The 2008 World Women’s Forum, for the second time in history, will lift up its grand curtain on October 21. Renowned women leaders from all over the world gathered in one place to hold various programs.
Hosted by Ewha Womans University, along with the City of Seoul and MBC (Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation), renowned women leaders from all over the world will gather for this special event. The most exciting and unique program of this year’s forum is the Ewha-Wellesley Global Leadership Conference, a conference co-hosted with the Wellesley College in the United States, which will be held throughout the entire opening day.
The Ewha-Wellesley Global Leadership Conference will focus on women’s role, especially in humanitarian efforts and the political arena. The conference will also provide opportunities for students to meet some of the world’s leading scholars and women leaders. “I am planning to give a lecture on the new model of a woman global leader in this globalized world,” said Professor Kim Eun-mee (Graduate School of International Studies), who will be giving a lecture at the conference. “I will also talk about the status of next generation’s leaders and the challenges they will face,” said Kim.
The conference is also a great opportunity to foster exchanges between the two prestigious women’s universities. “We agreed to team up with Wellesley for the first time,” said Professor Kang Min-ah, the deputy director of the conference. “Both parties have been visiting each other beforehand and have held meetings. We not only plan to hold this conference together, but are also planning for further leadership programs between students from both universities in the future.”
Students are also encouraged to participate in the conference. “Students are welcome to participate either by volunteering as a coordinator or taking part in the conference at a reduced cost by receiving scholarships,” said Kang. To receive the scholarship, students should download the application form from the website of the Career Development Center. The forms will be taken by order of arrival and they should send in the application via e-mail (jyp@ewha.ac.kr). “Students also have the opportunity to participate as panelists in discussions with the CEOs of three major companies—Hyundai Card Capital, IBM, SK telecom—in Korea,” said Kang.
The conference also includes measuring the leadership capability of student participants. A program will be prepared and conducted by the Center for Creative Leadership, a prestigious American professional education facility. The opening address will be given by Chun Shin-ae (’65, English), who is the assistant secretary of the Unites States’ Ministry of Labor.
The forum as a whole will be held under the theme of “Women as Agents of Change: Building a Diverse and Sustainable Future”. According to the information provided by the Ewha Institute for Leadership Development, the 2008 forum will play an important role for participants to build a global network for a sustainable future. The lecturers have included individuals from diverse fields, ranging from a movie star Mia Farrow to the recently appointed U.S. ambassador to Korea, Kathleen Stephens. The World Women’s Forum was initiated last year in order to overcome prejudices against women and share the experience and knowledge of successful women in various fields. After the first meeting in 2007, the organizers decided to continue this forum to meet the demands of the participants. The programs of the forum include sessions in distinct sectors, including politics, business, literature, IT, media, NGOs with mentoring programs and special lectures from famous women leaders. The World Women’s Forum has great meaning in that it provides women both in and outside of the country to exchange knowledge and motivate one another. The forum also enables the development and mutual prosperity between the two genders. “In this globalized era, the demand for female labor force is rapidly increasing,” said Kang. “Education to nurture women with leadership skills is a crucial responsibility.”