Leadership

On Saturday 24th of September at Logan Community Centre Rita Anwari, Founder of Women Empowerment Leadership in conjunction with Annette Hurley, Managing Director of The Career College held the second workshop for women from Afghanistan and other Multicultural Backgrounds. Coordinator, Soria Zamani attended and assisted where needed. Tim Frazer, Councillor for Logan City, Division 7 also attended. He welcomed the ladies and made a short speech regarding the services Logan City offers which could assist them with their transition into the community. The intention of the two-part Employment, Empowerment, Leadership workshops is to support attendees with: Understanding the Australian employment market Gaining career clarity Identifying transferable skills Resumes and interviews Self-confidence Empowerment Leadership Twenty-five women from all walks of life and age attended. Rita opened the workshop and introduced Annette. Both Rita and Annette provided some information about their background and the services their companies offer.  This was to build the attendee’s confidence and to share how we could support them in life and with their careers. The attendees were asked to introduce themselves to someone they did not know and share a little about themselves. Each of the attendees were given the opportunity to share with the group their story, their career background and what they were seeking from the workshop. They were then asked to discuss with a colleague their skills, strengths, work history and to write down their findings. Lunch was served at the end of the workshop. The intention of the above processes was to break down barriers, build confidence and self-esteem and to support the attendees with gaining a greater understanding of themselves and their transferable skills.All of which could be used to gain career clarity, for resume preparation, interview preparation, determining study options or starting their own business. The following was observed: All attendees seemed to enjoy connecting with other women. Some attendees reported being very lonely and lost. The attendees were grateful to be invited. Some have been in Australia for a long-time, others have recently arrived. Some were deeply traumatised from their experiences. Some were educated. Others had little to no education. Some spoke English well. Others had limited English. Their career needs also varied. Some attendees had already made a successful transition into the workforce or business. Some attendees had a relatively clear career plan. Some attendees with a formal education and a professional background. It was determined that with some practical jobseeker assistance and confidence building they could potentially quickly transition into the Australian workforce. Most attendees need more assistance with determining their career interests, transferable skills, career clarity and an action plan. The need for practical life and mindset skills is also evident, e.g. obtaining a driver license, learning to swim, finding suitable accommodation, navigating Australian life In addition to practical career advice all the attendees could benefit from mindset coaching, self-confidence and self-esteem training.   There may be more needs yet to be discovered. E.g. the need for domestic violence support. Overall, the needs of the attendees are great.  Most of attendees appear to have more needs and obstacles to overcome than many Australian women.