YWCA INSTITUTE FOR LEADERSHIP AND DIVERSITY

The YWCA Institute for Leadership and Diversity offers practical, applicable skills that are designed to empower women for success in today’s workplace. Companies that take a proactive approach to training their employees in the essentials of leadership have the competitive edge that defines the difference between surviving and thriving. As the oldest and largest multicultural woman’s organization in the world, the YWCA has the proven expertise to effectively train women for leadership.

COMPREHENSIVE TRAINING INCLUDES:

Six workshop sessions led by some of the most innovative women leaders in New Mexico

Moderated work groups

Role playing, coaching and collaboration

Graduation ceremony for participants and employers

Follow up mentoring opportunities


INSTITUTE SESSIONS INCLUDE:
 

WEEK ONE
Aligning Beliefs and Behaviors
How do we handle moral and ethical situations in the work place? Are we able to speak our truth even if it goes against the mainstream or managerial politics? This session will assist you in developing an inventory of values and skills – a road map for how to walk the walk – not just talk the talk.

WEEK TWO 
The Basics of Bias
Everyone agrees that workplace discrimination has no place in the modern business world. But not everyone understands how to protect employees against discrimination. This session will teach us how to discuss racial and cultural issues openly and honestly.
 

WEEK THREE 
Negotiating the “Win-Win”
Successful negotiating will allow you to obtain better prices for your products and services, higher salaries, better benefits and so much more. This session will give you the insight and tools to recognize your existing skills and seize the opportunities you're now overlooking in order to create ‘win-win’ outcomes. 
 
WEEK FOUR 
Building Your Brand
A successful brand is the most valuable resource a company has. Face-to-face marketing is more critical now than ever!  Learn the methods to build a word-of-mouth network through marketing, personally and corporately, and how you can let customers see your brand in person.

WEEK FIVE 
Do You Work and Play Well with Others?
Building the right team is not only about hiring the right person and firing the wrong person. It is also about the art of delegation and learning to communicate clearly.  This session will demonstrate how effective team building involves a shared vision, promotes mutual respect, views diversity as a strength, and instills trust.

WEEK SIX 
Change or Die!
Ever wondered why some organizations embrace change, making it through tough times, while others fail? The successful organization is one that can effectively innovate, adapt, and perform in the face of adversity. In this session, you will learn how to adapt to client needs, streamline staff, hone your time management skills and use strategic planning and goal setting to move yourself forward.

**Cost for the six-week institute is typically $350.

ADDITIONAL FACTS:

The YWCA’s core mission is “Eliminating racism, empowering women”  - the Institute teaches practical applicable skills designed to empower women for success in a multi-cultural inclusive workplace.

Women make only 77.5 cents for every dollar that men earn. Despite this gap, many economists feel that the gap between pay for men and women is due to different personal choices men and women make about personal fulfillment, child rearing and hours at work. This seminar will help women in assessing values and aligning beliefs with behavior.  Since many women are called upon to be caregivers both for the younger and older generations, this session will also offer practical suggestions on how to better balance work and family.

The more education a woman has, the greater the disparity in her wages. Women in professional specialty occupations were found to earn just 72.7% of what men in the same position earned, and women in upper level executive, administrative and managerial occupations earned even less at 72.3%.  In fact, women earn less than men in 99% of all occupations.  Moreover, women work longer to receive promotions that provide higher pay.  One example provided by the National Center for Education Statistics shows that women often have to work three years longer in a teaching position to be promoted to a principal than their male counterparts. Some studies suggest that this is because women and men adapt different strategies when it comes to management and pursuing promotions, yet other studies connect it less to work and more to gender and racial biases.  The seminar will explore various management styles and teach participants how to negotiate for higher pay and promotions while remaining true to their beliefs and management styles.

Women business owners employ 35% more people than all the Fortune 500 companies combined.  There are about 9.1 million women-owned businesses in the U.S., a number that comprises nearly 40% of all businesses. The idea that women don’t make good managers just doesn’t hold up when you look at these kinds of numbers, with women managing a large number of employees and making healthy profits while doing so.  This seminar will invite successful women business leaders to share their experiences and strategies and  methods of effective team building.

Minority women fare the worst when it comes to equal pay. African-American women earn 64 cents to every dollar earned by white men and Hispanic women just 52 cents per dollar. Whether it’s attitudes about race or gender that are at play, it’s clear that something needs to be done to level the playing field.  One of main focus of this seminar is to explore basics of bias, how to integrate cultural differences in the workplace to increase productivity and create an open forum for discussion of differences.