Review TechWomen program information regarding coronavirus (COVID-19).

TechWomenTechWomen

TechWomen is an Initiative of the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs

  • Home
  • Program
    • Overview
    • 2022 Action Plans
    • Professional Development
    • Cultural Exchange
    • Delegation Trips
    • Impact
    • TechWomen Covid-19 Program Information
  • Participants
    • Eligibility and Application
    • The Experience
    • Award Details
    • 2022 Emerging Leader Profiles
  • Mentors
    • Why Mentor With TechWomen?
    • Professional Mentor Overview
    • Cultural Mentor Overview
    • Impact Coach Overview
    • TechWomen Mentor Application
  • Get Involved
    • Host an Emerging Leader
    • Host an Event
    • Other Ways to Get Involved
    • Host companies and partners
  • About Us
    • Who We Are
    • Our Team
    • Program Countries
    • Connect
  • FAQ
    • General
    • Participants
    • Mentors
  • Blog
  • Log In

TechWomen week 2: the exponential power of mentorship

September 24, 2019 By TechWomen Leave a Comment

During their busy first week of TechWomen 2019, Emerging Leaders (ELs) had the opportunity to meet the mentors who would be supporting them over the next five weeks. At the Cultural Kickoff, ELs had the chance to speak in-person with their mentors for the first time; at Action Plan Workshop 1, they brainstormed and iterated alongside their Impact Coaches. And, on their first well-deserved weekend, ELs were able to explore the Bay Area, participating in diverse cultural activities hosted by their Cultural Mentors themed on the outdoors, arts, culinary and professional enrichment.


Last Monday, ELs began day one of their professional mentorships at 40 leading Bay Area companies, receiving a warm welcome from their Professional Mentors and kicking off 15 days of learning and development. This year, over 200 Professional Mentors play a pivotal role in the TechWomen experience, working closely with ELs to support a mentorship project in addition to introducing them to a new professional network. Within a few short days, ELs had already been exposed to new technologies and best practices; many even had the opportunity to be inspired by company CEO’s and founders who took time to learn about their backgrounds and work. “There are moments when I still cannot believe this is happening, right now, and I am in Silicon Valley, fully exposed to the environment, people and facilities to learn more, to develop professionally and to enrich humanity,” said Gunesh, an EL from Turkmenistan mentored at LinkedIn. “I am one of 106. We are drops of billions, and we are chosen to bring back the acquired knowledge and values to our homelands and own community.” While at Adobe, Farah of Lebanon wrote, “Motto of the day: be genuine, exceptional, innovative, involved! That’s the spirit we need to evolve.”



Diving deeper into social impact

After the first week of their mentorships, ELs gathered at LinkedIn for Action Plan Workshop 2. The day was themed on turning ideas into action, providing ELs additional tools to further develop their social impact projects alongside their Impact Coaches. After a fun introductory game of “networking bingo,” the day began with an introduction from Meg Garlinghouse, the head of social impact at LinkedIn. Addressing the ELs, she shared the power of what LinkedIn calls the “Plus One” movement: if each of us reaches out to people outside of our network, we work to eliminate networking bias and bring more opportunities to more people.


Next, TechWomen Impact Coach Rekha Pai-Kamath, lead partner for Silicon Valley Social Ventures, presented on real-world tools and best practices for designing sustainable initiatives. The session that followed explored impact models for change, featuring Technovation Founder and CEO Tara Chklovski, Dost Education CEO and co-founder Sneha Sheth, LinkedIn REACH’s Shalini Agarwal and TechWomen’s strategic partnerships advisor Anar Simpson. Each speaker introduced replicable impact models for change, inspiring ELs to bring values of sustainability and scalability to their action plan projects.


The remainder of the day was spent in country team groups, further developing action plans and gaining new ideas and insights through Impact Coach speed mentoring. In their group, Lebanon reviewed their six-month milestones, developing a basic roadmap for their clean water initiative. Team South Africa narrowed in on their goals and deliverables for their initiative that will seek to reduce gender-based violence through early intervention and education of the country’s young men. Presenting to rotating Impact Coaches, team Kazakhstan gathered feedback on their solution to the STEM education gap within their country: a science museum that they hope will foster innovation and spark interest in STEM fields among youth.

As a productive day and an impactful week of mentorship came to a close, ELs gathered briefly to celebrate International Day of the Girl Child, a day that highlights the needs and challenges girls face while promoting their empowerment globally. After country teams had spent the day bringing innovative solutions to their communities — with many of their projects addressing critical needs of women and girls —  each woman in the room had new tools and a renewed resolve to impact the next generation. At the conclusion of a week with their Professional Mentors, Cultural Mentors and Impact Coaches, it was clear that ELs had become a part of a powerful network of women, creating endless possibilities for collaboration, innovation and global impact.

Stay up to date on the TechWomen blog as we provide weekly program updates, and follow along on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook for daily content.

Share this:

  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest
  • Email

Filed Under: 2019 Program, Central Asia, Cultural Exchange, IIE, Impact, Mentorship, Professional Development, STEM, Sub-Saharan Africa, Technology

Speak Your Mind Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 895 other subscribers

Recent Posts

  • 10 Years Later: A Letter to TechWomen
  • TechWomen Pitch Day: A Room Full of Ideas
  • Why is the TechWomen fellowship a remarkable experience?
  • Fellow Lindiwe Matlali is on a Mission to Help Youths Innovate Themselves out of Poverty
  • Weeks Four and Five: Final 10 days of TechWomen Fall 2022 Conclude with Historic Events and Expansion Announcements

Categories

  • 2012 Program
  • 2013 Program
  • 2014 Program
  • 2015 Program
  • 2016 Program
  • 2017 Program
  • 2018 Program
  • 2019 Program
  • 2020 Program
  • 2022 (Fall) Program
  • 2022 program
  • Alumnae
  • Announcements
  • Application Tips
  • Central Asia
  • Conferences
  • Cultural Exchange
  • Delegation Trips
  • Emerging Leader Voices
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Girls Education
  • IIE
  • Impact
  • Lean In
  • Mentor Application
  • Mentoring Girls
  • Mentorship
  • Middle East and North Africa
  • Partnerships
  • Professional Development
  • Scholarship
  • Seed Grant
  • Solar Power
  • STEM
  • Sub-Saharan Africa
  • Technology
  • Uncategorized
  • Washington, D.C.

Archives

  • January 2023
  • December 2022
  • November 2022
  • October 2022
  • September 2022
  • May 2022
  • April 2022
  • March 2022
  • February 2022
  • January 2022
  • November 2021
  • October 2021
  • July 2021
  • June 2021
  • May 2021
  • April 2021
  • March 2021
  • February 2021
  • January 2021
  • December 2020
  • November 2020
  • October 2020
  • September 2020
  • August 2020
  • June 2020
  • May 2020
  • April 2020
  • March 2020
  • February 2020
  • December 2019
  • November 2019
  • September 2019
  • August 2019
  • July 2019
  • June 2019
  • May 2019
  • April 2019
  • March 2019
  • February 2019
  • January 2019
  • December 2018
  • November 2018
  • October 2018
  • September 2018
  • August 2018
  • July 2018
  • June 2018
  • May 2018
  • March 2018
  • February 2018
  • January 2018
  • December 2017
  • November 2017
  • October 2017
  • September 2017
  • August 2017
  • July 2017
  • June 2017
  • May 2017
  • April 2017
  • March 2017
  • February 2017
  • January 2017
  • December 2016
  • November 2016
  • October 2016
  • September 2016
  • August 2016
  • July 2016
  • June 2016
  • March 2016
  • February 2016
  • January 2016
  • December 2015
  • November 2015
  • October 2015
  • September 2015
  • August 2015
  • July 2015
  • June 2015
  • May 2015
  • April 2015
  • March 2015
  • February 2015
  • January 2015
  • December 2014
  • November 2014
  • October 2014
  • September 2014
  • August 2014
  • July 2014
  • June 2014
  • May 2014
  • April 2014
  • March 2014
  • February 2014
  • January 2014
  • December 2013
  • November 2013
  • October 2013
  • September 2013
  • August 2013
  • July 2013
  • June 2013
  • May 2013
  • April 2013
  • February 2013
  • January 2013
  • December 2012
  • November 2012
  • October 2012
  • September 2012
  • August 2012
  • July 2012
  • June 2012
  • May 2012
  • April 2012
  • March 2012
  • February 2012
  • January 2012
  • December 2011
  • November 2011
  • October 2011

Tags

2013 program 2014 program 2015 program Africa Algeria Alumnae application careers central asia Community cultural exchange Cultural Mentor delegation trips Education Egypt emerging leaders emerging women leaders Empowerment Entrepreneurship guest post impact Jordan kazakhstan Leadership MENA Mentees Mentor Mentors mentorship Middle East Morocco nigeria Rwanda San Francisco Silicon Valley State Department STEM technology TechWomen TechWomen Alumni Tunisia U.S. Department of State Women women in tech womenintech

Blogroll

  • DipNote
  • E-Mediat
  • Fulbright mtvU Fellows
  • Fulbright Student Program
  • Gilman Program
  • Ibrahim Leadership and Dialogue Project Blog
  • IIE Opening Minds
  • Parallel Earth
  • TechGirls
  • Women’s Enterprise for Sustainability

CONTACT US | MEDIA | Privacy Policy | Terms and Conditions | Sitemap
Copyright © 2023 TechWomen | Site by MIGHTYminnow

   

Copyright © 2023 · TechWomen on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in

 

Loading Comments...