First Class of Athena Digital Design Graduates

Woman led educational start-up, Skillcrush, guided 35 Barnard students in a 10-week training where they learned to design and code websites. The students designed websites for 8 local small businesses and non-profits, including the Pakistani teenager Malala Yousafzai’s organization, the Malala Fund. At graduation, students presented their designs and spoke eloquently about overcoming their fears and helping each other develop these critical skills.  In August, these new coders will go on to design websites for local businesses and non-profit organizations, when the Athena Digital Design Agency launches publicly.

Entrepreneurs-in-Training is Accepting Applications

Applications are now open to all high school students interested in attending the Entrepreneurs-in-Training summer program. Run by Barnard’s office of pre-college programs and the Athena Center, the 10-day residential program will be held from July 6, 2014 – July 17, 2014. Students will work in teams to develop their own ventures, build public speaking skills, and ultimately pitch their ideas to mentors, and experienced entrepreneurs.  Taught by women entrepreneurs, students will also visit New York start-ups, learning first-hand about how these ventures get off the ground.

Click here to read more about the program.

Athena Heads to China for Barnard’s 6th Annual Global Symposium

Athena Director Kathryn Kolbert and Abigail Lewis, along with six Barnard students, other faculty and staff are heading to Shanghai for the 6th annual Global Symposium: Women Changing China. Each year’s conference brings together the preeminent women of the region to discuss and debate the issues important to them and to their country. The event is free and open to the public, and women (and men) from all sectors and of all ages are invited to attend.

Click here to read more about the conference.

Symposium on African Women’s Rights and Resilience

In celebration of International Women’s Day, Barnard College hosted a daylong symposium on March 12, 2014 with Barnard Distinguished Fellow in Social Justice Leymah Gbowee. In a series of three panel discussions, distinguished scholars and activists addressed key issues for continental women’s movements, including the role of men in women’s social justice movements, the importance of inter-generational activism, and the stakes of transnational feminist engagements within and beyond the continent.

The Co-Sponsors of this event included the Gbowee Peace Foundation USA, Africana Studies, the Athena Center, Barnard Center for Research on Women, Consortium for Critical Interdisciplinary Studies, and the Office of the President.