Wednesday, July 31, 2013

WE Succeed: Beyond the Status Quo

This week we welcome Guest Blogger Nour Hachem, Youth Project Coordinator at Women's Enterprise Skills Training of Windsor.

Call to action:  What if? Why not? What else?

These were 3 questions that turned an idea into a community project engaging over 100 people and over 50 industries invested in our Call to Action.

What if, everyone regardless of gender, had equal access to all opportunities leading to success? This is the essence of our project called WE Succeed: Beyond the Status Quo. Our goal is to educate, empower and engage the community in identifying obstacles young women face, which has direct impact on their potential for future success. More so, it’s a CALL TO ACTION that will inspire, influence and encourage prominent leaders and youth to pave the way for change in our community.

Why not? Was the question we asked ourselves two years ago when we realized that many of our clients were seeking jobs in administration, personal support and customer service.  As an employment centre we knew that employers were desperately seeking candidates in variety of fields, especially in the areas of trades, science and technology. 

Why is it that we are projecting a skilled shortage not only in Windsor but in Canada, yet many jobs available within these fields appear to be dominated by men? Why not, educate more young women who were seeking work. Teach them about the opportunities. Provide them with the right tools, resources and support that will help them be successfully employed.

Women’s Enterprise Skills Training of Windsor and Workforce Windsor Essex came together two years ago to discuss the various reasons these gaps exist. Through our research and talking to young women, we realized these gaps were highly influenced by stereotypical perceptions, family influence, systematic discrimination and organizational policies. Our next question was what could be done to help break down these obstacles, more specifically, what could be done in our Windsor Essex community?

We submitted our application for the Status of Women and received funding to carry out our project. This was our opportunity to reach out to our network of influential leaders, known as agents of change, to assist us in our goal.  A crucial component of our project is our Youth Leadership Council comprised 50 young women. These members will work with over 30 prominent leaders in the Windsor Essex community, who are committed to not only leading, but are dedicated to actions, that will improve opportunities for young women. This action will encourage our young women to learn more about jobs they may not have considered before. Create new points of access into these jobs, and engage young women in considering jobs within the trades, entrepreneurship and STEM related occupations.

We are really excited to work collectively and in collaboration with many people in our own community that represent a variety of fields and interests. We have been overjoyed with the response thus far and the additional ideas stemming from our community partners. More so, we look forward to the many changes that will transpire which will help turn an idea into a solution benefiting the lives of many young women.

If women succeed, W.E (Windsor Essex) Succeeds.
The questions I leave you with: What if young women did succeed beyond the status quo? Why not take part in the change? What else do you think can be done?

Nour Hachem, Guest Blogger
Youth Project Coordinator
Women's Enterprise Skills Training of Windsor


1 comment:

  1. I think this is an incredibly important initiative. Young women need to feel welcomed and involved in STEM. By encouraging young women to change the status quo and to be active in creating a culture of acceptance and one that nourishes their interest in STEM careers more will surely choose these fields. We need to make sure that every individual is able to reach their potential in whatever area their interests lie.

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