WIIS Campus co-founders and co-presidents Sabrine Dao and Eva Ribera were interviewed in March 2021 by the European Activism Incubator for the organisation’s young change-makers discussion series. Click here to listen to it!

During their discussion with Laura Bernard, Communication and Fundraising Assistant, they talked about the origins and mission behind WIIS Campus and how their organisation wishes to build bridges for young women willing to start a career in international security, peace and defense.

The European Activism Incubator is a Brussels-based organisation that supports non-profit initiatives and for profit ones with positive social or environmental impact. The organisation has assisted a wide range of projects, including initiatives to provide mentoring to aspiring women entrepreneurs and boost women’s participation in their employment, business, volunteering and private lives.

“We believe that a strong community can help develop your career, but also help you feel in a good place in your institution,” said Eva. “We want to connect people to make them not feel isolated.” The Brussels-based WIIS Campus is the first University antenna of Women in International Security in Europe, and the co-founders also expressed their ambitions to build a larger network among higher education institutions.

“One of our ambitions is to reach out to international affairs departments in universities and say, ‘this is a great project, we have many reasons to believe that you should start this in your university’,” said Sabrine. “We want to make sure you can count on WIIS Campus in different countries and different universities.”

WIIS Campus has so far contributed by creating and spreading policy resources on gender equality and women in peace and security fields for students. It has also created a workshop programme aiming to mentor future professionals in these fields, equipping them with skills such as networking, speechwriting, negotiation and self confidence. WIIS Campus also produces a podcast that brings a student’s and young professional’s perspective on international issues such as gender in diplomacy and the UN’s Women, Peace and Security Agenda.

To know more about the European Activism Incubator, visit their website and social media listed below:

• European Activism Incubator website
• European Activism Incubator Facebook
• European Activism Incubator Instagram
• European Activism Incubator Twitter
• European Activism Incubator LinkedIn

All views expressed are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the position of WIIS Brussels.