Olympia Snowe Womens Leadership Institute

The Olympia Snowe Womens Leadership Institute was founded in 2014 with a mission to raise the confidence and aspirations of high school girls by helping them develop the skills required to be leaders in their lives, families, careers, and communities. Prior to the programs launch in 2015, the Institute used data to identify challenges girls face as they transition to high school. Research illustrated that girls self-esteem dropped 3.5 times faster than boys during this period. As a result, girls were less likely to grab hold of opportunities and to want to take the lead. Recognizing the critical need for female leaders and voices at the table, the Institute focused on the creation of programming that would increase girls belief in themselves, expand the perspective of what is possible for their futures, and instill the skills needed to become leaders and navigate toward success. The Institute has a statewide impact through partnerships with 36 schools across Maines 16 counties. Th...