GEPLE: Gender Equality Political Leadership Education
This collaborative project was established in October 2015 with support from ERASMUS+, and aims to share resources and knowledge to develop best practices and increase female representation in political life.
Groups from across Europe, and one partner from the United States, have come together to share their knowledge with each other and create best practice for achieving the goal of gender parity in politics. The partners are:
• Active Women Association (Poland)
• BRAND-SOFI (Finland)
• Forum 50% (Czech Republic)
• Towarzystwo Edukacji Antydyskryminacyjnej (Poland)
• Vote Run Lead (USA)
• Women for Election (Ireland)
The GEPLE Online Platform
An online platform is being developed by the project partners, and will act as platform for exchange of information and cooperation between the partners as well as transfer of knowledge for those whom the project’s findings would be beneficial. The aim is to create a resource hub that would help all those seeking to promote equal representation of women and men in politic life across all nations.
The platform will contain, amongst other elements, a research database, shared learning videos, interactive research development, blog posts on relevant issues, and discussion forums.
The GEPLE Project Partners
BRAND-SOFI is a mission consulting service, based in Finland that was founded by Ann-Sofi Backgren. An experienced consultant and lecturer, Ann-Sofi has been actively involved in educational initiatives encouraging female political empowerment for many years.
Forum 50 % is a Czech non-profit organization supporting equal participation of women and men in politics and the decision making process. They strive for more balanced decision making process including not only men’s but also women’s views and life experience. They motivate women to become politically active, support active female politicians and women in leading positions, co-operate with political parties and other bodies on concrete measures.
Women for Election is a not-for-profit, non-partisan organisation whose vision is of an Ireland with balanced participation of women and men in political life. Their mission is to inspire and equip women to succeed in politics. The organisation offers tailored training and support programmes to women seeking to enter public life; and provides and facilitates a cross-party network of political women, committed to gender equality in Irish political representation.
Towarzystwo Edukacji Antydyskryminacyjnej (the Anti-Discrimination Education Association) was founded in 2009 by people involved in anti-discrimination education. The Association brings together those who specialize in this area, including, among others, women and men who are anti-discrimination trainers, initiators of equality and diversity projects, members of organizations supporting groups threatened with discrimination.
Vote Run Lead is a national, nonpartisan organization that unleashes the power of women leaders in democracy through training, technology and community. They aim for large-scale impact on women’s community and political leadership never before seen in the United States. By harnessing social networks as a new and powerful recruitment tool, creating an online platform to learn to run and lead, and conducting in-person trainings that build powerful networks, VoteRunLead will fuel women’s ambition for civic leadership and close the knowledge gap around politics for women from all classes, cultures and colors.
Active Women Association (Stowarzyszenie Aktywne Kobiety) is a non-governmental organization founded in Poland, which promotes gender equality, personal growth and empowerment. They act on local, national, European and transnational levels, running projects in Europe, Africa and Asia.
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The GEPLE Project 