What do our members have to say about SCWIST? Networking & Mentorship

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Hi SCWIST Members!

Last Summer (2012) we at SCWIST decided we needed to engage with our membership to get their input on the 2013 direction of SCWIST- particularly programming.

For the past 31 years, a SCWIST goal has been to promote, encourage, and recognize girls and women in STEM; Science, Technology, Engineering and Math. For an organization that’s been around as long as we have, it’s important to not only pause and reflect on our accomplishments, but find ways to improve what we do.

We hosted a small focus group and have been collecting feedback information from events.

What did we ask?

  • How is SCWIST’s mission important today?
  • What do members value most about SCWIST?
  • How can SCWIST continue to be valuable to members?
  • What are the current issues relevant to Canadian women in science, engineering and technology?
  • Are there audiences that SCWIST should be engaging more deeply with?

What did members say?

Well, for one they affirmed SCWIST’s goals. Our mission to support the recognition, retention, encouragement of women in science, engineering and technology remains relevant to current members. Girls and women are participating in greater numbers and in diverse science fields, but significant barriers to the advancement and retention of women remain in BC and throughout Canada. Supporting one another is as important as it was in 1981 when SCWIST was founded.

But what new issues are on our members radar? There are several key issues that kept coming up; Work-life balance, equity in education and professional environments, evolving representations of women in science, and mentorship.

Networking and mentorship opportunities were what members valued most about SCWIST. So this year we plan to continue to make networking an integral part of SCWIST’s programming.

How SCWIST can support mentorship relationships is an ongoing discussion, which we will continue in Linkedin. Come join us!

 


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