Smith College and Mount Holyoke College, two liberal arts educational institutions for women in western Massachusetts, have announced that they will hold a two-week institute next spring entitled “Reconstructing Societies in the Wake of Conflict: Transitional Justice and Economic Development.” The institute will be run in partnership with the U.S. State Department and the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars and is part of the Women in Public Service Project established by Hillary Clinton in 2011.
The institute will focus on Asian women who are working to rebuild their societies after periods of political violence or human rights abuses. Delegates will receive training on improving their leadership and communications skills, how to use social media, and how to build regional, national, and international networks.
Mount Holyoke President Lynn Pasquerella stated, “There is a growing realization that when women are equal partners in leading societies, chances for positive social transformation are enhanced.”