February 2011 is UCL Diversity Month

There’s a full programme of free events to celebrate diversity and examine the challenges some groups face in education, work and society more generally. The theme of the programme this year is Making connections, challenging assumptions. Examples of events include: Film screenings every Wednesday 18:30 in the AV Hill LT. Films to include: You live and burn (69′), (Finland – Iiris Härmä, Finland 2007); The Last Summer of La Boyita (93′) (El ultimo verano de La Boyita: Julia Solomonoff, Argentina 2009); Diary of a Times Square Thief (60′) (USA (New York), The Netherlands (Amsterdam) – Klaas Bense, The Netherlands 2008);To the Marriage of True Minds (12′), (Andrew Steggall UK 2009); Eddie and Thea (61′) (Gréta Olafsdóttir and Susan Muska 2009) (Documentary). On 1 February: 13:00-14:00: ‘Pinkstinks: the end of childhood. Why the obsession with femininity is bad for little girls’ by Abi Moore of Pinkstinks, which is a campaign and social enterprise that challenges the culture of pink which invades every aspect of girls’ lives. This talk will look at the boundaries taught to young girls and will discuss the damaging messages about what it is to be a girl. 2 February 18:00-19:30 “White Lies: racism, class and educational inequality”, Professor Gillborn, Institute of Education. The lecture will review how an image of white people as the new race victims has been created and look beneath this facade to explore the continuing significance of racism as a daily reality in education, from primary schools to universities. It will be followed by a panel discussion including Hugh Muir (Guardian Journalist) and Gloria Hyatt MBE (pioneer of the country’s first school independent school for black and minority ethnic students.)  10 February 18:00-19:00 Queer in the time of terro, by Dr. Rahul Rao, School of Oriental and African Studies. This talk will look at recent Western activist initiatives responding to the apparent persecution of homosexuals in Iran. Dr. Rao will look at some of the ways in which LGBT rights activism has become entangled in the security preoccupations and panics of the ongoing ‘war on terror’ and will consider some of the dilemmas of LGBT activists in the Middle East, as well as LGBT activists of colour in the West, in responding to these entanglements. 22 February 18:00-19:30 Leading the way and opening doors Members of Age Concern’s Opening Doors Central London Project will be speaking about their experiences of being gay or lesbian in far less liberal times – examining how society has changed over the decades as a direct result of tireless campaigning for LGBT equality. Full programme and to register here.

Networking for women entrepreneurs

More women than ever are starting businesses, moving up the corporate ladder and taking leadership roles.This article from The Guardian last Saturday – Women Entrepreneurs Embrace Networking –  explores some of the business networks and opportunities available throughout the country including B.Hive – a new network of business clubs for women. The intention is to create a “one-stop shop” for women to network and meet clients, or just catch up with emails for an hour in a comfortable space.

Women into IT – networking opportunities

And that’s networking in the person-to-person sense rather than PC-to-PC!

For women interested in IT, there are a growing number of professional networks available offering training, workshops and general networking events that could be really useful to help you find opportunities and decide if the culture of IT is for you.

Here are some networks you might like to take a look at:

• Silicon Stilettos, London http://www.meetup.com/Silicon-Stilettos/
• London Girl Geek Dinners http://londongirlgeekdinners.co.uk/ (not in London? Girl geek dinners are global – see http://girlgeekdinners.com/ for a range of locations within the UK and beyond).

London Girl Geek Dinners recently included notification of a Bank of England networking event for female students and graduates interested in IT on Thursday 29th October which is definitely worth a look.

Please note, I have not attended events with either of these so don’t see this as an endorsement, rather as a suggestion of something to try!

The Women in Technology website is also well worth a look  as their events calendar is packed with related networking events, workshops and more (N.B. some are free but not all, so make sure you check the costs before you signup).

And finally, the UKRC – United Kingdom Resource Centre for women in science,  engineering and technology, website includes listings for events across the UK as well as links to the GetSET Women community, and training funding opportunities.

If you attend any of these events, why not share a quick review on the forum!