APPLICATION DEADLINE IS TUESDAY, June 1, 2010

Young women, between the ages of 15-19 as of July 31, 2010, in the United States and around the world are welcome to apply for the Women2Women – America 2010 conference.

The conference will be entirely conducted in English; therefore, participants must have a strong ability to speak, read and understand English. If it is determined that if a student has misled Empower Peace on their English abilities, that student may be sent home from the conference early.

In addition, Empower Peace is looking for applicants with the following abilities/interests:
• Students interested in learning about other cultures, religions, and countries.
• Students interested in political science/government, world events, media/journalism, community activism and/or business.
• Students interested and active in community service activities and/or extracurricular activities.
• Students who are willing and able to work with a variety of individuals and teams from many different cultures, backgrounds and religions.
• Students who demonstrate solid leadership qualities and abilities.
• Students who will make the most of this opportunity, and share their experiences with others in their schools and communities when they return home.

Applicants must provide a general health history with their application. Women2Women alumni are not eligible to apply as participants.

Applications must be submitted (email or fax) or received (by mail) by Tuesday, June 1, 2010. Final selections will be made, and applicants will be notified (by e-mail, phone, or post mail), no later than June 10, 2010. A W2W 2010 Review Board will be responsible for the full application and selection process. Final acceptance for this conference will be made with consideration to the diversity of geographic, racial, ethnic, religious, and socio-economic backgrounds represented in the full group of participants.

Applying as a Delegation*
Applicants are encouraged to apply in delegations of 2-4 students, accompanied by a teacher or education official. Special consideration will be given to these groups. Each member of the delegation should apply individually, but indicate their delegation on the application.

* Please note: Applying as a delegation does not guarantee that all members of the delegation will be accepted.

Applications can be submitted via mail, e-mail or fax.

Mail
Attn: Tricia Raynard
Women2Women International Leadership Program
c/o Empower Peace
240 Commercial Street, Suite 2B
Boston, MA 02109
USA

Fax
International Fax Number: 001.617.570.9159
Domestic Fax Number: 617.570.9159

E-Mail
Email: applications@empowerpeace.org

• If you have any questions regarding the conference, please contact Tricia Raynard at +1.617.912.3821 or via e-mail at traynard@empowerpeace.org. You may also contact Kari Johnston at +1.617.912.3817 or kjohnston@empowerpeace.org

• All application forms must be received by Tuesday, June 1, 2010 to be considered.

• Young women who have been selected to attend Women2Women – America 2010 will be contacted by e-mail, phone or post mail at their school or home address by Tuesday, June 1, 2010.

• All information submitted in this application form is confidential and will be used for conference purposes only.

Schedule
W2W 2010 will take place from Tuesday, August 3, 2010 – Tuesday, August 10, 2010. August 3rd and August 10th are considered travel days. We understand that your departure (August 10th) falls close to the beginning of Ramadan. We will work to accommodate requests to leave one day early (August 9th) from the conference if required.

The conference will include: team-building activities; seminars and workshops with prominent leaders doing important work in government, media, business, science and technology, and non-profit; leadership development exercises and skill-building; outreach events with other youth and community leaders; and cultural activities. Participants are required to partake in every conference activity.


Transportation/Visas
If you are coming from the United States…
• Empower Peace will provide all participants (other than those from Massachusetts) with round-trip transportation from an airport near their home to Boston’s Logan International Airport. All participants will be fully responsible for transportation to and from their local airport.
• Empower Peace will greet participants at Logan Airport in Boston and bring them to the conference.
• Transportation for all conference activities will be arranged through Empower Peace.
• Participants from Massachusetts must obtain their own transportation to and from the conference.
• Empower Peace will NOT accommodate any requests to extend a participant’s stay in Boston. All participants must depart Boston on their scheduled flight from Logan Airport.

If you are coming from outside the United States…
• If accepted, participants will need to obtain a valid passport (if they do not already have one).
• Empower Peace will provide all participants with round-trip transportation from an airport near their home to Boston’s Logan International Airport. All participants will be fully responsible for transportation to and from the airport in their home country.
• Empower Peace will provide necessary documentation to help secure a travel visa interview to travel to the US.
• If selected to attend W2W 2010, you must obtain your passport and secure a visa interview as soon as possible.
• Transportation for all conference activities will be arranged through Empower Peace.
• Empower Peace will NOT accommodate any requests to extend a participant’s stay in Boston or the United States. All participants must depart Boston on their scheduled flight from Logan Airport.
• Participants are responsible for obtaining their own travel and airport transit visas. Some participants will need to obtain an airport transit visa – a visa required to wait for a few hours at the airport’s international transit area.
• Empower Peace will greet participants at Logan Airport in Boston and bring them to the conference.

Housing/Meals
• Participants will be housed in dorms at Lesley University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA during the entire conference. Cambridge is approximately 5 miles (about 8km) outside Boston.
• Students are expected to abide by all Empower Peace and Lesley University dorm rules.
• Students will have at least one roommate from another delegation/country.
• Students are not allowed to switch roommates or rooms.
• Students will be living in an area shared by other Lesley University students (non-conference participants).
• Students will not have private bathrooms. There are communal bathrooms on each dorm floor.
• Empower Peace will provide all meals during the conference. Halal and kosher food will be available.

Financial Responsibilities
There is a $500 (USD) conference fee for all participants to partially cover housing and transportation costs. Scholarships are available for qualified applicants who cannot afford the conference fee. We encourage everyone to apply even if you cannot afford the conference fee.

Costs covered by Empower Peace
~ Air travel to and from the conference
~ Ground transportation in the United States and to and from Lesley University
~ Food
~ Lodging
~ All costs connected to speakers, and conference development and implementation
~ Empower Peace will not cover costs associated with the travel and airport visas or passport application process.

Costs covered by the participant (her family, and/or sponsoring agency)
~ Costs associated with securing passports
~ Costs associated with securing visas – travel and airport transit (approximately $100 USD)
~ Transportation to and from airport in participant’s home country/state
~ Incidental costs
~ Conference fee
~ Travel/Health insurance