ANGAT BAYI: WOMEN’S POLITICAL EMPOWERMENT FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM

About the Program

The Angat Bayi Political Empowerment Fellowship (AB PEF) is a component of the Angat Bayi Women’s Political Empowerment Program, a comprehensive program that will encourage women, young and old alike, to be politically active and develop their skills and capacities on feminist leadership.

The program will develop a political school that will contribute to the full, meaningful, and effective political participation of women towards a people-centered, rights-based, gender-transformative, participatory, empowering, equitable, inclusive, and sustainable development. The courses/ programs to be developed will focus on feminist leadership; inclusive, rights-based, and good governance; building and protecting democratic institutions, and processes; and active citizenship.

Program’s Objectives

The Angat Bayi Women’s Political Empowerment Program aims to:

• Develop aspiring women leaders and support current women leaders in the city or municipal level who will carry and advance a people-centered, rights-based, gender-transformative, participatory, empowering, equitable, inclusive, and sustainable development agenda;
• Help build capacity of these women on the following: (1) feminist leadership; (2) inclusive, rights-based, democratic, and good governance; (3) building and protecting democratic institutions and processes; and (4) promotion of active citizenship;
• Identify one or two pilot area/s for the organization and mobilization of grassroots women who will support chosen fellows running for re-election or planning to run for higher office;
• Establish a mentoring, mutual learning, and network building mechanism that will serve as support for female public servants;
• Come up with a research study that will identify the needs, issues, and concerns of current and aspiring woman leaders which will result in a policy brief.

To achieve these objectives, the project will be divided into five (5) program areas such as the Capacity Building Program; Mentoring, Mutual Learning, and Networking Building Program; Grassroots Women Empowerment Program (GWEP); Research and Advocacy Program; and Special Projects.

AB’s Mentoring, Mutual Learning, and Networking Building Program

The AB PEF will provide spaces and a platform for mentoring, mutual learning, and network building between other women political leaders and the Fellows in recognition of the former’s rich experiences in politics and governance. This Program hopes to forge solidarity and sisterhood among the women leaders through the following: Online Learning Platform; Peer Mentoring; and Expert Mentoring.

 Peer Mentoring

The AB Fellows will be introduced to seasoned women political leaders, who will serve as peer mentors, and who believe in feminist leadership; rights-based, inclusive, democratic and good governance; and the value of active citizenship.

Each mentor will be assigned to 2-3 Angat Bayi Fellows as their mentees.  Mentors will be introduced to their mentees during the conduct of the Angat Bayi Course. They will provide their mentees their contact information and agree on ways of how to connect and communicate in the course of the Angat Bayi Fellowship to allow sharing and exchanging of ideas and experiences (e.g., assistance, strategies in running a public office, etc.).  Angat Bayi Fellows are required to come up with a project or program that will integrate their learnings and insights and their assigned peer mentors may assist them in the development of the plans.

The connection and interaction may go beyond peer mentoring to introducing the mentees to or identifying potential partners in the implementation of their programs and projects in their respective cities/ municipalities.