Who We Are
You may have noticed we talk about the New American Majority. So what is that, exactly?
The New American Majority are the rising generations who will become the majority of the population and determine the future of America: Black, Brown, Indigenous, LGBTQ+, young people, unmarried women.
If you’re reading this, it’s very likely that the New American Majority is you.
At WLE, our work offers leadership development skills and how tos so that people in the New American Majority move into leadership together, regardless of background or industry.
Our mission
The mission of WLE is to transform the faces of leadership and expand the impact of emerging leaders.
WLE & Emerge
The mission of our affiliated political organization - Emerge - is to increase the number of Democratic women in office who are reflective of the incredible diversity of the Democratic party by recruiting, training and providing a powerful network. Click here to check them out.
WLE works in contrast and complement to Emerge. We engage with emerging self-identifying women and non-binary leaders to build out their leadership development skills through training, mentorship, affinity circles, and workshops. For more on how we do this, visit Our Programs page.
Our vision
WLE’s vision is a world in which self-identifying women and non-binary people rise to power together. We provide space for them to connect with others who share their identities and experiences, build a big and bold community, and learn transformational leadership development skills.
Core Values
Power
WLE offers tools, knowledge, and skills to empower individual participants in order to build collective power among self-identifying women and non-binary people. WLE centers those from historically excluded groups so that they may become the leaders of tomorrow, today, knowing that these participants are already leading from where they are in their own communities. WLE participants are leaders who lift as they climb to ensure opportunities for future generations.
Equity
WLE knows that equity drives equality. Equity means having self-identifying women and non-binary people leading in the classroom, the board room, the union hall, and the halls of power. Leading ballot initiatives, campaigns, and in faith communities. Serving on boards, PTAs, and in neighborhoods. Equity means all WLE program participants get what they need to succeed, be it mentorship, relationship, community, knowledge, skills, tools, or a plan. It means that the frame of the program is offering it with an equity and justice lens on race and gender, so that the leaders developed through the programming can offer that to the world. It means intersectional cohorts, so that leaders are equipped to understand the diversity of the people they serve.
Connection & Community
WLE knows it is not enough to rely on the strengths and talents of individuals to lead. Leaders must have the needed supports, relationships, and community so that in the long term leadership is sustainable and community-driven. For these reasons, WLE is intentionally building a community of self-identifying women and non-binary people so that they may rise to power together. The programming offers ways for participants to connect so that organic networks develop. WLE also offers ways to deepen relationships through mentorship and other post-leadership development programming opportunities.
Intersectionality
WLE’s program is intersectional with intention, so that self-identifying women and non-binary people can gather and learn from each other in a diverse by design setting. WLE knows that identity is complex. There are similarities and differences not only between and among identities, but within identities, and it is from a place of listening and learning that we are able to find the mutuality on which we build relationships and community. Our programming is intersectional in nature and brings people of different identities, backgrounds, and geographies together, be they participants or trainers. Diversity is strength, and learning in a diverse setting will best prepare new leaders to lead: by celebrating relationships and finding common ground.
Common Ground
At WLE we know that systemic barriers exist, and we believe that collectively, through listening to each other, we build a deeper understanding of the overlapping similarities in our lived experiences. From this place, we find common ground on which to lead with relevant, culturally competent, community driven solutions for the long term.
Health & Wellness
WLE recognizes that participants are on a long journey, and health and wellness are critical in supporting participants in the long term. To WLE, health does not only mean access to healthcare and insurance and access to time and money to invest in wellness. To WLE, health means that we build healthy relationships and communities AND that we consider asking for support and conflict resolution. WLE knows we can ONLY get healthy as individuals when we work together toward healthy relationships and communities.
Operating Norms
Belonging
WLE proactively engages self-identifying women and non-binary people of all backgrounds and identities. Striving to realize the New American Majority, we are intentional about ensuring that the makeup of our organization mirrors our inherent American diversity. We celebrate our differences – of identity, opinion, and thought, believing in the strength of our diversity and community’s vital role in one’s success. We welcome self-identifying women and non-binary people of all races, ages, socioeconomic statuses, those in the LGBTQ+ community and those with disabilities. We believe that the different experiences that our WLE community members bring to the table makes us stronger. WLE is a space where self-identifying women and non-binary people in the New American Majority truly belong – and a network of support parallel to none.
Transformation
WLE transforms self-identifying women and non-binary people into powerful leaders, who are transforming our country: from the classroom to the hospital to the union hall, from to the boardroom to the halls of power. WLE elevates and foregrounds the leadership of self-identifying women and non-binary people of color, so that they have power - in decision-making bodies and in leadership roles - resulting in increased collaboration and outcomes that uplift their communities – especially for self-identifying women, non-binary people, and children. Our work equips participants with the knowledge, skills, mind set, and community needed to step forward and become the decision makers of their own communities and this country.
Empowerment
From our staff and boards, stakeholders to partners and aspirants to fellows, WLE elevates self-identifying women and non-binary people to show up as their authentic selves, claim their seats at the table, or build their own, amplify each others’ voices and embrace their deep responsibility to leading our communities for the betterment of all. The community that WLE builds through our programs is intentional and deliberate. We recognize that this system is vital to the success of those in our community. We are also committed to being there for our participants throughout their leadership journeys, and are here to support them and help them succeed.
Excellence
Excellence: As a trailblazer in intersectional leadership development for self-identifying women and non-binary people, we take pride in holding ourselves to the highest standards. We are dedicated to ensuring the quality and forward focus of our programs and to consistently delivering best practices that produce results. It is vital that the participants who go through our program not only receive knowledge, skills, and community, but leave equipped to lead in their own communities and take their next steps toward leadership thereafter. Transforming the face of leadership in this country has no end date. Because this work is constant and enduring, continuous learning and improvement will always be at the heart of WLE. We commit to excellence in all that we do, strive to deepen our knowledge and understanding of leadership development and pledge to espouse Core Values and Operating Norms in our fellows, staff and volunteers.
FAQs
What does “WLE” stand for?
WLE stands for Winning Leaders Emerge. Winning leaders are self-identifying women and non-binary people who come from a wide variety of places across the country. Leaders who are already leading from where they are, right now, who are ready to further invest in themselves, step higher into leadership, lift as they climb, and connect with other leaders interested in the same. Winning leaders are servant leaders invested in building community and rising to power together.
How can I get involved?
Right now, our WLE Gathers training program is actively recruiting participants and our WLE Uplifts Mentorship program is onboarding mentors and mentees. Visit our Programs page for details. Check back with us for more on when our WLE Connects affinity circles and WLE Learns workshop programs open in 2023. You can also recommend someone for leadership development, visit our Donate page to make a financial contribution to support our work, follow us on social media.
How can I recommend your programs to someone I know would be an amazing fit?
Yes, please do recommend us to people! We welcome all self-identifying women and nonbinary people who are interested in leading and building the New American Majority. Let them know about us by email or text, and once they sign up for a program, we will be in touch.
Who can participate?
WLE works with self-identifying women and nonbinary people who are passionate about leading and ushering in the New American Majority. If this is you, we want to connect! Get in touch to learn more about how you can get involved.
I’m not ready for a training. Are there other ways I can get involved?
You can join our email list to learn more about our work and feel out what’s a fit. We are launching our WLE Connects affinity circles and WLE Learns workshop programs in 2023. Visit our Programs page to sign up for email notification when these go live. And you can donate to support our work here!
How is WLE different from Emerge?
WLE works with self-identifying women and nonbinary people who are ready to invest in their own leadership development. They may seem themselves running for office in future, but often do not come into WLE holding a specific leadership vision for themselves. WLE supports them in building leadership skills and honing their career path. Emerge works with self-identifying women who are ready to run for elected office and complete candidate training programs to this end. Click here to check them out.
How can I donate to support your work?
Thank you for asking! Visit our Donate page to make a credit or debit card contribution, and for details on how to connect with us and make philanthropic gifts.