Asha Clementi’s path to being named the 2022 ACT Young Woman of the Year began when she was just a teenager.

In many ways, the now 22-year-old is no different from her classmates in her last semester towards a Master of Diplomacy.

After living in Canberra for eight years, she has dreams of working for an NGO overseas, “something in gender equality or education, that helps me do good in the world and pays for me to travel”.

“I’ve always been interested in international relations and diplomacy,” Ms Clementi told Canberra Daily.

“When I was 18, I went to the UN, as a representative of the National Council of Women, to the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women.

“While I was there, I snuck into a security council meeting. It was an ARRIA meeting on Syrian relations.

“I just sort of held up my pass and walked in very confidently. Not only did they let me in, but they also let in a couple of my friends, and I thought ‘Hold on. Where else could I get in, if I just asked?’”

In 2018, Ms Clementi leveraged personal connections and made cold calls to embassies in the ACT to successfully set up the first year of Girls Run the World.

“As it turns out, a bunch of embassies will let you send young women to them for a day if you just ask.”

The not-for-profit allows young women to shadow embassy staff members in discussing humanitarian issues, meeting ambassadors, and/or running social media for the mission.

This year marks over 100 participants going through the program, forming connections in the field that will help them climb the ranks in their own careers.

“We just finished our fourth iteration; 31 girls went to 13 different diplomatic missions,” reports Ms Clementi, despite parts of the program being postponed and partially run online due to pandemic restrictions.

Over four years, Girls Run the World has received consistent support from the US and Finnish embassies and Canadian and British high commissions.

Other participating embassies include Philippines, Thailand, Zambia, Solomon Islands, Malaysia, and Singapore.

In June this year, Girls Run the World is taking on Argentina, partnered via the Argentinian Embassy with Fundación Global. “They’re helping us run the program in Buenos Aires,” smiled Ms Clementi.

The attention received from winning ACT Young Woman of the Year for a program she runs “for fun outside of work and studying” continues to surprise.

“Yeah, that’s crazy. It’s been a whirlwind, and I’m not used to this many people knowing my name. However, the visibility this award brings us is fantastic.”

Her success is a baton carried on from her mother, who Ms Clementi credits as her greatest inspiration.

“The Girls Leadership Network is an organisation that I cofounded with my mum in 2017. It’s all about teaching young women leadership and how to network. It has been such a great backbone for me.”

Ritu Clementi set up The Girls Leadership Network while Asha was in high school, after noticing a lack in leadership programs that were free for young women to join. She received a Great Ydeas grant from the YWCA.

For two years, Asha has been a solo operator, but now leads a small team made up of Girls Run the World alumnae and talents found through an open application process run last year “in hopes that when I move away, Girls Run the World will keep going”.

“I’m hoping to start up [Girls Run the World] wherever I move, and I would love for other people to take the idea and run with it too… start it up in their countries.”

Her advice to other young girls hoping to break into male-dominated fields is to make use of a network that has always been there.

“Women support women and it’s been something we’ve seen time and time again.

“Use the people around you and reach out to those you are inspired by. Ask them for coffee, ask for advice, and see where it takes you.”

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