The European Women's Academy is our annual state-of-the-art training programme, in cooperation with the Friedrich Naumann Foundation and the European Liberal Forum, for female politicians aimed at inspiring and enriching them with the knowledge and tools to be successful in their upcoming elections and in their future political careers. After a successful graduation of the classes of the 2016 and 2017 editions, it was time for a new round of 30 liberal female politicians from across Europe with elections on various levels in the near future is ready.

The promising stars of politics met from 12 to 15 April in Jodoigne, Belgium, for the first session of the 2018 European Women's Academy.

During this first session, the participants learnt how to develop their campaign strategy and plan. Concretely, they were trained on how to target voters, how to recruit volunteers, and how to fundraise, among other skills.

They were also inspired by speeches from ALDE Party Vice President Angelika Mlinar MEP and from EWA 2017 alumna Assita Kanko.

Scroll down through our story below to see some of the best moments of the long weekend!