The Future is Female: How 3 Women Are Shaping the Future of Public Service

There are few things as powerful as women supporting women. In an infinite list of women who continue to inspire us,? these three women are no exception.?

Would you create a new political party if you grew tired of the limited improvements in your country? Perhaps you’re inspired to dedicate your life to public service or establish a global initiative for refugees.

Aida Betancourt, Cecilia Pou, and Rez Gardi have all found a way to use their talents to take action and better the world. Their different experiences highlight how important your perspective is and how public service needs your voice — but it takes time to find the space that is right for you.

Aida Betancourt, Co-founder and Director of Political Affairs of Nuestro Tiempo

Aida Betancourt is co-founder and Director of Political Affairs of Nuestro Tiempo , a humanist political party in El Salvador. She promotes the political participation of youth and women through a lens of female empowerment. Aída has been an analyst for the World Bank Group and UNDP.? She is a member of the Global Shapers Community and an alumnus of the United States Department of State International Visitors Leadership Program.?

It took four elections before Aida grew tired of voting for the “least worst option" and decided to make a change. After dreaming of a political party that inspired trust, motivated citizens to believe in politics,? and represent the people, this is how she made Nuestro Tiempo come alive.

How do you break the mold and build a political party when the way things have always been done doesn’t fit your mission??

The pathway to resolution began with? diverse voices ranging from tech and business leaders to high school teachers – all committed to improving their country by creating a new political party. They began to build a foundation for a party that embraced inclusive representation and transparency in politics. As they set out to do so, they pulled inspiration from two former Congress members, Legislative Deputies Johnny Wright and Juan Valiente.

Wright and Valiente questioned their own parties for supporting corruption and resigned when they understood there was no hope for change in a traditional party.? As rare but solid examples of strength and integrity, Nuestro Tiempo began to form.?

Organizing a political party does not come to fruition without sacrifice, Aida warns. “You cannot do it alone.” The inspiration that led you to public service must be strong enough to withstand long nights, missed family gatherings, and disagreements within your party. Aida shared many lessons learned along the way in creating a new political party and the steps they took to form a political party that represented the people.?

“Wisdom from grassroots leaders was fundamental to understand what communities are going through and how a party like ours can represent their hope and help in practical ways. We want to be an alternative for those who believe decent, sensitive, humane politics are possible. This implies a series of non-negotiable principles, like freedom, transparency, and respect for diversity that we live by, that are our essence.”

Read Aida’s 7 Practical Tips for Creating your Own Political Party for tips on organizing, defining your position as a party, and working with other public servants.?

Cecilia Pou, Student at the University of Southern California, pursuing International Relations

Cecilia Pou is from Westchester, New York, and interned at Invisibly, an advertising startup, and at the Jesse M. Unruh Institute of Politics. Cecilia is also a member of Delta Phi Epsilon, a professional foreign service fraternity.? Her interests within the field of international relations include human security and global poverty. Outside of international relations, Cecilia enjoys studying social entrepreneurship and product design.

Cecilia knew she wanted to drive change with a career in social impact. However, connecting her life experiences to a career and subsequently, a college major, proved to be more challenging than she expected.?

With very little opportunity to explore education outside of the traditional five subjects taught in high school, Cecilia felt uninspired and unsure of what path to pursue in college. Taking into account her passion to explore foreign cultures, her identity as the daughter of two immigrant parents, only made choosing a major more challenging. Her desire to pursue social impact led to the question, “What college major would open the necessary doors to a career in social impact?”

“I struggled to pinpoint a career path that would combine my two guiding passions: social impact and an interest in exploring foreign cultures. All of the potential career paths presented to me seemed too bureaucratic and dry. I was as lost as ever.”

How does one translate their interests to a full-time career? Cecilia chose to explore the possibilities through a summer job opportunity. Her leap of faith to try a new role brought a perspective that surprised her. The responsibilities of organizing and facilitating roundtable discussions across the globe and acting as a content moderator to examine the cultural context, language, history, and social structure of the region of each post taught her an invaluable lesson.

“Not only did this role teach me about local cultures from first-hand accounts, but it also addressed a crucial humanitarian issue: safety and free expression on online platforms.”?

Often, we look for a career that has a direct correlation to our experiences instead of passions.? Discovering a passion can be a long, arduous, and disheartening process, and this side of it is rarely spoken about. As the world evolves, so does what we are passionate about. By taking a step towards her passion, Cecilia discovered an opportunity to learn about local cultures from first-hand accounts, and address a crucial humanitarian issue: safety and free expression on online platforms.

She’s learning to better understand the needs of the world as her passions evolve. Cecilia sets an example we hope to follow: to pursue your motivation and keep an open mind for what may come your way in the future. Learn more about her journey here .?

Rez Gardi, International lawyer, Human Rights Activist, and Co-founder of Refugees Seeking Equal Access at the Table

Rez Gardi is a co-founder of the Center for Asia Pacific Refugee Studies and an Adjunct Research Fellow. She is an international lawyer and human rights activist. Born in a refugee camp in Pakistan, her family escaped Saddam Hussein’s genocidal campaign against the Kurds. Rez arrived in New Zealand with nothing, determined to become New Zealand’s first Kurdish female lawyer.

She graduated as a Fulbright Scholar with a Master of Law from Harvard Law School, the first Kurd in history to do so. Today, she is the Co-Managing Director for Refugees Seeking Equal Access at the Table (R-SEAT), a global initiative seeking to solidify state commitments to enshrine refugee participation in the worldwide refugee regime.

Public service is not just about providing food, water, and shelter – it's about raising underrepresented voices in decision-making processes.?

One in 88 people have been displaced as a refugee (according to UNHCR). Rez Gardi’s early life experiences revealed a gap in refugee legislation. Determined to see change, she co-founded Refugees Seeking Equal Access at the Table (R-SEAT) to bring refugees into conversations about legislation that directly affects their lives.

“Refugees cannot achieve international representation on our own. By definition, refugees lack traditional political power, meaning we need allies to support — and demand — the creation of spaces for meaningful participation.”?

Where do you begin in the effort to build an organization that transforms legislation to be more equitable, effective, and legitimate?

“Reimagine a system where refugees have a seat at the table and our expertise and lived experiences can help build the systems we depend on for protection.” This is no small task – only three of the over 70+ country delegations — the United States, Canada, and Germany — included a refugee in their delegation.

The experience of refugees provides an incalculable insight into the policy needs of their communities.? Where do you begin with a new organization? Rez shared with us the action steps to engage refugee voices in policy discussions. Joining decision-making spaces and looking beyond the basic figures and statistics of refugees is essential. In order for refugees to have a voice they must be acknowledged as partners, especially in global policy making processes. Rez shares, “It’s time for governments, policymakers, the media, and the general public worldwide to abandon the oppressive stereotype that refugees are all passive victims in need of help.”

With protracted movements happening all over the world, the refugee crisis has only increased in scope, scale, and complexity. Sadly, it is not the only urgent cause rising to the surface in the urgency to act. We see global change when more people like Rez Gardi see the need for change and take action. Learn how Incorporating Lived Experience into Decision-Making Spaces is possible by reading more.

What is an area you have discovered needs to change? Have your personal experiences expanded your perspective in the world around you? There is a demand for new and innovative solutions. With the demand there is also a need for evidence-based research and a commitment to understanding those with lived experiences of displacement.?

Finding your purpose and passion isn’t always easy as many of us spend our entire lives searching for what we think we’re supposed to do, rather than finding out what we’re meant to do.?

Public service allows us to use the tools and skills we have to challenge ourselves in many different ways. Through these opportunities, we can find and define our true passions and seek opportunities beyond a self-given purpose but rather a passionate mindset towards public service.?

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