental health, etc.
While the map does show the physical location of each HERlead Fellow, it does not capture their geographic impact. Since becoming HERlead Fellows, 40% have expanded their projects to multiple communities, and 30% have started projects in other countries. These 370 young leaders are future political leaders, CEO’s, advocates, journalists, and more – and we hope that this platform allows more people to be inspired by the work they are doing to change the world.
The HERlead Fellowship is a groundbreaking initiative is a collaboration between Vital Voices Global Partnership and ascena retail group inc. Together, these organizations provide HERlead Fellows with mentorship, grants and other resources so they can learn through action and each realize their distinct visions for making a positive difference in the world.
For questions about the HERlead Fellowship, please visit HERlead.org.