19 June 2024 at 10:00 am
SheLeads Campaign – inspiring future Indian learners
Throughout March, April and May, ENZ’s India team ran a campaign celebrating women leaders and alumni across New Zealand’s education sector. The campaign involved a series of initiatives that reached a wide range of learners from this important student market for New Zealand.
Launched on International Women’s Day on 8 March, the SheLeads campaign was developed by Education New Zealand Manapou ki te Ao’s (ENZ's) India-based team. The campaign was multi-pronged and aimed to celebrate women leaders and alumni across various disciplines from New Zealand education providers with a diverse audience of young and mature learners in India.
The campaign was launched on ENZ’s South Asia LinkedIn channel which was then used throughout to highlight the impact and value of a New Zealand education through the sharing of success stories of women leaders in New Zealand and beyond as well as those of Indian women alumni. Education media across several key Indian publications also reported on the campaign to their estimated 58 million readers.
The LinkedIn campaign profiled over 24 women leaders and achieved 105,000 impressions, 1,500 page views, while the ENZ South Asia page gained more than 600 new followers, surpassing the campaign’s targets.
To engage students and lift the NZ education profile amongst this group, a SheLeads debate competition was organised between five leading schools in Delhi. The students were tasked with debating “the underrepresentation of women in STEM”’ and the 50 plus participants were invited to share diverse perspectives and include examples from New Zealand.
Undergraduate learners from over 100 tertiary Indian Institutions were also invited to participate in the campaign through submission of video essays. A shortlist of 10 entries were judged by Professor Carol Mutch from the University of Auckland’s Faculty of Education and Social Work.
Images from the SheLeads debate competition held at Delhi Public School.
Finally, ENZ hosted a virtual workshop on ‘Organisational Change and Resilience’ with school principals and leaders from over 500 schools across India invited to attend. This workshop was facilitated by AcademyEx Founder, Frances Valintine and discussions focused on the innovative approach to learning that leaders must now consider in this rapidly changing world.
The finalists and winners of both competitions were invited to a campaign concluding event at the New Zealand High Commission in New Delhi on May 18. The event featured an engaging line up including an inter-school debate competition for the debate competition finalists, a panel discussion featuring alumni titled “Trailblazers: Women leaders who catalyse change” and the SheLeads Essay Showcase featuring the top three finalists. New Zealand’s High Commissioner to India, H.E Patrick John Rata was on hand to present the winners with their awards in front of guests that included high school counsellors, students, parents, and representatives from New Zealand institutions as well as the Principal of Jesus and Mary College in New Delhi.
ENZ’s Director of Engagement East Asia and India, Jugnu Roy, said that it was a huge privilege being able to interview so many talented women leaders and alumni to showcase their outstanding achievements. She also said that seeing the energy and enthusiasm that the students brought to both competitions was another campaign highlight.
“New Zealand has a proud history of striving for gender equality and continues to improve outcomes for women by strongly supporting women in education and training, utilising women’s skills to grow the economy, and encouraging and developing women leaders.
“I am sure this campaign will inspire our students here in India, particularly our female students, to consider choosing New Zealand as an education destination and follow in the footsteps of these incredible role models,” said Jugnu.
