Reflections on International Women’s Day ’19

by Simla Sooboodoo

Last week, culminating in International Women’s Day, was pregnant with inspiration, energy, fulfilment and so much more!

The 2019 International Women’s week was a mind-blowing celebration creating a buzz in media, cultural and commercial events. I was lucky enough to attend four exquisite events and I was truly inspired.

At these delightful events, I came across so many wonderful individuals who are contributing so much towards making an impact in our world. Conversations revolved around progressing in the corporate world, pros and cons of quotas for women on boards, the importance of mentorship, dodging burnout, the role of language in empowering women, tackling unconscious gender bias and more.

A Force For Good Hub

My favourite event of the week, I must say, was Friday’s “A Force For Good Hub”. It was nine hours of breathtaking splendour!

At “A Force For Good” I had the honour of witnessing the gallantry and valour of some inspiring leaders in the travel industry. There were speakers from around the world, including Bruce Poon Tip (founder of G Adventures), Wendy Wu (founder of Wendy Wu Tours), Melanie Waters-Ryan and of course, the amiable founder of A Force For Good Hub herself, Helene Taylor.

Not only was the event about celebrating women’s achievements, but it was also about raising awareness against bias and taking action for equality. I sat in the midst of almost 500 people and the day kicked off with a warm comfort zone session delivered by Helene Taylor. She marvelled the audience, me especially, with a brilliant analogy about controlling one’s self-esteem bucket, titled “How full is your bucket?” She shared secrets and simple skills she learnt that have helped propel her into taking massive actions.

 ‘All day long, we are either keeping our bucket flowing full, or emptying our bucket by what we say, what we do and how we feel. If your bucket is low, you can’t be inspired’ ~ Helene Taylor, founder of A Force For Good Hub.

Wendy Wu also set the bar high with a delightful anecdote about how she started her own company, Wendy Wu Tours. This projected the image of an industrious female entrepreneur – a model of empowerment to both young and old women.

I was one of the sponsors of the event and I couldn’t have been prouder being that I am a true fan of what they do. And of course, being a sponsor, I had the honour of introducing a speaker, but typical Helene didn’t inform me, that I also had to say a little more than just introducing the speaker. I totally winged it there! They do say true leaders don’t create followers, they create more leaders and Helene is indeed a true leader. Her organisation, A Force For Good Hub, donated a percentage of the revenue derived from ticket sales to Eden Ministry, a charity that assists women and children in need. The final donation of $12,000 will be used to both create awareness of sex trafficking of women and children and also to give assistance to victims of sex trafficking.

The day carried on with speakers sharing their best practices and the strategies of some of the heroes in the industry; it was a day where we got to champion each other’s leads. We are mainly competitors yet there was so much love and support. There were tears. There was resistance.

Equality and Empowerment

One of the highlights of the day was speaking about equality. What does gender equality look like? It’s about breaking boundaries, changing unjust systems and adapting to build more communities.

It also clamoured for empowerment. What is empowerment all about? Giving a greater sense of worth and self-recognition to women, especially those residing in developing countries.

Now this is a topic that is quite dear to my heart. About five years ago, when I was selling tours with the purpose of giving back in a sustainable way, everyone thought I was talking gibberish. Here we are in 2019, and it is a movement that’s on the tip of everyone’s tongue, where so many operators are adopting strategies aimed at creating opportunities and financial support to create sustainable business models in local communities.

I couldn’t have been more ecstatic!

Imagine health and educational services developed to empower and inform. Communities where physical, mental and social wellbeing for women and girls are equal to that of men and boys. Access to clean water and hygiene regardless of economic background. Opportunities and financial support to create sustainable business models in local communities. That is indeed a starting point for female gender empowerment. #Empowermenttourism

I am still buzzing with excitement! Sometimes the corporate gifts and shallow celebratory messages tend to hijack the history and essence of International Women’s Day. Women don’t want flowers and chocolate from their employers. We want initiatives that would enable equal pay and equal opportunities. The energy and conversations from Friday reminded me of the long way women have come since the first International Women’s Day in 1911, and reinforced that a lot more work has to be done until we close the gender gap.

Hope all you ladies reading found something useful in this reflection. Let us not wait until March 8th next year to empower ourselves and the women around us. Take this opportunity to reflect on the incredible women in your world, whether they be family members, work colleagues, friends or mentors. Acknowledge their contribution and give them the gift of your time. Sometimes, the smallest actions can have impact.

A hearty congratulations to Helene, Whitney and the rest of the ‘A Force for Good Hub” team. Nothing like planning, producing, marketing, selling out and facilitating an event to make others grow!