MENTORING WALK SAINT LUCIA - March 8, 2014
INTRODUCTION
Vital Voices Mentoring Walk 2014 will be held in Saint Lucia for the first time on March 8, 2014. This initiative is a collaborative effort between Vital Voices Global Partnership and Celestial Self Development Centre. This walk which happens globally will takes place in commemoration of International Women's Day and has been sanctioned by the Department of Gender Relations as part of its activities for International Women’s Day.
On May 27th to 29th , 2013 Thecla Deterville, Owner & Managing Director of Celestial Self Development Centre was given an opportunity to moderate a session at the African Women Trade & Investment Opportunity Conference held in Toronto, Canada. The conference was attended by approximately 300 business women from 12 African Countries and Canada under the theme " The Role of Women in Stimulating the Economy,”.
Later that year she was accepted to participate in a one year long training programme for business women from Latin America and the Caribbean. 23 women from Latin America and 7 from the Caribbean participated. The Caribbean contingent comprised two from Saint Lucia, one from Guyana, two from Jamaica, one from Haiti, and one from the Dominican Republic. The training is ongoing and applications are now being sought for the 2014-2015 cohot.
Attending these programmes made her realise that there was insufficient collaboration and dialogue amongst business or professional women in her country. If other women in other regions of the world were getting together to share ideas and experiences why can't we? When she was invited by Vital Voices Global Partnership to be a Flag Bearer for The Mentoring Walk she saw this as an opportunity to begin a much needed conversation between business and professional women and younger women needing to share the experience of their more experienced counterparts.
The objective of Annual Global Mentoring Walk is to convene established women leaders and emerging women leaders to walk together in their community. As they walk, they discuss their professional challenges and successes to establish a mentoring relationship, in which the established leader guides, advises and supports an emerging leader.
Vital Voices Mentoring Walk 2014 will be held in Saint Lucia for the first time on March 8, 2014. This initiative is a collaborative effort between Vital Voices Global Partnership and Celestial Self Development Centre. This walk which happens globally will takes place in commemoration of International Women's Day and has been sanctioned by the Department of Gender Relations as part of its activities for International Women’s Day.
On May 27th to 29th , 2013 Thecla Deterville, Owner & Managing Director of Celestial Self Development Centre was given an opportunity to moderate a session at the African Women Trade & Investment Opportunity Conference held in Toronto, Canada. The conference was attended by approximately 300 business women from 12 African Countries and Canada under the theme " The Role of Women in Stimulating the Economy,”.
Later that year she was accepted to participate in a one year long training programme for business women from Latin America and the Caribbean. 23 women from Latin America and 7 from the Caribbean participated. The Caribbean contingent comprised two from Saint Lucia, one from Guyana, two from Jamaica, one from Haiti, and one from the Dominican Republic. The training is ongoing and applications are now being sought for the 2014-2015 cohot.
Attending these programmes made her realise that there was insufficient collaboration and dialogue amongst business or professional women in her country. If other women in other regions of the world were getting together to share ideas and experiences why can't we? When she was invited by Vital Voices Global Partnership to be a Flag Bearer for The Mentoring Walk she saw this as an opportunity to begin a much needed conversation between business and professional women and younger women needing to share the experience of their more experienced counterparts.
The objective of Annual Global Mentoring Walk is to convene established women leaders and emerging women leaders to walk together in their community. As they walk, they discuss their professional challenges and successes to establish a mentoring relationship, in which the established leader guides, advises and supports an emerging leader.
The Global Mentoring Walk is an opportunity to highlight
the importance of women’s leadership, and to accelerate the impact of women
leaders through mentoring. Mentoring
is an activity
that empowers women to succeed, both on a local and global scale.
During a Vital Voices training session held in Nicaragua in October last year Thecla Deterville is quoted as saying, " Our challenges are the same our passion is unstoppable and our desire to pay it forward unsurpassed.” Another Vital Voices Fellow and Flag Bearer from Uganda is quoted as saying" If she walks alone, she will go very fast but if she takes others with her, she will go very far." These two quotes epitomises the spirit and purpose of this Mentoring Walk.
Vital Voices Global Partnership has as its tag line "Invest in women. Improve the world”. This is a call to action, let us invest in each other and build our country. Come join the conversation it began years ago and has been allowed to fade away let us rekindle it, continuing the conversation is long overdue. Feel free to send in your suggestions to Celestial Self Development Centre at celestial@candw.lc to see how together we can keep this flame alive.
For more information on Vital Voices Global Partnership and their other initiatives check their website at www.vitalvoices.org.
During a Vital Voices training session held in Nicaragua in October last year Thecla Deterville is quoted as saying, " Our challenges are the same our passion is unstoppable and our desire to pay it forward unsurpassed.” Another Vital Voices Fellow and Flag Bearer from Uganda is quoted as saying" If she walks alone, she will go very fast but if she takes others with her, she will go very far." These two quotes epitomises the spirit and purpose of this Mentoring Walk.
Vital Voices Global Partnership has as its tag line "Invest in women. Improve the world”. This is a call to action, let us invest in each other and build our country. Come join the conversation it began years ago and has been allowed to fade away let us rekindle it, continuing the conversation is long overdue. Feel free to send in your suggestions to Celestial Self Development Centre at celestial@candw.lc to see how together we can keep this flame alive.
For more information on Vital Voices Global Partnership and their other initiatives check their website at www.vitalvoices.org.
Thecla C. Deterville
February 19, 2014
