Mentoring, research, recognition . . . Local chapter highlights plans for 2020 as it marks International Women’s Day

The Barbados chapter of the International Women’s Forum celebrates and endorses the theme of International Women’s Day: An Equal World is an Enabled World #EachforEqual.

As part of their focus, Chapter President Brenda Pope explained that the chapter has undertaken three projects this year which are geared towards the issues of equality and enablement of women.

The first project involves commissioning independent empirical research into the number of women on boards in Barbados and developing a national awards programme to highlight, recognize and publicly commend and award companies and institutions which meet international benchmark percentages of women on boards. Also, there will be the mentoring of women as leaders with a view to increasing the representation of women, if the research reveals there to be a deficiency in female representation.

The focus of the second project is practical research to determine the number of young women in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) careers or businesses and to seek ways to increase their interest and participation in these disciplines. Activities include creating an inspiring series of two-minute Vlogs of women in STEM telling their stories and what makes these careers rewarding and hosting a series of “Connectors” to network and mentor young women.

The final project seeks to enable young girls, who at age 16 are required to leave Children’s homes, to successfully transition out of the home environment and into independence by assisting them with life skills, providing mentoring and other developmental support, as well as the provision of a resource centre and study area and rehabilitation of independent living cottages.

Pope reiterated IWF Barbados’ commitment to working collaboratively and in a complementary fashion to other local and regional women’s organizations. In February, IWF Barbados collaborated with UN Women, Caribbean Women in Leadership and ParlAmericas, to celebrate and honour the delegates of the regional planning meetings for Beijing+25 under the theme Realizing gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls. The Barbados meeting was held in order to come to consensus, common ground and a coordinated position for Caribbean negotiations on Beijing +25 later in March in New York.

She called on everyone to use International Women’s Day as an opportunity to focus on innovative ways in which we can advance gender equality and the empowerment of women to support diversity and women’s leadership in all fields, disciplines and professions.

IWF is a membership organization comprised of more than 7,000 diverse and accomplished women from 33 nations on six continents. Members include executives, government leaders from the local to sovereign level, international non-profit leaders, and luminaries from the academy, arts, and sciences. Its members are trailblazers, innovators, and pioneers united to advance women’s leadership globally and locally.

The IWF Barbados forum was started in October 2018 and is made up of 33 women leaders resident in Barbados from diverse backgrounds, industries, nationalities and experiences.