It’s official: Girls Empowerment Network has been working from home for six entire months now!
When the novel Covid-19 pandemic swept the nation, working from home shifted from luxury to necessity. Even in these uncertain times, Girls Empowerment Network continues to fulfill its mission in a virtual setting, expanding its reach to over 1,660 girls so far!
At the time of this writing, I have attended over 330 virtual meetings as a Community Engagement VISTA. I’ve experienced firsthand that making virtual conferences engaging and exciting is an endeavor easier said than done. Thankfully, Girls Empowerment Network’s very own Culture Club introduced 10 ways in which Girl Experts can stay connected and engaged while working from WiFi.
Over the course of half a year of sheltering in place, we found that we can “bring the magic” to our girls and staff members alike, even if it is over Zoom. With a little creativity and a whole lot of vulnerability, here are some initiatives Girls Empowerment Network has introduced to it’s 100% remote team.
#WFHmotivation
Slack is the self-proclaimed “main office for remote work”, and we couldn't agree more. Girls Empowerment Network’s workspace has culture-focused channels like #petsandfam #weloveplants and #girlsrecipes for sharing non-work related content. On our #WFHmotivation channel, we respond to weekly prompts with memes, photos, or stories that bring us joy.
Mindfulness Moments and Movement Breaks
On a weekly basis, staff members are encouraged to either take a break or get moving. Mindfulness moments are guided meditations, while Movement Breaks are opportunities to take a walk in your neighborhood with friends!
Coffee and Cavorting
Join Girls Empowerment Network for coffee, tea, snacks, and the delightful company of your co-workers! This optional, super fun game gathering will takes place once a week. What will we do? Play games! What will we be talking about? Movies, podcasts, hobbies, our favorite 1980s Olympic gymnasts, what cats do when we’re asleep, the joys of cake, why elevator music is so bad, and everything else under the sun. This is a time to come together, put work aside momentarily, and have fun!
Weekly Check-Ins
30 minutes reserved weekly for GIRLS staff to gather, check-in, and support one another. Using the same check-in format as our girl programs, each staff member gets the opportunity to share their sunny, cloudy, rainbow, or something good that has happened recently, something their struggling with, and something they are looking forward to. Staff check-in helps keep a culture of connectedness and support.
Pen Palentines
A fun way for staff members to engage in something creative from the safety of their home while connecting with another staff member. Participating staff members were given a match and then they had two weeks to send a piece of creative mail to their assigned staff person. The mail could be a piece of artwork, a postcard, a poem, the possibilities were endless! Only rules were that nothing could be purchased- everything was to be handmade or reused!
DMC Partners
We match employees from different departments to create our Deep Meaningful Conversation (DMC) Partners. DMCs serve as a buddy support system to employees and allow an opportunity to take care of each other, ask questions, and check in about all things big and small, work related or not.
Kudoboards Galore
A digital way to celebrate a special occasion. Girls Empowerment Network uses Kudoboards to send electronic wishes to staff on their birthdays. Kudoboard allows contributors to add pictures, videos, or fun gifs along with their well wishes. GIRLS loves Kudoboards because they can be added to at any time, creative as each contributor, and scheduled to send!
Quarantine Movie Nights
Staff and interns at Girls Empowerment Network can tune into a movie from the comfort of their own homes! One generous Girls Empowerment Staff
Virtual Happy Hour
A virtual way for staff members to celebrate one another over lunch! During virtual happy hour, Girl Experts can reconnect over a casual conversation, fun game, or interactive presentation!
Co-Working Time
A time for Girls Empowerment Network Staff to see each other's faces, talk about our week, and what we’re working on. We love an opportunity to get some work done-- together!