The Aspire Foundation Newsletter #1 December 2015
Welcome to The Aspire Foundation newsletter! By Emma Barrett
We’re so pleased to bring you the first of our monthly Aspire Foundation newsletters! The purpose of this newsletter is to bring you updates on what The Aspire Foundation is working on, and our community’s progress in Making a Difference to one billion women by 2020! I was introduced to The Aspire Foundation by a former manager who knew I was interested in my own personal development and in making a difference. I signed up to be a mentor earlier this year and have just finished my first six months with my mentee. If you’re not already involved in the mentoring program, I recommend you try it - I have learned so much from the experience! Speaking to someone who is not in your industry is really refreshing and helps you see things from a fresh perspective. Although the working day can be a bit hectic, I found having that hour scheduled in the diary was invaluable as it gave me time to reflect, something that I can be guilty of putting at the bottom of the to-do list! In this issue, you can read about Heather’s experience as a mentee. If you have been part of the mentoring process, I’d love to hear from you. Did you have a similar experience to Heather? Was your experience completely different? You can contact me at editor@theaspirefoundation.org, I’d love to hear from you! We’re focussing on the gender gap in technology in this newsletter. We believe technology is a human rights issue. When women have equal access to technology, amazing things can happen. Technology has become such a huge part of life for some of us that we can take it for granted. In developing countries, where women have access to the internet, 30% earned additional income, 45% searched for jobs, and 80% improved their education - it can be truly life-changing. With that in mind, we’re so excited about our partnership with global technology company, Avanade! Read on for the details of our recent event in New York where the partnership was officially launched! I really hope you enjoy reading this month’s newsletter. Please let me know what you think!
Emma Aspire Foundation Newsletter Editor
Meet the team... Ever wondered who are the driving forces behind The Aspire Foundation? Wonder no more...
Dr Sam Collins Sam set up The Aspire Foundation in 2010 when pregnant with her second son. She was watching a CNN report on the dangerous journeys pregnant women in Afghanistan have to make to reach birthing clinics and compared that with her own situation. Feeling compelled to help, Sam tracked down the charity - Women for Women International - and worked with them to set up pro-bono mentoring from the Aspire coaching team. It was so successful, it led Sam to think of the potential for making a difference if men and women from across the business world gave back by mentoring aspiring women from the charitable and social enterprises sector and The Aspire Foundation was born!
Liesl Ritts Liesl lives in Southern California and has been with the Aspire Foundation since 2011. As well as being an accomplished singer and actor, Liesl runs The Aspire Foundation mentoring program - when you sign up to be a mentor or mentee, Liesl works as matchmaker to pair up the people she thinks will be best placed to work together. If you want to sign up to the program, either as a mentor or mentee, or if you just want some more information, drop Liesl a line at liesl@theaspirefoundation.org.
The Aspire Foundation community Q&A This month we caught up with Heather Barnhart, one of our mentees. Heather works for US EPA as a Senior Life Scientist. She also spoke on the panel at our Avanade event (see p.8) with her mentor, Gloria Baldino, who is an Executive Coach.
Q: How long have you been part of The Aspire Foundation mentoring program? I've been involved for a year - I applied in September/October and was matched with my mentor, Gloria Baldino, soon after. We had our first meeting in November 2014 and ended our Aspire program in the spring. Q: Why did you initially sign up? We have a "mentoring" program at my work and I've participated but it's limited by participants with no or limited external experience and a focus on "moving up the chain" internally. Personal and professional growth is not highlighted. I signed up because I have clear ideas of what I want in my career but was unsure how to pursue them. I think it's wonderful to have a person who wants the best for you but has the space (personally and professionally) to provide honest feedback and different strategies. A friend recommended Aspire and it turned out to be a wonderful recommendation!
Q: How did you find the sign-up process? The sign up process was simple and straightforward. Q: What do you think has been the impact of this program on you personally? I have truly grown as a person. My mentor, Gloria, is amazing and so relatable. She's accomplished, intelligent and kind - I learned to trust myself and she inspired me to go for my dreams! I have grown personally and professionally and am making more tangible steps forward in my career. Q: Would you recommend The Aspire Foundation mentoring program to colleagues or friends? I have already recommended it, but I think people follow through when they are ready to make changes. We often complain about our jobs but don't put in the effort to make changes. This program is a great way to get you past that initial inertia.
Q: Do you think you’d like to mentor someone? I am planning on signing up in the new year! I may also apply for more mentoring - mentoring doesn't end and I truly believe that we can all use mentoring at different times, for different reasons, throughout our lives. Q: If you could provide one piece of advice to someone considering signing up to the program, what would that be? Mentoring doesn't change your life - you change your life. Think about why you want mentoring. Are you trying to balance work and home life? Do you want a change? Do you want growth but don't know the best way to pursue it? It may be a combination of these and likely is - but think about one tangible action or change you want at the end of six months. Then I guarantee that this will be a wonderful experience for you! Q: Is there anything you’ve done differently since starting The Aspire Foundation mentoring program? I definitely feel that I can mentor others, even if it's not formal. I feel that sharing my experiences with others has actually made me communicate more effectively and empathize more with others. Q: You recently spoke on the panel at the Aspire Foundation Avanade event in New York – how did you find that? I thought it was a wonderful experience. It was interesting that so many accomplished people were a bit intimidated to sign up as a mentor they felt a responsibility to a potential mentee and did not want to fail them. It reminded me of how unprepared or uncomfortable I felt in that role before the program. However, we all have something to offer. After our discussion panel, I think more people felt comfortable with signing up.
Have you been part of our mentoring program? Either as a mentor or mentee, we’d love to hear from you! You can drop me a line at editor@theaspirefoundation.org If you haven't been part of our mentoring program, why don’t you give it a go?! Our aim is to inspire and empower women working in charities and social enterprises around the world. Our mentoring program supports them to make an even bigger difference. If you’re working for a charity or social enterprise, why not sign up to the program and gain from the insights that men and women in the business and corporate world can offer. If you’re in the corporate world and wish to share your business knowledge and perspective, whilst supporting your own personal development you can sign up. It’s quick and easy to sign up on the Aspire Foundation website. Liesl will help to pair you up with a mentor or mentee. The commitment is for one hour a month for six months and your sessions can be held over the phone or via Skype.
Dr Sam Collins
When I walked through the door of my computer science class for the first time, the boys suddenly stopped talking. You could, however, feel them thinking it... ...What is a girl doing in here? I think one of them may have dropped a pin, because I swear I heard one ring out like a gong against the tile floor, whilst I made my way to an empty desk not too far from the entrance. I was pretty confident in 1987 - but, you know, just in case I needed a quick escape. My dad worked for IBM, and even then he could see the writing on the wall, which was in a programming language, and read: Technology is power. I loved math and science, and he always said I could do anything a boy could do - and I loved proving him right. The boys eventually relaxed about a girl being in "their" class and I think a few of them even thought I was a little bit cool too. But today, women's access to technology isn't about the novelty of being the only girl in a computer class, it's about women in developing countries who travel under dangerous conditions just to read world news online, or to find virtual networking groups to leave an abusive marriage, or start a business and get access to loans online to help feed the children or to report rape via an App... and all this under real threat from the gender discrimination that exists for women who want access to technology, from their families, their communities or governments. Access to technology, for women in the developing world, is not just the rising tide that lifts all boats, but a potential tsunami that can carry off centuries of entrenched sexism, abuse and social injustice. A recent joint research project by the Clinton and Gates Foundations, which analyzed over 850,000 global data points collected over 20 years by the U.N., World Bank and other research and non-profit organizations, revealed that among women in the developing world who can access the internet, 30 percent earned additional income, 45 percent searched for jobs, and 80 percent improved their education.
But while 85 percent of the adult population in the United States has Internet access, with nearly equal access between men and women, the developing world is woefully behind. The Clinton/Gates report also revealed that in the developing world, 200 million fewer women than men use the internet, which is projected to grow to 350 million within three years unless something is done. To be sure, the women who need technology the most aren't consumers. They aren't adding to anyone's bottom line. Not yet. And that may be why they get little notice from corporate technology giants who are in a position to help the most. The purpose of business is to create profit; and the notion of corporations involved in human rights and 'changing the world' is, at best, in its infancy. Yet, according to The Third Billion by PwC and Strategy&: "... as growing numbers of women enter the economic mainstream, they will have a profound effect on global business. They will take their place in the global economy as consumers, producers, employees and entrepreneurs over the next decade." Corporations that acknowledge this shift will realize what a smart business decision they made to invest in women, both internally in terms of diversity programs, and externally in terms of their social responsibility and community efforts. Empowering women through technology will enable these companies to be the new drivers of economic and social change in the world - with the biggest ripple effect coming from women's access to technology. The Aspire Foundation's recent alliance with global technology company Avanade is one example of how technology corporations can lead the way. Our goal is to impact 1 billion women and girls by 2020 by providing innovative business and technology mentoring to women who work in charities and social enterprises, the very women who are making a difference in the world every day. The technology giants of the world can, and should, act. If not like Avanade, as a pioneering example of corporate citizenship and prescient business savvy, then out of sheer self-preservation, to hasten the day these women will be the customers, employees and executives of those organizations that helped to bring them into the 21st century and on equal footing. Providing access for women to growing technology creates a global society that is safer, fairer and more productive for the benefit of us all and generations to come.
On 7th October 2015, Avanade and Aspire joined forces to address and shorten the worldwide gender gap in technology. This new partnership will look to provide mentees with tech support and to help them connect better with mentors.
In October we held our first ever Aspire Foundation event in the US! We held an event in New York in Avanade’s New York Metro office and launched our new partnership with them. Avanade aims to close the gender, technology and income gaps for women across the globe, which aligns perfectly with the Aspire Foundation’s aim to make a difference to one billion women by 2020. Avanade will work with The Aspire Foundation to pair volunteers from its organization with aspiring women seeking to learn more about management, leadership and technology. “We are delighted to partner with The Aspire Foundation to help women around the world make a difference in their communities and families. I am personally passionate about helping women tap into the potential that technology and innovation offer. Through the donation of our expertise in helping guide charities and social enterprises on their digital journeys, we hope to help The Aspire Foundation reach its goal of positively impacting one billion women by 2020” Avanade CEO Adam Warby and Dr. Sam Collins meet to discuss Corporate Citizenship
The day was pretty action-packed! Dr Sam Collins spoke on a panel about the power of the ripple effect, inspiring more than 50 Avanade employees to sign up on the spot! As well as providing mentors, Avanade is supporting The Aspire Foundation to digitalize the organization too. They are using their technology expertise to help streamline our matching and administration so we are better equipped to meet our one billion women goal. Avanade’s New York office includes an Innovation Centre which showcases the latest technological advances, such as the 3D Printer! The event also brought together mentors and mentees in the New York area, who were on the panel and on hand to answer any questions the potential mentors from Avanade might have had.
This was our first Aspire Foundation event in the United States… but it won’t be the last! Make sure you check in with the events section of The Aspire Foundation website and in later issues of the newsletter!
Aspire Foundation Events Have you attended one of our events yet? If yes, why not drop us a line to let us know what you thought of the event? Our next Aspire Foundation Community Event will be held on Thursday 10th December via webinar. This event is open to mentees, mentors and anyone interested in joining The Aspire Foundation mentoring scheme. The webinar will provide an overview of the mentoring scheme. It’s interactive, so you have the opportunity to learn from other mentors and mentees and to provide us with feedback. You can sign up via The Aspire Foundation website, or drop Liesl a line at Liesl@theaspirefoundation.org
M.A.D. Global Leadership Event The Aspire 2016 Making A Difference (M.A.D.) Global Leadership Program is in our diaries… is it in yours?
The Aspire 2016 M.A.D. Global Leadership Program has been designed to support trailblazing women get the New Year started with a bang! Women leaders from corporations, small businesses, charities and the public sector, at all levels, ages and cultures, are invited to join Dr Sam Collins in London, UK on 26 and 27 January, 2016 to be inspired, empowered and receive the practical tools needed in order to bring about ethical, authentic and transformational change in your life, workplace and the wider world. The six month program is a mix of on-line webinars, networking event and a conference, along with the ‘No Excuses’ follow up webinars, all of which will support you to achieve your program goals. Aspire has a social business model and funds our campaigns and non-profit mentoring Aspire Foundation program. In addition, with every Aspire event place you purchase, Aspire will give away an event place to a woman in need somewhere in the world. There are discounts available to Aspire Foundation members. There are also scholarships to Aspire events available for mentees and for mentors who have completed three or more mentoring programs. Email Janet@aspirewomen.co.uk for more information.