The Institute was featured by Carol Bousquet, On-Air Host, on Maine Public Radio’s Weekend Edition in October:
“Former U.S. Senator Olympia Snowe founded the Olympia Snowe Women’s Leadership Institute in 2015 to raise the confidence and aspirations of high school girls to help them become future leaders. On September 29, hundreds of girls in the women’s leadership institute program gathered in Bangor to connect with each other and share what they’ve learned.
Volunteer Mentor Leslie Tremberth has worked with a group of young women from Oxford Hills Comprehensive High School for three years and says they now carry themselves with more confidence.
‘When they’re around people who have very different views and dismiss their views, in a setting where it would be easy to not speak up, they are consciously deciding to express and defend their opinions,’ said Tremberth.
500 young women from 37 high schools across Maine participated, along with the mentors and 100 adult business and community leaders. The participants – called “Olympia’s Leaders” – explore their values, voice, and vision over the course of the three-year program. About 600 Olympia’s Leaders have graduated from the program since 2015.”