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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.

Each spring, BPW Calgary hosts a business clothing drive to collect gently used business clothing for The Making Changes Association. Our Mentorship Program participants also spend an afternoon at The Making Changes Association, acting as fashion consultants and helping out with quality control on site.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Watch how our valued partner is making changes within our community.

You can find out more about our Mentorship Program here.

Bow Valley College will be celebrating their 50th anniversary with a block party on Saturday, September 19.  Since 2003, BPW Calgary has invested $23,670 to make a profound difference in the lives of students at Bow Valley College. We are proud of our partnership with Bow Valley College and wish them another 50 years of success!

The block party will take place from 11 AM – 4 PM at Olympic Plaza, across from City Hall. For full details, and a schedule of events, you can click here.

Help spread the word and share the invite. No RSVP is required.

 

BPW Calgary, Canada participated on a panel presentation with BPW Germany and BPW Australia to update the audience on Canada’s progress to advance the issue of equal pay.  The side event was planned during the 59th session of the Commission on the Status of Women at the United Nations headquarters in New York City.  According to the World Economic Forum Report of 2014, Canada ranks #27 on Wage Equality (an improvement from 2012 and 2013 when it ranked #35).  View the presentation here 2012 to 2014 Equal Pay Day Journey Final    

 The Canadian Federation of Business and Professional Women and its supporters participated in the march for gender equality in New York City on March 8th, 2015 to advance the issue of Equal Pay.  Immediate Past President of BPW Calgary Jenny Gulamani-Abdulla was interviewed by CBC radio correspondent, Steven D’Souza, just prior to the march where she reiterated that “it is important that wages become an acceptable subject of discussion in Canadian workplaces”.