Accepting applications for “The Women Leading Well Experience”

Geneva is the world’s single-most important hub for the three “Hs”: humanitarianism, human rights and health. Last week alone, Geneva made headlines for:

• the 10 December special session of the WHO Executive Board, which adopted the first consensus resolution since 7 October on the catastrophic humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip
• the 11-12 December Human Rights 75 High Level Event, commemorating the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and
• the 13-15 December Global Refugee Forum, advancing commitments towards the Global Compact on Refugees.

Behind the scenes, the people dedicated to these causes are under tremendous pressure to deliver, particularly women. The pressure comes from the stakeholders they serve (who are experiencing very difficult circumstances), but also donors, governing boards, partners, their workforce, their families, and even themselves (their own internal dialogues). Exposure to chronic stress, combined with repeated experiences of acute stress, puts them at significant risk of burnout and dropping out of this work altogether. 

On 17 October, we gathered a specific subset of our at-risk workforce - Geneva-based women leading humanitarian aid organizations - in a TASC Platform-hosted, invitation-only, low-profile, interactive, Chatham-house rules event in collaboration with the International Gender Champions, Plan International and Fidelity Workplace Consulting. The agenda covered strategies these leaders can put into practice, starting today, to “Lead Well,” and concluded with a networking reception. Participants appreciated the opportunity and space to connect and requested to continue the conversation as a source of support for their work. Since then, interested women have been sharing their ideas on a way forward in one-on-one interviews. 

The result of this initial peer-to-peer exchange is a new program for Geneva-based humanitarian women leaders. It will kick off on 23 January 2024 and run through 6 May 2024. It will cover three phases: 

1.LEARN

A day-long interactive workshop to learn key “Leading Well” concepts and practices, get to know peers, and co-create a prioritized action plan for the program (23 January at the Geneva Graduate Institute)

2. DO

Monthly Peer Advisory Board meetings to give and receive support and accountability on challenges faced at work in applying Leading Well practices (held the third Thursday of every month at 16h00 – 17h30, followed by an apero)

3.SHARE

A public-facing day-long event to share experiences at the Humanitarian Networks and Partnerships Weeks (HNPW) on 6 May at the CICG for other humanitarians who might want to try this model in their own contexts. 

Optional bonus experiences include topical deep dives on common challenges with thought leaders and practitioners and outings in the Geneva area, including a tour of Geneva from a humanitarian woman’s perspective.

This program is part of a larger, multi-year "Solidarity Experiment" designed to implement the Working Well, Leading Well, Governing Well and Funding Well reports produced in collaboration with the CHS Alliance and ICVA. 

This program is for you if:

• you are currently in a humanitarian leadership role
• would like to give and receive advice from other leaders in similar roles
• want to be part of a longer-term effort promoting values-aligned, trust-based solidarity in partnership with women in Funding Well (donors), Working Well (HR, organizational culture and other related professionals) and Governing Well (governing board chairs and members).

This is not for you if:

• You cannot attend more than 80% of the scheduled events. 

We want participants to go from burning out to shining bright; from lost, lonely and low-impact to guided, connected and pooling their power. If this experience goes well, it could be continued to include others and grow a community of peers supporting one another in solidarity.

Geneva is a great place to start such an initiative, considering its high concentration of humanitarians and its relatively safe conditions for experimentation. The TASC Platform is an ideal host a Solidarity Experiment, given its focus on gender and the future of work, openness to innovation, in-house expertise, beautiful space for convening, and convenient location within the Geneva Graduate Institute at the Maison de la Paix (within walking distance to the UN Palais, UNHCR and NGO Humanitarian Hub and biking distance from the Red Cross – IFRC and ICRC).

Interested in joining us from 23 January? If you are a humanitarian women leader based in Geneva or potential ally, please contact Melissa Pitotti (mrpitotti@hotmail.com) for an application to be part of the first cohort. Applications are due 12 January. Space will be limited to maximize psychological safety and deepen relationship building. 

Check out the TASC Break podcast for more background.

In the meantime, take care and be compassionate with yourself.

By Melissa Pitotti, Host of the Embodying Change podcast