Prof. Rao R. Bhavani, UNESCO Chair in Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment and Director of Ammachi Labs, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, conducted a webinar on Women’s Empowerment and Leadership for thirty European youth as part of AYUDH Europe’s Social Impact Leadership. The webinar was held from September 1-6, 2018, in Bilbao, Spain.

The youth, from Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, the Netherlands and Spain, have been part of an eight-month training program, co-funded by the European Union, to develop competencies in leadership, mindfulness and project management. Over the course of this engaging, educational program, participants developed one project per country group to address topics such as Gender Equality, Human Rights, Education, Climate Action, Peace and Security and Intercultural Understanding.

In her talk, Prof. Bhavani said, “To truly empower women to take leadership in their communities, we must first understand their vulnerabilities, needs and their unique roles in family and society. True leadership includes an attitude of respect for all, recognizing the fact that we are all are linked together like links on a chain. Only when we consider this holistic vision of leadership, we can adequately empower women to live up to their full potential and realize their dreams.”

Prof. Bhavani shared the work of Ammachi Labs and the research under the UNESCO Chair that focuses on women’s empowerment. She also discussed the barriers women face in leadership in society, and the role that men should play in the progress of gender equality.