Community

Consistent with our mandate “to strive to improve the economic, employment, political and social conditions for all working women,” each BPW club is invited each year to prepare a resolution(s) on what they consider to be priority areas for women’s empowerment in their communities.  The resolutions are drafted by their respective local committees and then submitted to the BPW Canada VP of Resolutions for consideration and review.  All the submitted resolutions are then presented for discussion and debate at the BPW Canada’s AGM occurring late summer.  Based on this discussion, the delegates from each club proceed to vote on the resolutions they would like to adopt as BPW Canada’s advocacy platform for the year.  The Resolutions are then submitted to the Prime Minister’s Office for review and action.

BPW Calgary is pleased to announce that it will be hosting the 45th Biennial National Convention on August 12-14, 2016 at the Clarion Hotel and Conference Centre.  A Centennial Gala will be held on Saturday August 13th at 6:30 PM to recognize 100 Women’s Organizations to mark the 100th Anniversary of Women’s Suffrage in Canada.

1. Luncheon and play “Let Them Howl” as well as an evening reception and entertainment on Friday, August 12th.
2. Tour to the Nellie McClung House at the Heritage Park with dinner at the Selkirk Grill on Sunday, August 14th.
3. Lunch at the Calgary Tower and a visit to the Glenbow Museum to view the Mavericks Exhibit which includes Henrietta Muir Edwards as one of the Maverick politicians on Monday, August 15th at 11 a.m.
4. An 8-hour day tour on Monday, August 15th from Calgary to Banff to view the majestic rocky mountains as our attendees did at the 5th biennial convention in 1935.

Many women fail to recognize opportunities to negotiate — about their compensation and roles, about the support they need to be successful, about the resources to get the job done, and about buy-in from their peers and those they lead.

We are excited that Nancy Stapley, Vice President of BPW Calgary, will host the Negotiating for Success workshop for BPW Calgary members on Saturday, April 30 from 10 AM – 12 PM.

This session will draw attention to how women can proactively negotiate for conditions of personal and career success, and assess ways that women may be unknowingly undermining themselves.

In this workshop, we discuss how, by mastering a few basic principles, anyone can become an effective negotiator. In role plays on effective strategies for negotiation, as well as possible compensation pitfalls and how to avoid them, we will explore how women can remain authentic and maintain interpersonal relationships while maximizing the value of their negotiation.

To RSVP, please email info@BPWCalgary.com.

Calgary, Alberta – October 26, 2015: The Business and Professional Women’s Club of Calgary (“BPW Calgary”) is excited to announce Wisdom Boost 2016, its renewed mentorship program. This year long program is designed to foster solid development opportunities and robust mentor and protégée relationships for BPW Calgary members.

“BPW Calgary prides itself on offering our members top-notch supportive professional and personal networking,” said Sophie Blais-Yalbir, President of BPW Calgary. “Each year our mentorship program builds on previous successes and learnings and we believe this renewed program will offer our members a strong mentorship focus with extensive opportunities to grow professionally, as well as personally.”

The framework elements include a kick-off joint session in January 2016, supportive tools, one-on-one mentorship, leadership mini-workshops (quarterly topics include: work-life balance, embracing change, authentic leadership), regular touch-points, and diverse community and networking activities.

Wisdom Boost 2016 is offered to BPW Calgary members at no additional cost. BPW Calgary is the only women’s group in Calgary to offer this benefit to its members free of charge.

“We believe strongly in the importance of mentorship as a key component in the professional development of women which is why we include this program in our membership benefits,” said Yvonne Silver, BPW Calgary’s Mentorship Chair and Executive Coach who focuses on coaching business harmony concepts with professional women leaders and entrepreneurs in the Calgary region.

BPW Calgary’s monthly dinner meetings additionally add value for each mentor/protégée pair, with topics from effective public speaking, time management and social media to personal branding, talent management, financial planning and professional leadership.

Mentorship is one of the core programs that BPW Calgary focuses on as part of our mandate of Women Working for Women. In 2010, the mentorship program was nominated for the Best Practices Award at the Institute of Canadian Citizenship, and has continued to evolve each year adding new elements to stay current and impactful.

Current BPW Calgary members can apply to Wisdom Boost 2016 by visiting bpwcalgary.com/mentorship. Deadline for application is November 30, 2015. Those interested in joining BPW Calgary, can visit bpwcalgary.com to apply.