Press
Pathways to Gender Equality and Insights from CSW68
March 29, 2024
This year, I had the privilege of attending the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW68) for the first time as a delegate. Throughout the event, I engaged in various side events hosted by diverse organizations and attended official sessions of the United Nations, including the Opening that took place at the General Assembly. It was fascinating to observe the gender dynamics at play– while most of the key speakers at the Opening were men, the majority of participants inside events were women. We need male allies and champions of gender equality, however, the contrast underscored that we still have a long way to go.
Closing the gender gap: What will it take to retain girls in STEM?
September 07, 2023
Women have the potential and skills to make the change they want to see in their lives and communities, but they are hindered by bias, gender norms, and stereotypes, which undermine their possibilities. For this reason, Resonate, in partnership with the University of Rwanda College of Science and Technology, inaugurated the Rise & STEM program that aims at empowering and inspiring young girls in their pursuit of STEM careers by providing them with capacity-building and leadership training needed for future success.
Kirehe: Ambasaderi wa Israel yatanze inama ku miryango itererana abangavu babyaye imburagihe
December 01, 2022
Ambasaderi wa Israel mu Rwanda, Dr Ron Adam, yagaragaje ko imiryango idakwiriye gutererana abangavu baterwa inda imburagihe kuko ari bwo noneho uba ubahaye icyuho cyo guhura n’ibindi bibazo birimo kwiheba ku buryo byatera bamwe kwiyahura, abandi bikaba byatuma bishora mu zindi ngeso mbi kubera gutakaza icyizere.
400 youth graduate from Resonate COVID-19 Recovery Initiatives
December 08, 2021
At least 400 youth have graduated from the Resonate COVID-19 Recovery Initiatives where they were equipped with the leadership skills needed to support themselves and their communities as Rwanda continues to recover from the pandemic.
Resonate on building resilience and achieving an equal world for women during the pandemic
March 07, 2021
Resonate launched three COVID-19 recovery initiatives to ensure that women and girls are supported and can actively participate in the recovery of their communities. The initiatives revolve around building women's resilience and leadership as they navigate the pandemic's impact and preparing them for a better, more sustainable, and equal future.
Resonate Workshops: Development through COVID-19
November 28, 2020
Rwanda reported their first COVID case around mid-March. The Rwandan government acted swiftly, implementing strict lockdowns, due to these measures, companies and NGOs had to act just as fast. Resonate did just that.
When Leadership means letting go
April 02, 2020
It's true that leaders emerge during times of crisis such as these. However, the best leaders are those who eventually work themselves out of a job, argues one social entrepreneur.
The Power of a Story
May 2020
In East Africa, a Butler grad helps women celebrate their achievements and take control of their futures
Leading Rwanda: Career control in a crisis – Part 3
May 07, 2020
If you took some time during the COVID-19 lockdown to re-evaluate your role as a leader and you have decided that you are ready and prepared for a move, now is the time to explore real options in more detail.
Bank of Kigali promotes women economic empowerment with Resonate and Agaseke Project
February 19, 2020
Bank of Kigali in partnership with Resonate, a Rwanda-based social enterprise, and Agaseke Project, an initiative of the City of Kigali have launched ‘Rwandan Women’s Economic Empowerment Initiative’, a leadership and capacity building program for women cooperatives.
Banki ya Kigali yateye inkunga ibikorwa bigamije kubakira ubushobozi abagore 150
February 19, 2020
Banki ya Kigali ifatanyije n’Umuryango Resonate n’Umushinga w’Umujyi wa Kigali uzwi nka Agaseke byatangije amahugurwa agamije kongerera abagore 150 b’Abanyarwanda ubumenyi mu miyoborere, kwiteza imbere n’uburyo bakorana n’amabanki.
Umuryango Resonate urahugura abagore kumenya kubyaza umusaruro imbaraga zibarimo
September 01, 2019
Abagore bagera kuri 35 bari mu mahugurwa abashishikariza kumenya kubyaza umusaruro imbaraga zibarimo, bakigirira ikizere kandi bakamenya kuba abayobozi mu byo bakora byose. Abo bagore bahabwa amahugurwa bavuye mu bagore 100 barimo kwiga amategeko y’umuhanda kugira ngo bazabe abashoferi ba Moto.
Expansion for Resonate Means Amplifying Women’s Confidence in Kenya
August 24, 2019
In Rwanda, we marvel at how the young, timid women who once walked into our Storytelling for Leadership training are now creating opportunities for their communities. Now, we cannot wait to see that with young women in Nairobi, Arusha, or Kampala! We want to see our impact reflected in other places in East Africa.
Abakobwa basoje amashuri yisumbuye bahawe ubumenyi buzabafasha guhindura aho batuye
May 12, 2019
Abakobwa 21 basoje amashuri yisumbuye bahawe amahugurwa y’amezi atanu agamije kububakamo ubushobozi bwo kuvugira mu ruhame no guhanga imirimo izana impinduka muri sosiyete, bahawe umukoro wo kubyaza umusaruro ubumenyi bahawe. Aya mahugurwa yateguwe ku bufatanye bw’Umushinga wa Resonate na Ambasade ya Leta Zunze Ubumwe za Amerika mu Rwanda.
Resonate: Unlocking Women’s Leadership Potential
January 24, 2019
Storytelling has become the chosen tool of many women seeking to take control of their lives and become leaders in their communities. Resonate’s four programs are in place to change the lives of 20,000 women by 2020.
35 World Changing Women
December 17, 2018
Resonate’s CEO, Ayla Schlosser is part of the 2019 list of World Changing Women in Conscious Business. This list is comprised of social entrepreneurs , corporate leaders, “intrapreneurs,” thought leaders, and impact investors.
Empowering Female Entrepreneurs in Rwanda
October 26, 2018
As part of the 2018 Global Entrepreneurship Week, Resonate held a free “Storytelling for Leadership” workshop aimed at empowering aspiring female entrepreneurs. Resonate Country Director, Norette Turimuci, commented on preparing women to lead the change they wish to see in the world.
Resonate yitabiriye ibikorwa byahariwe icyumweru cyahariwe kwihangira imirimo no guteza imbera ba rwiyemeza mirimo
October 26, 2018
Resonate ikoranan’abandi bafatanyabikorwa mu kubaka ubushobozi bw’abagore n’urubyiruko cyane mu bijyanye no gutanga ubumenyi mu kuyobora imishinga no kwigirira ikizere mu gushyira mu bikorwa ibyo bakora, ngo ni yo mpamvu bazanagira uruhare muri iki gikorwa.
Resonate yamuritse porogaramu nshya
September 28, 2018
Resonate yungutse porogaramu yiyongera ku zirimo iyo kuzamura abagore mu miyoborere (Storytelling for Leadership) bigishwa kwigirira icyizere, kuvugira mu ruhame no gufata ibyemezo; Iterambere ry’umwuga (Professional Development) aho bafashwa gukemura ibibazo, kunoza ihererekanyamakuru ndetse n’amahugurwa “Action Leadership” yo gutoza urubyiruko imiyoborere no gutegura imishinga.
Amplify Your Impact with the Training of Facilitators Program
September 28, 2018
A new leadership initiative comes to Kigali in the form of Resonate’s Training of Facilitators program. The new training will help partner organizations integrate Resonate’s confidence and leadership-building content and methodology into their existing programs.
This International Women's Day, Commit to Sharing Your Story
March 7, 2018
This International Women's Day, make the decision to begin to share your story. Be inspired to find the confidence to smartly speak up within your community. Feel the power of a global sisterhood that from Hollywood to Africa and everywhere in between, is rising up alongside you.
The (Business) Case for Confidence: Why Unlocking Women’s Self-Confidence Should be a Major Development Priority
August 10, 2018
Emilienne, 23, is a young university student from the Northern province of Rwanda. She used to be withdrawn at school, believing that girls couldn’t perform as well as boys. Emilienne then attended a workshop at Resonate, where our 2-day intensive trainings unlock the self-confidence of women in East Africa. During the workshop, she learned to identify her values and strengths, to set goals and to see herself as a leader.
Believe in Yourself: How Women Can Bridge the 'Confidence Gap'
May 8, 2018
At Resonate, we often tell program participants to believe in themselves. The sentiment also took center stage at Conscious Company’s World-Changing Women’s Summit, where phenomenal female leaders shared stories of overcoming internal an external obstacles by learning to trust themselves.
Resonate is Encouraging Women and Girls in East Africa to Unlock Their Full Leadership Potential
May 6, 2018
Girls and women around the world are increasingly encouraged to dream big, to fight against the gender pay gap, and to shatter the glass ceiling. However, when looking at women in leadership roles, a different story emerges.
Bridging the 'Confidence Gap' Through Powerful Storytelling
April 28, 2018
As we make our way in the world, trying in whatever way our talents and opportunities take us to make our world a better place, perhaps having the courage to share our stories and the empathy to listen to others’ stories, will create positive change we couldn’t anticipate.
How to Tell Your Story Better
April 23, 2018
There was a time when Resonate Workshops, a nonprofit that organizes leadership workshops for women and youth in Rwanda, was so focused on doing their work they never made time to tell their own story. That was until Ayla Schlosser, who founded the organization, realized the people they were serving would be the best possible messengers for their mission.
FIP 63: Human Capital Series 3/3 – Creating Company Culture and the Role of Self-Confidence with Ayla Schlosser
April 17, 2018
Today we hear from Ayla Schlosser, co-founder of Resonate, whose mission is to unlock the leadership potential of women and girls in East Africa. Through storytelling, confidence-building workshops and leadership training, Resonate is aiming to close the confidence gap that impedes opportunity and potential in women.
Women Can Bridge the 'Confidence Gap' by Trusting Others - And Themselves
March 14, 2018
Four years ago I founded Resonate, a nonprofit social enterprise that unlocks the leadership potential of women and girls in East Africa. We partner with groups that provide skill-building and education, and integrate leadership workshops into their programs so that the women and girls we work with have the self-confidence turn opportunity into action.
How Resonate Helps Women Find Their Voice, and Transform Communities
March 8, 2018
Resonate, a Social Entreprise founded in Kigali in 2013 by Schlosser and Solange Impanoyimana, is trying to change that by organising leadership workshops primarily for women and girls, in which hard skills and education are coupled with leadership training with a view of giving women the confidence to take action and create change.
Decoding Confidence
March 8, 2018
It’s women like Betty and Priscilla that inspire us at Resonate to #PressForProgress, today on International Women’s Day and every day. We know that if we work toward empowering both rural and urban women in Rwanda, they will unleash their potential and help build a better future for us all.
Happy Women's Day: Giving Women the Tools to Make Their Voices Resonate
March 8, 2018
Pacifique Ishimwe Umutoni grappled with something that many young women around the world face. The young Rwandan student living in Gasabo District constantly underestimated herself and refused to take risks. She wouldn’t speak in front of a large group of people and was afraid to share her ideas.
The Art of Storytelling is Gearing Up Rwanda's Female Leaders
February 18, 2018
With a mission to unlock the leadership potential of women and girls in East Africa, Resonate a small, women-led company based in Rwanda, is creating a new approach to international development. Through storytelling, confidence-building workshops, and leadership training, Resonate does it all.
How Startup Leaders Can Use Storytelling to Motivate Their Teams
February 5, 2018
At the risk of sounding like another business blogger: stories are incredibly powerful. But they have applications that are much broader than external communications and marketing. If used intentionally and regularly, strategic storytelling can be an important factor in building a strong, motivated, and successful team.
KESC Partners with Resonate to Empower the Women Job Seekers
November 20, 2017
City of Kigali through Kigali Employment Service Centre (KESC) in partnership with Resonate are currently conducting a training to encourage female jobseekers to face their challenges by boosting their Leadership skills. The two days training is being attended by 22 female job seekers and took place at KESC premises in Kimisagara formerly known as “Maison des Jeunes”. It started on September 18 and will end on September 19, 2017.
Leadership Lessons: The Power of Story to Transform Rwanda with Ayla Schlosser
November 17, 2017
Teaching somebody how to lead an entire country or business is not easy. That is why Ayla Schlosser uses her leadership exercises to help others become the best leaders they can be. More specifically, Ayla's strives to help women in East Africa become leaders in their communities.
Hit the Ball and Smile: How Cricket is Helping to Build a Brighter Future in Rwanda
October 28, 2017
Mary, as an ambassador, will be at the centre of the campaigns, along with another female player, Cathia Uwamahoro. They will deliver educational and vocational programmes through cricket. “Our initial focus will be on disadvantaged women and girls aged 16-25,” says Morrison. “We are going to be running leadership programmes from the stadium with a partner called Resonate, who use storytelling methods to help women build confidence and skills. Our first focus is on 450 women in Gahanga and all being well those programmes should be up and running in 2018 with sufficient fundraising.”
Resonate - Ayla Schlosser
August 22, 2017
Miller Center for Social Entrepreneurship's Global Social Benefit Institute Accelerator program.
The Secret Life of a Girl
July 12, 2017
Ayla Schlosser makes a great first impression. What you see is an intelligent, articulate, confident young woman. What you don’t see is the story she has kept buried, an experience that will resonate with almost every young woman.
19 East African Businesses Chosen to Launch Product and Service Innovations to Transform the Lives of Girls
March 31, 2017
19 businesses committed to making a lasting positive difference to the lives of adolescent girls aged 10-19 from across Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda have been chosen for SPRING Accelerator’s third cohort. It is the accelerator’s third cohort, returning to East Africa where it all began in 2015.
Fundraising While Female
November 8, 2016
My expectation in building relationships with funders is that the connection is rooted in mutual professional respect for one another. But when a meeting starts with a remark on my physical appearance, it reinforces the power dynamics at play – especially the gender dynamics.
Fundraising While Female
November 2, 2016
There has been plenty of research about how companies with women in leadership outperform those that don’t, and yet only 3% of VC funding goes to women-led startups. The business case for investing in women entrepreneurs makes sense - but we also need to look at the human case. We need to carefully consider the experience of what it’s like to be a woman trying to raise money.
Why Stories Matter: Quantifying the Effects of a Women's Leadership Program in Rwanda
October 16, 2016
Think about your values. Think of a time in your life when your actions demonstrated those values. Now think of a story from your life that illustrates those values — a story where you faced a challenge, made a choice and realized an outcome.
What if All You Needed Was a Better Way to Frame Your Story?
July 5, 2016
Ayla Schlosser's non-profit, Resonate, is providing the main thing women need in order to close the wage gap: confidence.
Imbuto Launches Youth Empowerment Workshops
June 9, 2016
Imbuto Foundation kick-started yesterday in Kigali, a series of workshops on storytelling for leadership, professional readiness and development, as part of its Youth Empowerment and Mentorship Programme, which since 2007 has been implementing an array of activities on a national scale, to fully engage, educate and empower young people.
Be a Hummingbird: Using the Story to Heal East African Women
February 21, 2016
Can sharing stories lead to leadership? Resonate Workshops is banking on it. Resonate catalyzes the next generation of female leaders, using storytelling to engender confidence and agency. When storytellers dare to get personal, they communicate values and passion, and inspire the support of others–whether in a professional setting, in a business endeavor, or in a community initiative.
Transforming Women's Rights in Rwanda
February 8, 2016
Could the same grassroots organizing and powerful storytelling from Barack Obama’s 2008 presidential campaign for the United States be scaled up to transform the women’s rights movement?
Yes She Can!
November 27, 2015
It is over two decades since Rwanda experienced one of the most brutal genocides in history. Now, as progress has been made in restoring law and order and improving governance, the country is emerging as a development and economic success story, not least because women are becoming increasingly more empowered. Rwanda has the highest share of women parliamentarians in the world at 68 percent.
How Unlocking Leadership in Rwandan Women Makes Their Voices Resonate
August 21, 2015
Women across the developing world express low levels of self-confidence—a pervasive problem that keeps them from unlocking their true leadership potential. Although 64% of Rwanda’s lower parliament is female, and the government supports women in leadership roles, only 8% of local leadership seats are filled by women. Before women can become leaders, they have to become advocates for themselves.
Ayla Schlosser, Resonate, Kigali, Rwanda
October 28, 2015
Women across the developing world express low levels of self-confidence—a pervasive problem that keeps them from unlocking their true leadership potential. Although 64% of Rwanda’s lower parliament is female, and the government supports women in leadership roles, only 8% of local leadership seats are filled by women. Before women can become leaders, they have to become advocates for themselves.
Women Leading Change
August 18, 2015
Resonate has recognized this challenge and wants to build leadership among Rwandan women at all levels to close the gender gap. In cooperation with other organizations that support women and girls, Resonate uses a training program that uses personal storytelling to build self-confidence and unlock leadership potential.
Change Your Story, Change Your Life
March 4, 2015
Resonate uses storytelling to empower women and girls to build self-confidence and unlock leadership potential. Through our Storytelling for Leadership training program, participants define who they are, what they value, and their visions for the future. Next, they learn to tell their stories. Not only do they alter the way they see themselves, they influence the expectations of others, and inspire with their stories of challenge, ambition, and hope.
Umuryango Resonate wigisha abagore kuvugira mu ruhame no gutinyuka
February 19, 2015
Umuryango Resonate uhugura abana b’abakobwa n’abagore kumenya kwitinyuka, kumenya kuvugira mu ruhame ndetse no kwibona nk’umuyobozi. Mu bagore bagera kuri 500 bamaze guhugura bamwe muri bo bavuga ko hari itandukaniro rinini riri mbere yuko bahugurwa na Resonate ndetse na nyuma yaho bahuguriwe.
Ayla Schlosser SXSW 2014: Unlocking Leadership through Storytelling
November 20, 2014
Ayla Schlosser, Executive Director of Resonate, attended SXSW Interactive 2014 to discuss Story Telling for Leadership in Rwanda, relationship building across borders, and the encouragement of connecting through stories. Her advice: Tell your story so you can build up your confidence, leadership, and agency. Tell your story because it might also inspire others.
Resonate Boots Girls Confidence Through Storytelling
September 4, 2014
In order to get help, one must ask for it. But in order to speak out especially about your challenges, you must have self confidence. However, according to communication experts, one must get used to expressing their views in order to gain confidence. And this is what Resonate, in partnership with other women organisations, is doing.
The Pollination Project: Small Grants Combine to Make Real Change
October 19, 2013
One recipient, Ayla Schlosser of California, will be using the Pollination seed money as merely one source of funding for her pilot project that will operate over the course of six months. The project, Resonate, aims to build a future generation of women and girls who have the tools and support they need to live happily, safely, and prosperously through confidence building by narrative and microloan investment. As a pilot project, the program may take a whole different shape, depending on its early success.