Beijing Women’s Network provides affordable professional development for young professionals. They promote direct resource sharing through their WeChat group, peer mentorship through their Spotlight Dinners, and address various areas of intereset through their series. On a bigger scale, they aim to change policy and mindsets working closely with other organizations that focus on women’s issues.
Jessie: Hey Jessie! Tell us a bit about yourself and how you’ve ended up in Beijing.
While I am American by citizenship and upbringing, I was actually born in Inner Mongolia, China. Back then my parents were constrained by their danwei to follow the one child policy, and because it was considered important to have a son, my parents saw me as their one hope. As a girl that ideology weighed on me and I often times found myself subconsciously competing with boys. Even though the one child policy along with many other social policies have been curtailed since, I think those remnants still remain and weigh upon women daily.
Ultimately, I chose to move back to Beijing since it is the closest city where I can work and also conveniently travel to see my extended family. Since then, I’ve stayed for the innovation and ambition that I think is unique about Beijing.
Jessie: What inspired you to start the Beijing Women’s Network (BWN)? How did it come about?
When I first moved to Beijing my primary concerns included, air pollution, bureaucracy, and traffic. Therefore, I purchased an air purifier, a Kindle and a bike. However, while my material concerns were easily alleviated, I soon realized my greatest challenges didn’t pertain to living in Beijing, but working in Beijing.
My own background is rooted in American corporate culture, having come from various law firms. Subsequently, I assumed each job was accompanied by the necessary support and training. After my first quarter working for a Chinese company, I soon recognized the privilege in this assumption. Whether skills training or career mentorship, my previous roles included built-in networks designed to facilitate my professional growth and these ideals were not reflected in Chinese corporate culture.
The Beijing Women’s Network grew out of this need for professional development and peer mentorship.
Jessie: What is the main goal of BWN? How do the women in the group support each other?
In ten months, we have grown from twelve women to close to four hundred. The network has since attracted individuals across industries willing to provide their services and co-working spaces at no cost. Additionally, while we began with expatriate women, we have extended our reach to Chinese young professional women.
The most basic goal of the Network is to provide affordable professional development for young professionals. What this means practically is that we promote direct resource sharing through our WeChat group, peer mentorship through our Spotlight Dinners, and address various areas of interest through our series. On a bigger scale, we aim to change policy and mindsets working closely with other organizations that focus on women’s issues.
Jessie: What’s in store for BWN this year? How can people get involved?
Because we are a network, we are always open to involving our membership. Whether it is an idea for a workshop or a new restaurant where we can host our dinners, we are open to suggestions. Going along with this theme, this year we are working with one space collaborator and one content collaborator for each of our series. The three main series include, Health Living with Orgins and Living Bigg. Professional Skills Development with Lean In Beijing and the Woo Co-working Space, and Professional Development with JingJobs and Inncube. This year we will also be experimenting with a Tech Creativity Series, looking at innovative thinking through hands on DIY projects.
A few years ago there was a expo that brought together women’s organizations across Beijing. In 2017, we hope to make a push on a few key issues on women’s issues in Beijing but in order to do so we will need the collective momentum and a shared agenda. Thus, one of our other goals this year is to set the stage for that type of collaboration.
Kristen: How would you describe members of the BWN?
I would describe Beijing Women’s Network members as really dynamic and interesting women who are looking to get involved in their community and move forward in their careers and social lives through personal and professional development. One of the noticeable things that you see when you attend a Beijing Women’s Network is how open and willing the members are to share their experiences and help each other.
I think it’s really important to have a network that promotes professional development and confidence for women that also incorporates the importance of living a healthy lifestyle. All three of the co-organizers in Beijing Women’s Network all really value being active and exercising regularly and the positive effects that it brings into our personal and professional lives. This really shows through in the Professional Development and Healthy Living Series that we are running throughout the entire year.
source: www.jingjobs.com