YWCA Clark County is always seeking to empower women in every facet of life. This year we launched a new program, the Women’s Leadership Center (WLC), with the goal of enabling women of all ages with the skills necessary to realize and harness their innate leadership abilities.One of the ways we plan do this is through different workshops led by expert facilitators that help women and girls develop life skills essential for success, self-confidence and self-worth, and be guided by a values-based philosophy that embraces equity, inclusion, and service.First up is “Image to Income: Creating an Authentic,Profitable and Confident Image Workshop” hosted February 20th, and facilitated by certified image consultant, best-selling author, and new YWCA Clark County board member Dr. Carol Parker Walsh. The hour-long workshop is open to women of all ages, with the goal of supporting them to speak with confidence, dress for success, and navigate common challenges in the workplace.In addition to being a best-selling author, Dr. Walsh has a PhD in human and social systems and a JD in employment, labor and contract law, as well as over 25 years of experience in executive leadership positions. She also writes a monthly column for the Vancouver Business Journal entitled “Dress Code” and is the local image/style expert for The Oregonian. You can check out her many other accolades and accomplishments on her website, where she states that, “What I do best is position forward thinking, high-achieving women for success by advancing their image, influence, and impact for increased credibility and confidence.”We can’t wait for Dr. Walsh to join us and share her wisdom and experience with our community!Our second workshop is an eight-week series beginning on February 28th, available to women 50 years and older. Entitled “Finding Our Gold: A Connection Circle for Women Over 50”, participants in this series will explore topics such as authenticity, relationships, courage, safety, purpose, and creativity. Margo Priebe and Annette McLean will be facilitating the series.“This is new and there is nothing being offered like this in Vancouver,” said Priebe. “A group for women over 50 who face ageism, feelings of being invisible in our culture, and the uneasiness of growing older. I am 53, and I experience all those things! We will be exploring what it feels like to be an aging woman, and how we want to look at the rest of our life. ‘Finding our Gold’ is a metaphor for digging deep within ourselves to find what is precious and priceless.”Priebe said that their main goal for the series is that, “each participant will walk away knowing themselves more, and connecting with other women who have similar experiences in growing older.”We’re so excited for both these workshops, and the future of the Women’s Leadership Center. We believe it’s going to be a valuable resource to women in our community, and urge you to join us in this journey!To register for one of the upcoming seminars, or to learn more about other offerings from the WLC visit https://ywcaclarkcounty.org/what-we-do/our-programs/wlc/