IE Business School in Madrid has teamed with Siemens to offer a scholarship to female tech entrepreneurs. To win you need to submit a business idea. You need to submit an idea for a business.

Rules:

The WEE contest provides a unique opportunity for young women to think on new ideas in their careers and provides the seed to launch new business ventures. In order to provide an experience that is both educational and effective, a comprehensive set of policies and procedures have been developed around the Contest.

About participants:

1. Registered participants must be women. She can be running by herself or in a team. The participant will be the only possible recipient for the prize.
2. Participants must be enrolled in their final year or have completed it after June 1, 2007. In any case, the winner shall meet the criteria for admission to Master in Management and be available to perform the Master the following year.
3. The participant must be enrolled in any major scientific and technological type or have completed these studies after June 1, 2007.
4. The participant must be enrolled in a European university.

About ideas:

1. The idea can be presented individually or in groups, although only the woman registered in the contest can be eligible to win the scholarship
2. The idea must be original and not registered at the time of completion of the contest
3. The idea must be based on technological aspects. Focusing on sustainability will be very much considered by the jury
4. It must be submitted in English, in a video of no more than 3 minutes, which should accompany a resume in pdf format
5. After the selection of the finalists, there will be an oral presentation of the idea in order to choose the winner.

Good luck!!

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WOW – Women of the World Festival 2012is a celebration of the formidable strength and inventiveness of women, running 7-11 March. This annual festival presents and recognises women from all walks of life, acting as a conversation space for issues of all kinds. WOW includes lively talks and debates about politics, the arts, economics, fashion, science, health, sport and big ideas. Take part in mentoring and workshops and hear from celebrities, politicians, artists and activists on the topics that matter to women worldwide.

Evening highlights (ticketed separately) include comedy from Sandi Toksvig; music from Equals Live 2012, Sinead O’Connor and Emmy the Great; and film with Birds Eye View Sound and Silents.

Join WOW at Southbank Centre on Facebook. We’re also talking on Twitter #WOW2012

For full programme and ticketing information: southbankcentre.co.uk/wow

0844 847 9910

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The success of an intervention depends on the interior condition of the intervener ~ William O'Brian

When trying to decide where to put ones attention, on the state of the world or at a more local level, it pays to bear in mind this wisdom. Also expressed in the ancient Chinese saying “if you want to change the world, change the state. If you want to change the state, change the family. If you want to change the family, change yourself.”

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http://www.dezeen.com/2012/01/03/steilneset-memorial-by-peter-zumthor-and-louise-bourgeois/

My husband sent me this link today to a beautiful piece of architecture in Norway dedicated to the people who were burned as witches in the witch trial days. Nobody seems to know how many exactly there were around the world but one is too many in my opinion. Saying that, there is an awful stat about one woman being killed every week in the UK by her partner that does lead me to believe that we are not out of the woods yet.

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http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/01/opinion/sunday/the-joy-of-quiet.html?_r=2&pagewanted=all

I read a beautiful piece in the NYT the other day about the value of stillness. For those of you that are considering staying away from social media this month, as I am.

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View Video

This was one of my favourite videos from last year and nice to watch when you are feeling a bit stuck in the city.

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“You never change things by fighting the existing reality. To change something, build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete.” ~ Buckminster Fuller

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So the press have dug around into Louise Mensch MPs past and discovered, shock horror, that she ‘probably’ took some drugs at a nightclub when she was in her twenties. Why this is news is frankly beyond me but why this has come out now, is not. The press are doing their thing, taking on someone that has taken them on. The ‘probably’ is a bit of a give away. There are lots of ‘probablys’ floating around the News of the World scandal. True or not, a ‘probably’ can hurt.

In the case of Louise Mensch I doubt it will hurt that much for that long because she had the good sense to own up to it in a way that takes the sting out of it. Obama did the same when he was accused of taking drugs in his youth. Lots of people take drugs in their youth and some into their older youth so it’s not the vote loser that people may assume it is. Not that I’m going to necessarily talk about that. What I am interested in is the effect that this sort of press coverage has on people who might have been considering becoming an MP.

My friends tell me that no sane person wants to be an MP in this country and I have to say, there is some sense to that claim. The British public really doesn’t like it’s elected representatives. MPs are the second least trusted group of people in the country, just slightly more than journalists, which in this day and age is really saying something. (Not all journalists are bad, I know, I know). Who, in their right mind would want to play a role that is this hated?

Not only that, but when I ask women to come forward to stand as MPs lots of them say no and refer to the treatment that they might expect from the press, treatment a lot like Louise Mensch is experiencing today. They worry about their past and how that might impact on their families. It takes a brave woman to want to air her dirty laundry in public. We know that female politicians get treated differently from male politicians in scandals. Remember when Liz Truss, Tory hopeful was deselected from running for Parliament after having an affair? Some might think this was an appropriate response from the party but you only have to look at the fact it was a Tory MP she had the affair with, who quite happily kept his place. Is there a double standard? Yes indeed.

Good on Louise Mensch. She’s essentially saying, ‘Yes I’ve had a life. So what?’. I agree. Isn’t that what we want? To elect people to lead us who have lived? People that have had jobs outside of politics, who know what it is to battle with life, those that have experienced money worries, maybe even battled with addiction. People who know how relationships can go wrong and the work needed to keep them going. People that have allowed themselves to veer from the carefully crafted story of who and what a politician is, a story that can only end in disappointment for the voters because we are all human, full of fragilities and vulnerabilities. It’s a sham to pretend otherwise.

Lets select and elect more human beings please. And let’s not sit quietly as the press dig around in peoples lives, bringing up stuff that frankly just doesn’t matter.

Previously posted in The Huffington Post and Lib Dem Voice

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This coming Saturday, the 30th July, at The Window in Islington I will be interviewing Dr Elizabeth Debold about the future for women. Please do come along for what will be an interesting exploration of where women have come from and where we are going next.

“Elizabeth is an author, internationally renowned gender researcher, and cultural commentator. Her bestselling book, Mother Daughter Revolution: From Good Girls to Great Women, was heralded by Gloria Steinem and Carol Gilligan as “the book women have been waiting for.” Elizabeth received her doctorate in human development and psychology from Harvard University, where she was a founding member of the Harvard Project on Women’s Psychology and Girls’ Development. Elizabeth has been sought as an expert on girls, women, and the evolution of gender roles by major media outlets in the US and abroad and has lectured in the US, Canada, and Europe. She has made multiple appearances on Oprah, Good Morning America, and NPR, and was featured in a major Lifetime documentary on girls’ development. She has also consulted to numerous films and television programs, as well as to foundations, nonprofit educational organizations, corporate law firms, and businesses. Elizabeth has taught at Harvard University, the New School for Social Research, and the Graduate Institute.”

This event is part of a weekend of speakers and explorations of subjects relating to the future of humanity. Check out the impressive lineup, including MP Michael Meacher. The event will be opened by Jeremy Corbyn MP for Islington North.

For a small discount for my blog readers please email me directly on lee@leechalmers.com

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