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YWSE-SF Board 2011
January 26th, 2011
6:30PM-9:30PM
The Hub @ Berkeley
David Brower Center, 2150 Allston Way Suite 400, Berkeley, CA
We hope your holiday season is a time of reflection, joy, rest, and family!
Reflecting back on 2010 might seem unbelievable - is it really the end of the year?!? There have been some great moments in the YWSE community this year. Members appreciated the camping weekend in May. Two Smart Money workshops (Investing with your Senses & Winning the Money Game) opened our eyes to the importance of money management and personal finance. We hiked Redwood Regional Park with Greta Franklin in August. Our retreat in September was a weekend full of new friends, inspiration, and renewal - and a kick-ass attitude to get things done! And YWSE celebrated 10 years! Our community is stronger than ever!
Thanks you to everyone who came out to our events this year! It's always a joyful occasion to gather around and discuss topics that are important to us, where we can share knowledge and develop ideas for our personal and collective futures. This is something YWSE hopes to continue to give to its members in 2011!
Rest and time spent with family is often rare. It can be great to simply breathe and acknowledge that you are blessed, whatever the reason. Having family and friends around you is a gift. YWSE acknowledges that you are a blessing to this community - just by staying involved, and sharing our vision of strong community in social entrepreneurship.
We wish you a Happy Holidays! Enjoy celebrating the New Year!
We'll see you in 2011.....
Monday evening, October 18th, at the SOMA office of Tech Soup, a group of about 10 women gather for another splendid YWSE event. Louise W. Knight is in town, on a book tour, celebrating the publication of her new book, Jane Addams: Spirit in Action. After getting acquainted over hors d’oeuvres, we took our seats in a circle of couches and stuffed chairs. YWSE chair Liz Zirk introduced us to Louise Knight, and Louise introduced us to Jane Addams.
Jane Addams was one of the nation’s first grassroots organizers and a founder of the fields of social work and sociology. She was the co-founder of Hull House in Chicago, the nation’s first Settlement House, and co-founder of the first national women’s trade union organization. She was a leader in the suffrage movement, international peace and women’s rights movements. In 1931 she was the first American woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize. At her core, she was a humanitarian, connecting people together as humans. She was a consensus builder who brought people together across class lines. She could certainly be called a social entrepreneur of her time.
So would Jane Addams’ leadership style work today? What would she think about the social and political issues of today? Louise Knight helped us to explore these questions and more. Addams’ thinking was responsibility-based, not rights based. She saw rights as absolutes, thus not allowing for compromise. We asked, so is that why we’ve seen such little movement in the abortion debate, with the right of women’s choice being countered with the right to life of the fetus? Even in her argument for women’s suffrage, she advocated that it was women’s responsibility to their families, through voting, to elect the government that would best protect and care for her family.
Addams led with an “intentional light touch;” she listened without judgment. She served as a strong example, but she did not dominate. She believed in the 19th century theory of cooperation where by she asked what she could do with you to help your cause. She was mindful of other people. At Hull House she brought residents together to live and socialize across class lines; to get to know each other on a social basis, beyond that of employer and employee. She ran Hull House as a complete democracy, which gave the residents a lot of freedom. This led to decisions she did not agree with and those that spurred controversy. But she saw this as part of the learning process; the process of democracy being as important as the end results. Addams was a patient woman; she had to be, as her methods were admittedly slow, yet effective. So would Addams’ approach work today? It’s a tough question; what do you think?
Concluding the evening, Louise graciously signed personalized copies of her book for those who purchased it.
YWSE's mission is to promote young women social entrepreneurs by providing training and development, access to resources, networking opportunities, and general support. We practice full authenticity and honesty with one another and ourselves. We are accountable and responsible for our contributions, strengths, and weaknesses as individuals. We work in collaboration and consensus, valuing each woman's wisdom. We act with integrity, aligning this work with our deepest values.
Sound good?
Join us on October 27th, 2010 to celebrate YWSE and its core mission and values.
This will be a fun, all-inclusive night created just for you - both members and non-members alike! Whether this will be your first event with YWSE, or you've been involved with us for years, we invite you to engage, re-engage, and celebrate our warm community of amazing leaders.
Featured speakers include
Sara Ellis Conant and Michelle Lapinski, co-founders of YWSE
Kami Griffiths, YWSE member-at-large
Elizabeth Zirk, Chair of San Francisco chapter
Delicious, seasonal, and locally grown hors d'oeuvres and drinks will be served courtesy of the Roots Restaurant at the Orchard Garden Hotel. Did you know the Orchard Garden Hotel is also run by a woman entrepreneur?! And it's location is easily accessible by BART or Muni.
Every year, YWSE holds a weekend retreat. This year's retreat was full of brilliant women, ready to assert their power (whatever that might be) and follow through on their goals with actions that will sustain their dreams! Not only was it remarkable, going through energizing and enlightening workshops with like-minded women; it was a whole lot of fun!
At every signature YWSE event, the emphasis is on community. Our community of leaders grows stronger - and you can be part of it!
By joining us at our 10 Year Celebration on October 27th, you are contributing to the YWSE community!
Specific contributions that you can make to help out the YWSE community include
Become a Video Blogger
Develop a Leadership Workshop Series
Apply to be the Retreat Director
Launch a Social Entrepreneurship Discussion/Workshop Series
Become an Event Director
Donate an event venue located near BART
Implement a Mentorship Program
Lead a project to "green" our internal and external practices
Invite at least 3 friends to come with you to the October 27th event
guest post by Erica Fox
Saturday, September 11th, 2010
7 am -
Panic. Wakefulness.
Woken by Susan Gordon. Rather, woken by the cellphone buzzing under my left leg. Seems that I turned the alarm off in my sleep and rolled over onto it. Not an auspicious start. Panic ensued. I have never packed faster, or spent less time thinking about personal hygiene in my life.
8:30 am -
Arrival, Introductions.
Arrived at the Marin Headlands Center. Awesome. Completely shrouded in fog, but so charming. Was very impressed with the facilities. Very easy to impress before 9am. Which leads to the next point - whoever thinks that introductions at events like this should happen before 9am is brilliant. I think I slurred my introduction to everyone I met - failing completely to remember any names, and being spectacularly un-charming. This is a great way to get very intimate with people one might have otherwise tried to keep at an arm’s length. Showing up at your very worst. Great idea.
9:15-10:45
Unconference.
No idea what this was. Was naturally skeptical. Totally wrong. I know lots of people love these things, but I was really excited to find that they were not full of it. After brainstorming a lot of issues we ladies had in our lives, we went on to brainstorm solutions to those problems. I’m the kind of person who, when falling, goes limp and hopes for the best. These were not women of the wet-noodle school. I was pretty certain, before 9:45 that most of my problems had been solved.
Narrowed this list to 8, and split up to lead our own discussions about the issues. Frankly shocked, considering how I was feeling, to see four beautiful, with-it woman standing under my chosen “coping with/overcoming fear” sign. Also frankly impressed with how willing these grown-up-looking strangers were to jump right into the details of what scared them. No apologies for oversharing, just some blind trust that we were all there for the same reason.
11-12:30pm -
4 steps to GOLD.
Considering my feelings about early mornings, I feel guilty mentioning how difficult I also am when I’m hungry. But it’s real. So hungry. So prepared to sleep through this session. Clara is a rockstar. Don’t get me wrong, I will assume anyone with a British accent is just a little smarter, but Clara was pretty excellent. Her impression of the cruel voices in your head as a “drunken dinner guest” in the “Give it up” section was brilliant. Also strangely reminiscent of a college friend. Regardless, I found the excercise of identifying and isolating the negative forces in your life, before acknowledging the good, and then identifying what could make that even better to be interesting. Obvious, I suppose, but how many Saturdays do I commit an hour and a half to actually thinking about this? In fact, any other Saturday at this hour is almost certainly spent in a less constructive manner. Think fetch. With a dog who hasn’t worked out the part where he brings it back.
12:30-1:45
Lunch.
Need I say more. This place was great. Split pea soup!
1:45-3:15
Fearless Strategies for Asking (and Getting) What you need.
Really bad at this. Spectacularly so. I will go to great lengths to just do it myself if there’s an awkward conversation on the horizon. This is why I can sew my own clothes and write html. Starla and Laura came armed with the ultimate tool for a group of overachieving women: lists. Kind of blew my mind that a list of things an average person should consider asking for could resonate with so many members of the group. Incredible how obvious some of them were, but how many of us came up with excuses for why we had never asked. Spent a lot of time quieting my drunken dinner guest, who was saying “but your friends/lovers/mom wouldn’t WANT to do that”. Great.
3:30-5:00
Telling your story with food.
Did I mention I love food? Chloe’s presentation really struck me, beacause I generally try not to connect my eating habits with any sort of larger analysis of my mental/emotional well-being. Something about growing up in the suburbs makes a gal not want to talk about/think about/obsess about her relationship with food. Chloe, on the other hand, had no choice. To be fair, the rest of us don’t so much either. Still have to eat three times a day. But Chloe can’t try to ignore it the way the rest of us can. The “lab” was to create delicious things from the ingredients in front of us. Which I (now that I was awake, and caffeinated) took as a metaphor for the group of women I was looking at. Avocado and banana? With cocoa nibs? A nurse, a corporate finance person, a founder of a non-profit? What a delicious dish. Although, we made something pretty foul-looking. Still, I’m sure once people closed their eyes, they were into it.
5:00-6:00
Optional hike.
Turns out we missed the sunny window by a little. I was pretty impressed to discover that the retreat center was so close to the water...which was totally socked in when we got there. But hiking was gorgeous anyway. Such a nice lagoon thingy. Also, got to meet/chat with some more new ladies, and totally impressed with everyone’s ability to chat and move.
6:00-7:00
Dinner.
Man, I love food. So so good.
7:30-9:00
Happy Hour.
Wine and hooping. Not a combination I often think of, but really a great idea.
9:00-10:30
Campfire and Social Event.
Was glad to discover that social event = s’mores. I love s’mores. And being social. The only thing that could mar an event that social was when someone’s marshmallow stick fell on Tynisa, and everyone thought it was a raccoon. But man, those raccoons were aggressive. Still, nothing quite like a campfire and some grilled sugar in northern California. A point I haven’t really made properly yet, and probably should - there were a bunch of really remarkable women at this event. I mean, really remarkable. There are all sorts of external signifiers that make us remarkable - incredible accomplishments on the job, or volunteering. Remarkable social skills, outstanding dedication to the welfare of others, stunning good looks (just sayin’) but the thing I was struck by most was how much everyone was interested, and willing to dig deeper. There are a lot of very accomplished people out there who will never question themselves. Who are pretty sure that they have everything figured out. I am always impressed with someone who isn’t convinced that a little self-reflection will bring them down. Even more impressive is a successful person who is willing to listen to analysis (and advice!) from complete strangers.
10:15 -
Sleep.
What can I say, I’m a sleeper.
8:00-9:00
Breakfast.
A sleeper until 5am, and then I couldn’t get back to it. Breakfast was even more delicious after a walk on the foggy, foggy beach.
9:30-10:30
Wake Up Movement and Joy Session.
Miss Rosie sent half of us to meditate, while the other half spent some quality time playing. I dug the contrast. I spend most of my time somewhere in-between the two - not peaceful enough to meditate, but too thoughtful to be all that joyful. This was great practice to live the extremes for a bit, to see how they felt.
10:30-12:30
10 Rules for Brilliant Women.
Not a huge fan of guided meditation. Going to put that out there, because starting something like that out skeptically, is sort of a dumb idea. But listening to other people describe what they saw while they were meditating was pretty incredible. If we weren’t quite able to articulate on Saturday our deepest desires, fears, and insecurities, we revealed them all right there. So many of us saw details in our “future selves” that made it so clear what we valued (or devalued) most about ourselves. I was struck both by the easy glimpse I got into people’s lives/souls, and by the things I had never really realized that were taunting me.
12:30-1:30
Lunch and free time.
Wow. Just kept getting better. Did I mention brownies?
1:30-2:00
Break and Free Time.
I should mention at this point that my brain felt a little full. I knew that I needed to identify my fears, my desires, my passions, my beliefs, my next steps - but I hadn’t quite had the time to do that yet. Also, I do all of these things better when I’m climbing up something tall. Preferrably totally exhausted. I tried to walk on the beach, but the hills involved in this weren’t really high enough.
2:00-3:00
Risk Tolerance and Making the Leap into Action.
Not certain of what my action should be, I approached this one a little concerned. Felt a little like that person who approaches the edge of a cliff and tries to pretend they’re just there to have some tea, so as to not freak out. Comparing ourselves to jungle animals in our analysis of risk-tolerance was funny, if not uncomfortably accurate. I was a tortoise. Filled with thoughts - but all inside the shell.
3:00
Exodus.
I had an early evening soccer game - and I opted to make it on time, instead of arriving late (as usual). Considered this positive progress. Thinking ahead. Considering old patterns and things I wanted to change about myself for the better. Also, thinking about how much joy playing soccer in the late afternoon sun would bring me. And what is better to end a weekend full of unexpected personal discovery, delightful connection with brilliant women, and (lest I forget) delicious food, than a blissful afternoon kicking ass in the rare San Francisco sun. Spectacular.
Addendum by Liz Zirk
As someone who went from presenting at one workshop at 2009's retreat, to helping plan a lot of 2010's retreat, I can only say that I had a brilliant, yet different experience at each. The end of 2010's retreat was intended for action planning. And I learned something very valuable from my fellow YWSEs: your actions are not singular. They create unique ripples, which when looked upon by strangers might seem simplistic, but when experienced by friends are whole and meaningful.
Thank you to everyone who attended and presented at the retreat!
Social entrepreneurship is something totally new, right?
Not so, according to Louise K. Knight's book "Jane Addams: Spirit in Action"! And you have the chance to meet Louise K. Knight in person AND have her sign a copy of her book! On October 18th, YWSE hosts an interactive talk and book signing with the author herself. A talk about the spirit of Jane Addams, the first American woman to earn the Nobel Peace Prize!
Who is Jane Addams anyway...?
Like young women leaders today, Jane Addams -- the first American woman to earn the Nobel Peace Prize-- struggled to grow purposefully, collaboratively, and with integrity. Louise (Lucy) W. Knight, the author of the just-published Jane Addams: Spirit in Action, will discuss how Addams found mentors and mentored others and the kind of a consensus-building leader she became. Knight will also share Addams’s theory of leadership, which included the power of leading by example and the need to cooperate, not dominate. This interactive talk will offer women working in non-profit and for-profit companies in the Bay Area both some remarkable history and insights into modern day work and life dilemmas.
Read the live blog of this event!
Are you sitting at your desk going through emails? Are you catching up on your daytime soaps? Maybe you're adding a new movie to your Netflix queue?
You should save time on Thursday, September 30th from 12:30pm - 1:30pm for YWSE's first-ever webinar with messaging guru Minal Bopaiah!
Need help fundraising? Looking to drive more traffic to your
website and blog? Or simply trying to change the world one mind at a
time? Minal Bopaiah, media specialist for social change, founder of
Brevity & Wit, and former Sesame Street
researcher, gives you the inside scoop on how to use psychology to
"sell" your ideas and change people's minds. Follow Minal on Facebook!
In this 60 minute Webinar, you'll learn the basic principles of social
learning theory and some basic techniques to improve your content and
use of multi-media tools, as well as get time to ask Minal specific
questions you may be facing in communicating your mission.
QS World MBA Tour is working with YWSE to help you find the answer to the lingering question “is Business School right for me?”
With a few years of work experience under your belt, are you thinking of pursuing an MBA? An MBA builds on your work experience by providing you the skills and knowledge to transition to a higher level of responsibility. You will finesse your teamwork skills, understanding of human relations in organizations and will be far better able to understand and respond effectively to the uncertainty and complexity that is a feature of organisational life in times of rapid change.
The lingering questions remain: which school, program, location is the ideal one for you?
The QS World MBA Tour is here to help you. The QS World MBA Tour offers prospective students the opportunity to meet admissions officers from top tier universities worldwide at a multitude of venues across the globe.
The QS World MBA Tour offers prospective students the opportunity to meet admissions officers of international and national top tier universities at a multitude of venues across the globe.Join us at the QS World MBA Tour 2010 this fall!
To learn more and to find a fair near you: www.topmba.com
This year's Boot Camp is all about strategies for effective community building. The one-day conference brings together professional non-profits, social entrepreneurs, and engaged citizens of all stripes with expert speakers, workshop sessions, and social time to share strategies. There are also opportunities for private coaching sessions, break-out sessions, and camaraderie with other passionate change-makers - not to mention pre- and post-event meetups.
Koy Hardy, current Events VP, will be hosting the YWSE community partner booth!
Elizabeth Zirk, current Communications VP, will be facilitating an Idea Bazaar workshop: Effective Group Brainstorming!
Boot Camp website: http://craigslistfoundation.
You can connect to us on Facebook here: http://www.facebook.com/
Updates are on our blog: http://craigslistfoundation.
Tickets are available here: http://clfbc2010.eventbrite.