Stephanie MacKendrick - In Good Hands: Remarkable Female Politicians from Around the World Who Showed Up, Spoke Out and Made Change

A s the founder of IGNITE, the largest and most diverse young womens political leadership organization in the United States, I am relentless in my desire to make sure that young women are ready and eager to become the next generation of political leaders. So imagine my delight when I read In Good Hands a book that shares so much of IGNITEs vision for empowerment.

At IGNITE we train young women to define their personal call to service by asking them several critically important questions: What is the most pressing issue you see in your community? What is your personal connection to that issue? How would you solve it?

Our goal is to help young women see that their personal experiences no matter how painful or shameful or hard are exactly what qualify them to lead. Case in point: one of our alumni spent some time as a teenager in and out of the criminal justice system, like so many young people in her community. That is why her platform for city council was so powerful: She could authentically say to the sitting council member, What have you done for our community over the last 20 years? Let me tell you how your policies have failed, and let me tell you what I would do. Couple that powerful call to service with real tools, like how to raise money or contact voters or garner endorsements, and you have a real plan for success.

In Good Hands is a must-read for any young woman who is curious about running for office but doesnt know how to make it happen. Providing equal parts inspiration and information, In Good Hands tells stories of powerful female role models from around the world who conquered their doubts, ran successful campaigns for public office and then implemented their vision. Young female activists will hear what these leaders accomplished as public servants. More important, theyll get the real story on dos and donts for their first time running as a candidate, as well as a handy 12-step roadmap to prepare them for the journey ahead. It can be scary to run for office that first time, but knowing that you have a plan can mitigate some of the fear.

There has never been a more important time to invest in young women who are passionate about bettering their communities and teach them that political leadership is the most direct way to make change.

The 2016 election in the United States sparked an extraordinary level of political activism among young women across the country. In the face of policies that limit their potential, young women are finally emboldened to own political power. They are fed up with the status quo, and they see political leadership as both desirable and tenable. We need to ensure that we take this moment and turn it into a movement to build the next generation of political leaders. Thats where In Good Hands comes in. Make sure that it gets into the hands of any budding activist or political leader or frankly any young woman who cares about making her community and our world a better place.

Anne Moses, PhD

President & Founder

IGNITE

www.ignitenational.org