The GIVEN Institute (“GIVEN”) is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to activating the gifts of young adult women for the Church and the world. You may be thinking, “why such a specific demographic?” but this is a response to an ache in our society. GIVEN recognizes a desire in people ages 21-30 for guidance and mentorship that aligns with their values as they face questions about their vocational and career discernments. GIVEN’s focus is specified further to young women because of the Catholic Church’s unique esteem for women’s leadership in shaping our culture and the particularly feminine way in which women keep the human person at the center of all they do.
GIVEN inspires and equips the next generation of female leaders to “receive the gift that they are; realize the gifts they’ve been given; and respond with the gift that only they can give.”
GIVEN achieves this mission through its flagship programs, the annual Catholic Young Women’s Leadership Forum and subsequent year-long Art of Accompaniment Mentoring Program. The GIVEN Institute was established in February 2018 and has its origin in the 2016 GIVEN Forum, organized by the Council of Major Superiors of Women Religious. The 2016 GIVEN Forum brought together nearly 300 young adult women from every state in the country, and connected them with some of the leading women in the Church. The attendees were accompanied by over 70 religious sisters from more than 25 different religious communities. Each participant developed a post-forum Action Plan in service of the Gospel, which they implemented in a community of their choice. The GIVEN Institute was formed to continue the inaugural Forum’s mission of activating the gifts of young adult Catholic women, with a heart for mission and an aptitude for leadership, identify their particular gifts and find practical pathways to put them in the service of the Church and the world.
During the five-day 2021 GIVEN Forum, attendees gathered from 35 states, the District of Columbia, Canada, and Mexico, and represented 91 dioceses across the United States. The 130 attendees were paired with lay mentors and religious sisters who met with them in small groups to discuss their proposed Action Plans in the midst of the liturgies, training, and workshops. The 30 lay mentors, single and married women, shared their expertise in many sectors of society such as parishes, business, publishing, education, law, medicine, and athletics. Once the Forum has concluded, attendees are matched with a mentor, a faithful Catholic and experienced leader, who will guide the young woman to successfully accomplish her Action Plan within a year. A recent attendee stated, “The GIVEN Forum is something that will be on my mind and heart for years to come. It helped remind me of the gift that I am, and that each of us is, simply as God created us to be.”
Beyond the Catholic Young Women’s Leadership Forum and Art of Accompaniment Mentoring Program, GIVEN has an ever growing network and increasing number of programs and events for Catholic women of all ages, through our GIVEN Network. These include Discover the Gift, GIVEN Gatherings, like Our Lady of Guadalupe Parties, and GIVEN Academy.
Find out more about GIVEN at www.giveninstitute.com or on social media @giveninstitute
Good stuff