Earlier this month, the Obama Foundation revealed Barbadian Gender Rights Advocate, Ronelle King will be part of its sixth cohort of Obama Scholars, made up of 30 emerging leaders from around the world who will participate in an immersive program at either Columbia University in the City of New York or the University of Chicago for the 2023-2024 academic year.
The hashtag empowered survivors of gender-based violence and sexual harassment to share their experiences, find solidarity, and advocate for the eradication of gender-based violence across the Caribbean. Today, Life in Leggings provides empowerment and educational programs, advocacy, and survivor support services to women and girls.
The organization’s Pink Parliament Program works with young women and girls to increase their participation in politics, and its Redefining Masculinities program works with men and boys to address patriarchal masculinities and end male-perpetrated violence against women and girls. Ronelle hopes to develop a program on gender and climate and will use the Scholars program to explore the intersection between the environmental crisis and gender-based violence.
The Scholars will participate in academic, skills-based and experiential learning, designed by Columbia University and the University of Chicago, in partnership with the Obama Foundation. Their experience will be further enriched by participating in Foundation-led leadership development programming that includes training, networking opportunities, and personalized support as they extend their efforts post-graduation.
“The Obama Scholars program enables rising changemakers to gain insights into the work of fellow leaders, across issues and geographies, while collaborating to address complex challenges,” said Obama Foundation CEO Valerie Jarrett. “We are eager to welcome the new cohort of Scholars to the Foundation family, where they will join a network of changemakers striving for a stronger, more sustainable, and more inclusive world.”
The Obama Foundation Scholars Program at Columbia University will welcome 12 Scholars from 12 countries for a nine-month residency at Columbia World Projects. Scholars will engage with the institution’s multifaceted program to deepen their knowledge and skills and build new capacities and networks that will accelerate their impact on the world. The cohort will partake in weekly seminars, personal and professional development workshops, audited coursework, and other tailored programming developed in close partnership with the Foundation.
The Obama Foundation Scholars program is designed to inspire, empower, and connect emerging leaders with the tools they need to make their efforts more effective and impactful across their global communities. Since its inception in 2018, the Obama Foundation Scholars program has supported 132 leaders from 59 countries, all actively working to address today’s pressing issues. To learn more about the 2023-2024 cohort, please click HERE.
To learn more about Ronelle King and Life In Leggings: Caribbean Alliance Against Gender-based Violence, click HERE.
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