To increase the pipeline of young women and marginalized gender groups who will pursue leadership roles in public policy, PLEN offers programming that provide students with hands-on opportunities to hone their leadership skills and to be introduced to and network with outstanding leaders already working in the field.
Each year, PLEN brings hundreds of students from colleges and universities across the country to Washington, D.C. They experience first-hand how public policy is shaped and implemented at the national level. They are better prepared to become the next generation of public policy decision makers. Students meet with and learn from leaders making and influencing public policy at the highest levels in Congress, the courts, federal agencies, the private sector, policy research and advocacy organizations, and the media. These leaders serve as teachers as well as mentors. Students and schools report this experience is invaluable.