WOMEN'S EMPOWERMENT and NETWORKING
- Giovanna Maria Depriori
- Feb 7, 2024
- 3 min read
Why is it important to join an association?
Networking and female empowerment are two concepts that in recent years have acquired more and more relevance for me both in the world of work and in my personal life.
These are not words written just because... they are elements that I believe are important to strengthen relationships between women, promote professional and personal growth, and contribute to combating discrimination and gender inequalities.
Unfortunately, in Italy these things are still too little widespread and known, especially when compared with other countries, such as the United States or the United Kingdom, where being part of networking and female empowerment associations, which offer women opportunities for training, mentoring, coaching, networking, support and solidarity, is an everyday practice.
In this article I start by considering why it is important to join a female empowerment and networking association, talking about it on the basis of my personal experience.
When a few years ago (15 now to be honest) I started working as an employee, I always looked for some point of reference within the company that would help me grow, a kind of "Mentor". I won't deny that my research didn't find any great answers at the time.
I didn't have the opportunity to interact with people who were experiencing the same situation as me: I didn't lack friendships, far from it, but I was looking for a way to stay updated outside of my company and my circle of acquaintances, a way to be able to share my working point of view, but also to be able to learn new things that were not necessarily linked to my profession but which could help me as a woman in the world of work and in society.
Unfortunately, I often didn't feel understood in my ongoing search.
Thankfully, a few years later, when I entered the world of freelance work, this need for comparison and updating became increasingly stronger and so doing a quick online search I discovered (because I didn't know them) some very valid networking and female empowerment associations!
I frequented several before arriving at the one that today I feel is closest to my needs, but beyond the names (which you can find by calmly delving deeper yourself with an online search), I will instead leave you with my experiences.
Attending a women's empowerment and networking association has allowed me to:
- Increase my network of contacts and knowledge, which then proved useful for finding new job opportunities and collaborations;
- Acquire new skills, thanks to participation in training events, workshops and webinars, online and offline, organized by the association and other partner entities;
- Improve my self-esteem and confidence in my abilities, comparing myself with other women who have faced or are facing similar situations or even different from mine, who can offer emotional, motivational and practical support. Sometimes I even offered my support!
- Last but not least it helped me develop a greater awareness of my rights and duties as a woman and as a citizen, participating in awareness-raising initiatives and advocacy on issues such as gender equality, work-life balance, violence against women, women's health.
Finally, this year I made time for myself to participate in the Mentoring Program as a "Mentee", which is generally present in almost all the offers of the associations, i.e. personalized accompaniment by a more expert person, the "Mentor", who can help define professional and personal objectives, identify strategies to achieve them, and guide you on ways to face the challenges that arise along the way route.
I wanted to write this article because this topic is something I believe in a lot and I hope it can contribute to the diffusion of these very useful associations without expressing a preference for one or the other: each of us will find the one that best suits our needs or we may have conflicting opinions on the matter, but this is my vision and my thoughts.
Disclaimer
This article is written without any advertising collaboration with the associations mentioned, but is intended to be informative, sharing content based on my personal experience.