In November 2024 I was attending European Leadership Academy for Rural Innovation. Interestingly, this edition was held in my own country, Croatia. European Leadership Academy (ELA below) is a Huawei powered project initiated, directed and led by one powerhouse lady, Berta Herrero. It has been a few months since I attended the event and I am eager to share my experience with you.
Note: All images in this article are by European Leadership Academy
Throwing myself into the unknown
It all started with an Instagram ad well targeted. The last time it happened I ended up with 15 pairs of nordic socks, that were obviously not from nordic countries, more East than North. But brand photography did its magic on me that time, and I was bewitched. Why 15? Because if you bought 2 packs (each of which had 5 pairs) you got one pack for free. I figured out I’ll treat my friends, but it turned out I don’t have that many friends to give socks to. Anyway, I’ve paid for my weakness, learned a lesson and this time I wasn’t struck solely by visuals. The words did their enchantment this time. The Woman’s Academy for rural innovation. That’s it. I was there the moment I saw the ad.
To give you some context, I’m a woman. A woman inspiring, empowering, educating and working with women. Academy meant that it was about learning, and the teacher archetype in me raised her head above her books and smiled while she wiped her glasses. Eager for learning I was scanning courses, universities and schools for a while to see what I was about to embark on next. I was called to take the leap. The timing was more than right. Rural innovation? Well there, I’m your countrywoman head to toes. Cooking on fire, chopping woods, chasing snakes and wiping my kid’s nose with ma’ own sleeve. Just to give you a hint. It’s only been a year since we have moved from Croatia’s capital, but you know. You gotta adapt, otherwise you get eaten by the wolfs. Just kidding.
Woman’s Academy for Rural Innovation - what, where & how?
Whatever the case might be, I was ready to make some change after settling in after a year long period of adapting to new circumstances and new surroundings and so much going on personal wise. However, the vision that I have had in my heart for many years became clearer around that time. I felt something was about to change. I was ready to take the next step even though I had no clue what it was.
When I saw the ad, my heart yelled ‘yes’. Was I sceptical? I was. A ton. Fully paid scholarship, travel and accommodation costs covered, almost 50 speakers, 20 female participants, each from different European countries… Panels, keynotes, speakers, masterclasses, project work, yoga night, mindfulness training, traditional local food, workshops, opening ceremony, farewell gala, politicians, former politicians (now doing amazing work), CEO’s, founders, investors, directors, visionaries, thought leaders, dreamers… Seriously? And I have never heard of the organization before. How’s that going to work out in 5 days period? I was about to find out and the surprise was about to surprise me big time.
Application Process for European Leadership Academy
What they were looking for were woman from rural areas who were either working on personal projects, passion projects or women with ideas and a vision of making a change in their rural areas that included innovation and digital technology. A visionary with ideas involving digital technology you say? Let me dust off my shoulders. My vision was there, together with my Cancer Sun and Aquarius ascendant, wholeheartedly leading me towards the future. People need to stop moving away from rural areas. That was my main point. It’s quite the opposite.
What we need are people moving back to rural areas, re-building and maintaining, or nurturing the opposite of what cities are all about. There ARE possibilities in rural areas, but even more so if WE are the ones who create them. Perhaps not only for ourselves, but for others as well. It is not that the future will call us to change the way we live, the way we act and the way we interact with ourselves, with others and with the environment. It is what we are called to do now. The future has arrived. “Call me utopian, but this is where I’m headed” - this is exactly what I said in my application video. You can watch it here on YouTube. It is not public, but it is available for my readers via this link.
I only had a few days left until the application deadline, so I did my best. I took most of the day off working on my application. I outlined, wrote and recorded a one minute video. 1 min max was needed. It wasn’t obligatory but it would increase your chances of being selected. I wrote my application and had a good feeling about it. Did everyone spend that much time working on application and recording the video? Nope. It’s my very own, unique and authentic, approach. ;) But it did me good. Some time passed by and I got notified that I got selected as a Croatian representative to attend Woman’s Academy for Rural Innovation. In Croatia. Jury of 50 distinguished individuals chose 20 attendants, each representing a single European country. Still a bit skeptical, but happy and excited, I felt in my guts that things were shifting.
“Rural areas offer the serenity needed for the soul to thrive, and technology brings the opportunity closer.”
Empowering European Leaders of the New Generation
And they did. Things shifted from the very first moment of coming to the event. European Leadership Academy is a part of Huawei’s initiative Seeds for the future. The Schools for Female Leadership in the Digital Age and The Women’s Academy for Rural Innovation, the one I attended, are envisioned to inspire, educate and empower women with a vision, ideas and talent to become the leaders of the next generation - oriented towards technology with a strong accent on personal power to become leaders of our own lives and being the change we want to see in the world. Make it rural. Yeah. I know. Goosebumps.
Berta Herrero, Head of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion at Huawei EU is the Director of the Academy for Rural Innovation, amazing lady who made sure all 20 of us felt seen, heard and welcomed throughout our school. Under her leadership, very present, grounded, steady, clever, yet gentle and feminine, we all felt something special unfolding from day one. A sense of possibility. Berta embodied all our childish, girlish and adulthood dreams and visions and showed us herself what female leadership is all about. It is about support and encouragement. It is heart-centred, soul-guided, mission carried and vision driven. It is embodying masculine strength and feminine gentleness. It is about vision, possibilities and inner power. It is about leading others to reaping strength from within to make a change for themselves and lifting others to come along. It’s about helping others realise the potential they have and giving them opportunities to nurture and use their potential. A never-ending wave of goodness. Goosebumps again.
We were taken to our accommodation to settle and meet our roommates, following by programme introduction in a traditional Croatian wooden house, where we have had our first dinner together. The programme was introduced by Huawei representative Fu Ling and leadership coach, Nuno Machado Lopes. This was a time where we also got to introduce ourselves. Hearing 19 other women talk about their passions, their work, their ideas and their vision swept me off my feet. We were divided into four groups only to find out we were about to work on a project. Excitement was filling the room floor to ceiling.
Participants of European Leadership Academy in Croatia were amazing women from across Europe, each and every one of them with a vision of making a change in their own country, in their own rural area. From Spain and Italy, to Cyprus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Hungary, Finland, Ireland, Iceland, from Belgium to Lithuania, Romania, Portugal, Slovenia, Ukraine and Albania, from Netherlands to Bulgaria, Czechia and Greece. I was impressed by their talent, their strength and their ideas. Meeting them all and connecting with them will have a lasting impact on my life, that is for sure.
The event started in a beautiful venue with an inaugural ceremony where we got to hear some of the speakers and to connect with established guests. The school itself was located on Ranch Kurilovec, and the venue exceeded all my expectations. It was absolutely gorgeous, with wooden surfaces and Christmas lights making it warm and cosy, and spending the winter days there was truly magical.
The programme of Woman’s Academy for Rural Innovation in Croatia
I won’t be going into detailed day by day programme, as you can see an overview of the week here. Rather I would love to focus on an overall image and the feeling of the entire Academy, that has left the biggest impact on me.
Teamwork sessions
We were divided into four groups, each of which had 5 women inside. We were taught by our coach, Nuno, on what it means and how to approach working on a project as a team. The goal of the project sessions was finding a solution to a rural area problem by using digital technology, specifically AI. We have only had less than 5 hours in total to work on the project, stretched over 5 days. It was a fantastic opportunity to give our best and to incorporate different skills, expertise and abilities each of us has, within the team for a common goal. The goal was to present and pitch our project in front of an audience on the last day.
The whole idea revolves around education and empowerment of female talent to stand up for what we believe in and finding ways to present our ideas to the world. That is why end presentation was so very important for us. Since most of us are not used to public speaking, Nuno was there to direct and improve our presenting and speaking skills. The fact that our skills were visibly improving after each session was mind-blowing. What this is telling me is that women are not only ready, but eager to unleash their potential and uncover the hidden powers that have been tamed for centuries.
Academy's Masterclasses and Panels
Remember how I was sceptical about fitting almost 50 people to speak in over a span of 5 days? Well, it happened. I’m not quite sure what magic was used, but definitely not the one I assumed - that we will be having guests joining us online. I mean, not that it wouldn’t make sense, since the school is all about leadership in the digital age. But, it was better. Some of the speakers were there only for a short speak during the opening and closing ceremonies, but mostly they were either a part of a panel discussion or they had their own presentation. Schedule was fully packed from day one with no time to think in-between carefully curated content. It’s hard to remember all of them, but a few stood out to me. Some of them were dr. Violeta Bulc with a presentation on Sustainable Leadership, and Luisa Baldini with Public Speaking workshop. There was talk about AI, digital technology, investments, funding, finances, sustainability, personal growth, product development and much more.
Connections
We all had a truly remarkable chance to meet, talk to, introduce ourselves and connect with people around Europe who are thought leaders, change makers, impact driven individuals or organisations representatives. Exchanging thoughts and ideas, presenting ourselves as representatives of our own countries and making friends and connections for the future within a field that is often out our view and reach was one of the greatest opportunities ELA offered to us. 5 days, fully packed with valuable tools and magic.
Yoga and mindfulness evening
One important aspect that I wasn’t really expecting was coming back to self. It was fit at the very beginning of the week, making sure we don’t forget the importance of putting ourselves at the first place. No matter where we go, no matter what we do, no matter whom we serve. And I don’t mean this in an ego driven, narcissistic kind of way, but a healthy and sustainable one. Taking time to rest, come back to self, take care of our bodies, minds and souls is a non-negotiable part of developing leadership skills of the new era. Easy yoga session reminded us to stay in connection with our bodies. Through simple mindfulness exercise we climbed down from our minds and came back into our bodies and the present moment, reminding us of what is truly important. Not to mention spending the rest of the evening with Berta, in a very intimate women circle where we shared our stories, our emotions and our wounds, once again rising from our vulnerability to our strengths. Leadership, the feminine way.
Private Meeting with Established Guests
As a Croatian representative I have had the opportunity to attend a private meeting with a few established guests. Ivan Vidiš, State Secretary at the Ministry of Labor, Pension System, Family and Social Policy, Ivana Majić, Vice-dean for international relations, full professor at University of Osijek, Faculty of Agrobiotechnical Sciences Osijek, Croatia, Berta Herrero as mentioned earlier, Walter Zhang, CEO of Huawei Croatia & Slovenia, Tony Jin Yong, Executive Vice-President of Huawei European Region, President of Public Affairs and Communications Europe and Xiaoou Wang, Public Affairs and Communications Manager of Huawei Croatia and myself discussed Woman’s Academy for Rural Innovation, the responsibility of people in leading positions launching initiatives like this and motivating young talent to staying in their own countries, taking the lead and creating possibilities. One of the ways this can be done is by being the role model by example. It was thought provoking, energy shifting and very pleasant.
“Woman hold a significant power that is yet to be seen, that needs to be acknowledged, a voice that needs to be heard, divine wisdom that can help heal what is broken and offer a whole new way of being.”
Winning the Award for the Best the Team Project
Last day was the day we were about to pitch our project to the audience. It was a bit terrifying due to amount of time we had to prepare ourselves. Which was minimum. It ended up being really beautiful, empowering and eye opening. We have all realised we can do much more when we dare, gather, connect and walk through our insecurities.
As the inaugural ceremony brought inspiration, the farewell Gala brought a sense of empowerment, connection and growth. Among 10 beautifully selected awards, our team got the award for the best team project. A gentle push into the knowingly unknown, giving us, once again, a sense of possibility.
What else can I say? It wasn’t by chance that I saw the ad. Even through technology, we can sense the good and the bad, and thanks to technology today we have opportunities we once could only dream about. Just as I said in my application video, “rural areas are the opportunity we were looking for. By using technology in a smart way we can make money from anywhere in the world. By utilising our God given talents, our unique set of skills and sharing our wisdom we can make a positive impact on our lives and our economy.”
I admire Berta for envisioning such a project, and I am very grateful for the opportunity to become a part of a community of talented women who are, each and every single one of them, making a beautiful change in this world, in their own way, in their own pace. I am convinced that this school will make a lasting impact on how I approach my business, my ideas, my vision, my creations - and my life.
Now that I look back at the photos and remember everything, I wish I could repeat the whole experience, not once, but a few more times. If you are thinking of joining one of the next schools, I highly recommend it. If you have any questions that I might not have covered or you want to know more about application process, feel free to contact me. I am glad to help.
If you want to learn more about the Academy and how you can apply for one of the next schools visit their official website:
https://www.europeanleadershipacademy.eu
Visit the entire gallery here:
https://www.europeanleadershipacademy.eu/rural-innovation/academy/gallery/
If you have any questions, would love to add something or if you are ELA alumni and would love to connect, please leave a comment. I would love to hear your thoughts and get to know you.
Thank you for reading. :)
Marina
