| Description:
As Chair of the Mentoring Program at HKABPW,
2004 has been a year with remarkable accomplishments.
Overall, it has been a year of enriched
friendships and extraordinary learning experience
- an opportunity to spearhead a cause impacting
the lives of many, providing our members
the chance to help other women through peer
mentorship.
HKABPW
is 25 years old in Hong Kong, with approximately
110 members and a database comprising of
1,600 corporate professionals. Our Mentoring
Program is our recent initiative, launched
in February 2004. Our membership profile
is corporate female professionals. The Program
encourages all members to join without any
additional cost. Participants are recommended
with a match according to their preference,
by profession, culture, age or life experience.
If chemistry exists between a pair, they’re
on their way to building their mentorship.
The uniqueness of our Program lies in leveraging
on member expertise with a corporate focus.
Our Program carries an important message
on encouraging business and professional
women to give back to the business community
by contributing their time and effort and
sharing their skills and knowledge to help
other women progress in life and careers.
With
BPW’s traditionally mature group,
the Mentoring Program has brought in young
blood that instils vibrancy and creativity,
innovative ideas and energy that has consequently
enlivened the Association. It attracted
those who strongly desire for support on
their professional and personal growth.
Often, all these young women wish for are
someone wise to offer them guidance on career
directions, tips on skills and strategies
for better handling challenging situations
at work and in life, or just someone to
act as their sounding board.
It
is often better to gain insights from the
experience of others than to learn merely
from our own. Mentoring serves as a faster
method of learning, smoothing the curves
for many, eliminating the thorny paths for
some. Connection, friendship, guidance,
mutual sharing, networking and skills building
are all that mentoring can offer, a vast
source of support many females, no matter
the age, all yearn for amidst their busy
working and home lives.
HKABPW’s
Mentoring Program not only serves as a great
membership incentive, it further raises
its profile in the business and corporate
sector. More importantly, it instils a “give
and take” spirit in our busy lives
that often tends to be self-serving. The
intent of the program is to provide a supportive
and encouraging environment to all participants
- through individual mentorship, program
activities and volunteer opportunities -
with the aim that there’s mutual learning
and growth between mentors and protégés.
There is tremendous gain in sharing our
own experience, skills, knowledge, wisdom,
and insights for the betterment of others.
A lot of strength and expertise amongst
females in many Hong Kong business and professional
sectors need to be channelled back to the
business community. We need to encourage
and support each other to advance and grow
at all levels of life and career progression.
It is only with this in mind can we strive
to help to improve the lives of others,
to improve the quality of the work force
and the society at large.
The
Program was off to a great start with some
corporate funding. We managed to secure
four sponsorships totalling HK$40,000, which
enabled us to cover our administrative,
event, venue rental, and promotional materials
expenses. As Program Chair, this further
allowed me the opportunity to attend regional
or international BPW conferences. The knowledge
gained can then be filtered back and increase
my own effectiveness within the Program.
Our ability to secure funding from the corporate
sector purely rest on a deep belief others
have in HKABPW, our accomplishments over
the years, and the true intention behind
the mentoring effort – help build
strong and quality people for the work force
and the society with life-empowering skills.
Currently,
we have over 30 program participants who
are charting meaningful relationships with
their mentors and protégés,
helping each other succeed and excel. Through
monthly activities such as skills workshops,
network events, corporate functions, leisure
activities, volunteering, support and guidance
from peers and the Program Chair, participants
have ample opportunity to become involved
and develop important traits that are critical
for their personal and professional success;
communications relationship building, problem
solving, teambuilding, networking, social,
conflict resolution are just a few.
Digest of Program
Support Activities:
The
Mentoring activities are usually for program
participants or by invitation only with
some workshops and seminars occasionally
open to HKABPW members and the general public.
From our vigorous promotional efforts throughout
the year, many female professionals from
the corporate sectors do make inquiries
on our Program and events. Acceptance of
applications is an ongoing activity. In
addition to participating the program support
available, mentors and protégés
develop their mentorship through frequent
communication and activities on their own.
Our
“Chat & Share” monthly gatherings
over casual drinks and food give everyone
a chance to reconnect and share recent mentoring
experience and work challenges. These gatherings
also allow participants networking opportunities,
a great way of finding work connections,
especially in Hong Kong.
In
February, we had a workshop on “Professionalism”
where different aspects of the topic were
examined. All participants had the opportunity
to share their own thoughts and experience.
We all learned that professionalism goes
beyond simply dressing up for the job. It
also matters where quality of work, communication,
client service, company image, work ethics,
managing emotions, integrity, and interacting
appropriately with those from a different
gender, age, culture, social and education
background are concern.
Throughout
the year, we have organized programs such
as outdoor activities (hiking in May) and
sharing sessions (on networking (June) and
life balancing (September) skills), at which
mentors were invited to share their experience
and insights. In doing so, this gave the
mentors a chance to speak in front of a
small audience, helping to instil confidence
in each participant. The Program Chair usually
facilitates these sessions and provides
handouts and platforms for discussion. This
encourages a lot of sharing amongst the
group, from which ample of learning took
place.
Mentorship Evaluation
and Feedback:
The
progress of each mentorship is monitored
through individual submission of a monthly
status report and frequent communication
with participants. With feedback, there
is continuous improvement on the Program
structure with the aim to better serve all
participants. Below is a collection of comments
from some of the program participants:
- |
A
wonderful, constructive contribution
to HKABPW and Hong Kong.
Kate Mead, University Lecturer/HKABPW
Past President - Mentor, Jan. 2004 |
- |
Talking to my
mentor and her other protégé
keeps me informed about the working
world through their scope and experience.
Every chat with them is a mind opener
and a reminder for me to continuously
expand my own horizon.
Tina Tang, Strategic & Development
Manager - Protégé, April,
2004 |
- |
My mentor and
I have very different cultural backgrounds,
so I feel that the mentorship program
is a very good medium to connect people
together. The sharing has been very
inspiring and it is really a good opportunity
for me to explore life from a different
perspective.
Amber Yeung, Engineer - Protégé,
March, 2004 |
Comments for Program
Chair on “The Art of Networking”
sharing session:
Thanks
a lot for the wonderful networking program
last night. It was really informative. I
can see that there had been a great deal
of preparation from you and the other mentors
and I am really grateful for that. Hope
one day I can be like you all, not only
on the skills level but also have the generosity
to share.
Celia Ho, Solicitor - Protégé,
June, 2004
Our
Mentoring Program not only received attention
and praise from the corporate and business
sector in Hong Kong but also from other
BPW chapters around the world. Inquiries
concerning our program logistics came in
from as far as New Zealand and Germany.
Earlier in March on a personal visit to
Sydney, Australia, I participated one of
the Sydney Club’s monthly meeting.
In July, I attended the Canadian National
Convention and also participated in “mentoring”
workshops and presentation meetings. Both
opportunities gave me a chance to share
our success stories and promote our efforts.
In November, when Judith VanUnen, Immediate
Past President of Australia, visited Hong
Kong on conference, she applauded that perhaps
our Program is something many other BPW
chapters can replicate and encouraged us
to continue to share our success stores
with the world. People are always delighted
to learn from others and are happy for their
successes. Each person often has something
personal to share. There is always an eagerness
to learn how their lives can be enriched
through different ways and means.
Attending
functions and events, locally or abroad,
not only gives me opportunities to promote
HKABPW and share our dedicating effort but
also to send an important message to different
parts of the world spreading the mentoring
spirit on extending our support to those
in need.
Results:
When
we try and recognize how many lives our
Mentoring effort has really impacted, there
is no way of counting. Words of advice and
wisdom, once shared, spread to every corner
of the universe. It affects someone’s
life, their interaction with their family,
their organization, and their society. In
the case of sharing our accomplishment with
other BPW chapters, the effect is global.
When you teach someone a skill, they affect
it in their work and personal life and remains
with them for years to come.
By
modelling our dedication in caring and guiding
the protégés to success, as
mentors we’re demonstrating our good
leadership skills and positive traits through
our words and actions. There is no means
to count how many people we have helped
at times, but by remembering and carrying
the mentoring spirit in all of us, we will
continue to help others, within and outside
BPW, to sustain their lives by offering
them opportunities to learn skills toward
self-empowerment.
As
we move forward with our Mentoring Program
into 2005 and beyond, we hope to impact
additional lives by encouraging more business
and professional women to give back and
share their skills, knowledge and time by
helping each other toward a wiser, smarter
way of life and career progression. By sharing
ourselves, we help to improve the quality
of life in others, the business community
and the society at large. “One Life
Mentored, One Life Impacted”.
Project Leader:
Huseina Tyebkhan
(President)
Evidence:
Photographs, supporting
documents
Last update: year 2005 |
