CLIENT: STEAM/Femmes
SERVICE: Community Building

Building Beloved Community For Women Of Color In STEAM

 
 
 

We designed and delivered a community meetup for Black, Indigenous, and women of color in STEM, offering networking and leadership development in a playful and creative container. There are lots of women-centered spaces but very few for BIWOC who have unique needs, and require safe spaces to learn, network with like-minded peers, and strategize how to navigate the working world to expand their growth and influence.

How We Helped

We crafted a community experience rooted in a shared leadership model and optimized to create safety. The group explored meaningful topics, harvested learnings, and built relationships that empowered, transformed, and increased collective capacity.

 

Build, Share & Reflect

We structured an evening optimized for real-life gathering and building meaningful relationships rooted in reciprocity and shared leadership. Prior to the gathering, folks were invited to bring an artifact for the culture table, creating a shared web of meaning. During mingling over food and drinks, folks shared headlines from their life stories on 3 sticky notes facilitating conversations that cut through small talk and enabled better connection. Community agreements were crafted from scratch - creating a set of behavioral norms that came directly from participants. Community leaders hosted table breakout topics with thoughtfully designed questions. Flowers, stickers, paints, and markers supported an intimate vibe perfect for bringing out the whole human. Opening and closing circles punctuated the beginning and end of the group’s time together, with the circle being a metaphorical representation of community and equality. An ask-and-offer activity facilitated reciprocal connections after the event ended.

 Our Results

The group shared that this was a rare opportunity to let down their guard enough to explore meaningful topics. Everyone requested more experiences like it.

01. After the workshop, multiple participants reported feeling energized and regulated in their bodies, despite being tired when they arrived.

02. The workshop resulted in numerous volunteering to keep the community going, and the group has continued to meet monthly for 7 months and counting.

03. 100% of participants who responded to the survey rated their experience 5 out of 5 stars

“This was my first time gathering with other STEM/Femmes of Color, and I was blown away! The connection and belonging I felt in this community were life-changing! I'll be there for the next one, and I'll invite you to come with me!”

— Rachel Nussbaum, CEO, Specular