Women in Strategic Policy (WISP)

The Australian National University’s Strategic and Defence Studies Centre is excited to be partnering with Girls Run the World to present the Women in Strategic Policy program. Supported by a Strategic Policy Grant from the Department of Defence, the program will train and support young women to publish in and contribute to Australia’s strategic debate. Over the next two years, the program will support the publication of over 40 opinion articles and 10 policy papers - all authored by women under the age of 35.

Applications are now open for the program’s virtual workshop in October 2024.

Across three intensive days of online training, this program aims to equip participants with the skills and opportunities to contribute to Australia’s defence discourse. The program is open to all young women under the age of 35 with experience, expertise and/or a demonstrated interest in Australian foreign, national security, strategic and/or defence policy.

Participants will gain:

• An understanding of Australian Strategic Priorities, particularly ones that relate to their fields of interest or existing areas of expertise

• A foundation for writing opinion articles for both academic and mainstream media 

• A writing-ready idea and outline for an article

• A pitch for editors that they have received feedback on from their peers 

• A network of peer and professional supports to assist them as they begin writing, pitching, and publishing 

The first two workshops of the program will be held in September and October 2024 entirely over Zoom. The three day workshops will be held across two weeks on the following dates:

• Workshop 1: September 24th-25th, October 1st (application deadline: September 12th)

• Workshop 2: October 29th-30th, November 5th (application deadline: October 13th)