Annoucing our first (of many) TECwomen CONNECT events
TECgirls launched in 2019 from a need for change and a group of proactive people in Cornwall getting together to take action. Over the past two years we’ve grown into an organisation that supports schools, publishes magazines, runs events and provides micro:bits for 100’s of kids across Cornwall.
One of the great outputs so far has been our blog series called Spotlight on TECwomen. Our interviews have helped to share the stories of over 20 women in Cornwall who work in the technology, engineering and creative digital industries. However, we’ve started to think it isn't enough just to celebrate these women. We want to give them a place to meet, discuss ideas, and support one another. And like all great ideas, we were not the only ones thinking that.
We don’t have a bat signal, but we do have a pretty good network of proactive women, so we put out the call. Our amazing network didn’t disappoint. It's been a little over a week since our first zoom chat and we already have a logo, a venue, sponsors, speakers, and over 40 women signed up to join us for our first event on the 12th of October, which appropriately is Ada Lovelace Day.
So just like that TECwomen Connect is go. And we can’t wait.
There is still time to sign up to join us. We have space to safely host up to 80 women and would love to have as many women join us as possible. The event is from 17:30 – 19:30 pm at the Launchpad building at Falmouth University. There will be food from the wonderful Sabzi Deli and sponsored by Falmouth Launchpad, drinks sponsored by Halo PR, and talks from women across Cornwall. We’ve had help with the organising from Cornwall Council, Software Cornwall and the Digital Skill’s Partnership.
Here is a rough idea of what we have planned for the night:
Keynote from Jess Ratty at Halo PR
Updates on Cornish projects supporting girls and women in Cornwall
Pitches from 3 female start-up founders
Networking and a chance to catch up
The night will also be an opportunity to provide suggestions and feedback on how we can make these events valuable for women in Cornwall. While we love a chance to connect, we don’t want to create just another chance to get together. We want to harness the power of the women in the room to push forward real change for Cornwall while also supporting one another.
The team is doing all we can to make this event COVID safe. We are asking everyone to please take a lateral flow test before you arrive, even if you are double vaccinated. Mask wearing on the night is optional, but please do if it makes you feel safer. We will also have the windows open and will be able to safely distance within the space. There will also be spaces for people to get a breath of fresh air if getting together with so many people is a bit strange at first. We understand that while everyone wants to see each other again, it can be a bit overwhelming.
We would love it if you could join us. Here are more details on the night and how you can sign up.
Future events are already being planned with rough themes in mind:
TECwomen CONNECT proposed events 2021/2022
Dec 7th - Planning for 2022 – How do we create a TEC future for girls in Cornwall?
March 8th (International Women’s Day) - Celebrate – Share achievements from women-led businesses and share stories about how they were achieved.
June 7th – Money, money, money - How to get funding, pitching to a VC, asking for a promotion and a raise
October 12th – Leadership – coaching, women on boards, Leadership skills
We can not wait for TECwomen to move into its next chapter. If we can plan an event in a couple of weeks with a network of 8 women, imagine what we can do with a network of 80!