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Employment and Career Issues Confronting Military Spouses

Posted by YWM on May 11, 2012

May is Military Appreciation Month and May 12 is Military Spouse Day.  These are truly our unsung heroes.

The success of our nation’s all-volunteer military force depends to a large extent on the unwavering support of our nation’s military spouses. More than 2.2 million service members comprise our nation’s active duty, National Guard and Reserve forces. According to the Defense Manpower Data Center (DMDC), more than 55% of military members are married — meaning there are more than 1.2 million military spouses who are often left behind during deployments to manage their households, families and careers. According to the Military Spouse Employment Partnership (MSEP) nearly 1.15 million, or 95% of those military spouses are women, an overwhelming majority of whom want and/or need to work. Unfortunately, 26% of military spouses are unemployed. This is three times the unemployment rate of their civilian counterparts.

Surveys of military spouses indicate that satisfaction with employment and career development significantly affects their well-being. The military community is predominantly a family-oriented environment and family life issues play a strong role in a service member’s decisions to remain in the military.  For more than a decade, operations in Iraq and Afghanistan have challenged retention and reenlistment in the military. Reenlistment is such a concern, that the Department of Defense (DoD) increased their budget for reenlistment bonuses from $864 million in 2000 to $1.4 billion in 2008. While this financial compensation is can be a significant reason for reenlisting, a DoD and Treasury report found that “a spouse’s employment [also] plays a key role in the financial and personal well-being of military families, and their job satisfaction is an important component of the retention of service members. Without adequate support for military spouses and their career objectives, the military could have trouble retaining service members.” In fact, “when the spouse is supportive, reenlistment is more likely than if the spouse is not supportive” (Scarville, 1990). This brings us right back to spousal employment, the second ranked issue of concern for military families (Blue Star Families, 2010).

Blue Star Families, an organization committed to supporting, connecting and empowering military families and known for constantly capturing real-time feedback, surveyed military spouses and found that half of the respondents said that being a military spouse had a negative effect on their ability to pursue a career. This is not simply a perception. A 2010 RAND report cited nine studies, spanning 30 years, that conclude military wives work and earn less in the U.S. labor market than their civilian counterparts — despite being on average, better educated. The DMDC concludes, “the majority of military spouses believe that the military lifestyle — including frequent moves, deployments and long hours that keep service members from assisting with parenting, and living in areas with poor local labor market conditions — has negatively affected their employment opportunities.” For example, as a result of frequent moves, spouses working in professions requiring state licenses or certification bear a higher financial and administrative burden since credentials often do not transfer across states. In addition, more than 13% of those spouses whose careers have been impacted negatively by their military lifestyle have experienced some type of discrimination due to their status as a military spouse (Blue Star Families, 2010).

Military spouses are increasingly recognized for their stellar abilities to juggle work, school and children, household finances, military and civilian networks and expectations, frequent moves, emotional stressors of a spouse who may not be consistently present, and a host of other events which are part of their “normal” day. Military spouses are well educated: 84 percent have some college; 25 percent have a bachelor’s degree; and 10 percent have an advanced degree (MSEP, 2012). More than two-thirds have work experience (DMDC, 2008), and 38 percent have high levels of education for their current jobs (RAND, 2010). Furthermore, spouses volunteer three times more than civilians, and tend to take on a the more demanding leadership roles in their volunteer organizations (Blue Star Families, 2010). It is only fitting that these skills be viewed by potential employers as adaptable, resilient, persistent and dedicated. Unfortunately, this is not yet the case.

Over the past few years, Business and Professional Women’s (BPW) Foundation has championed women veterans and military spouses in their efforts to succeed in civilian careers. BPW Foundation’s work is based on nearly a decade of research on the challenges facing military women as they endeavor to find civilian employment. In 2005, BPW Foundation made a commitment to better understand the employment transition of women veterans. The research highlighted translation and portability of skills as major obstacles and underscored an overwhelming gap in career and employment support among the growing population of military women upon their return to civilian life. Armed with this learning, BPW Foundation initiated studies and engaged private and public sector partners to outline employment access strategies.

You can support military spouses by becoming a mentor though Business and Professional Women’s Foundation’s Joining Forces Mentoring Plus™. This free program provides training and resources for mentors so you can share your life and work experiences with a military spouse.  This effort builds on BPW Foundation’s long legacy of working women helping women work.

This blog is excerpted from Joining Forces Mentoring Plus™, Military Spouses: Employment and Careers Issue Brief, May 2021

Posted in Families, Joining Forces, Joining Forces for Women Veterans, Mentoring, Military Families, Uncategorized | Tagged: , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Working Women Helping Women Work

Posted by YWM on March 28, 2012

by Barbara Henton, Chair, Business and Professional Women’s Foundation Board of Trustees

For nearly one hundred years, the women of the BPW/USA and Business and Professional Women’s Foundation (BPW Foundation) have been dedicated to advancing the cause of our nation’s working women.  As Women’s History Month comes to a close, it provides us an opportunity to reflect on our accomplishments, as well as an opportunity to reconcile our mission with our goals moving forward.

We began in 1919 as BPW/USA, on the heels of World War I, with a mission from the government to “coordinate identification of women’s available skills and experience.”  Since then, we have consistently provided education, outreach, and opportunity for advocacy on issues that affect working women.  In 1956, we strengthened our efforts by establishing BPW Foundation, the first non-profit research and education institution of national scope solely dedicated to the cause of working women.  In 2009, BPW/USA and BPW Foundation merged to become one powerhouse organization of working women helping women work.

I joined BPW/USA in 1984,  because it was more than just an organization where women could come together to network and have fun…it was an organization that focused on advocacy issues related to working families.  I have been proud to be a part of our efforts ever since. I began my career as a schoolteacher, but gave up that job to be with my husband as he was called to duty in the US Army. I was a military spouse for two years…just enough time to know what it is like to live on a military base, find a job in an area where you don’t know anyone, and the need to start over once the military service is completed.  As a result of these experiences, I have much admiration for the women and men who serve our country and their families. I am very proud of our organization’s outreach to help both veterans and military spouses.

My personal experiences have provided me with first-hand knowledge of the significant impact an organization like BPW Foundation can have on the lives of working women.  We are effective because we reach out to working women, identify the issues that matter, conduct the data-driven research to back up our positions, and provide opportunities for working women to self-advocate in ways that make a difference.  We continue to succeed because we are not stagnant – we are consistent in our outreach efforts, but always evolving to achieve maximum impact.

Over the past several years, BPW Foundation has been working to champion women veterans in their efforts to succeed in civilian careers.  This year, we launched a new program, Joining Forces for Women Veterans and Military Spouses Mentoring Plus™, to facilitate the career development of those women who have given so much of their lives and their loves to protect our freedom: women veterans and military wives.

BPW Foundation’s Joining Forces Mentoring Plus™ was conceived and developed to address the critical ongoing need for informed, committed mentors to position and assist women veterans and military spouses as they search for new employment, hone their career goals, and package their military skills and experiences to put them on the road to successful careers.  First Lady Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden acknowledged this “mentorship gap” when they recognized BPW Foundation’s mentoring initiative as part of the White House’s national Joining Forces effort.

I am confident about this program’s success; because, like everything else we do at BPW Foundation, we have done our homework.  Joining Forces Mentoring Plus™ builds upon the research and experience of effective mentoring programs that have successfully impacted the lives of many.  Joining Forces Mentoring Plus™ is focusing on helping thousands of women veterans and military wives by connecting them with volunteer working women mentors over a sustained period of time.  Veteran and civilian mentors of all ages across the country will provide insight, advice, and encouragement to help women veterans and military wives steer an individualized course of action in the civilian workplace.

The structure of Joining Forces Mentoring Plus™ will enable mentors and mentees to work together to design and develop the goals and benchmarks for mentee employment plans.  A rich library of online resources along with a cadre of subject matter experts will assist mentees in areas that affect workplace attainment, adjustment, retention, and/or supplier chain participation for small businesses.  With this capacity to guide women veterans in their job searches and career development, we will initially pair 1,800 mentees with mentors with a goal of 10,000 mentoring relationships in the next three years.  Ultimately, we will engage partners toward a widening target of 100,000 mentoring relationships, recognizing that more than 150,000 women are projected to leave the military over the next five years and join the more than 1.8 million existing women veterans who have proudly served our nation.

BPW Foundation’s long history of women helping women allows us to leverage the experience, expertise and resources of women in the workplace, to benefit those who have made so many personal and family sacrifices to protect our freedom: women veterans and military wives.  And so, BPW Foundation is carrying on in the tradition of nearly one hundred years of history: working women helping women work.

Meet two of our Joining Forces Mentoring Plus mentees and one of our mentors in this piece that appeared on the NBC Nightly News.

Learn how to become a mentee, mentor or subject matter expert.

Posted in Joining Forces, Joining Forces for Women Veterans, Mentoring, Military Families, Uncategorized, Women Veterans, Women's History Month | Tagged: , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Meeting the Needs of Women Veterans Where They Are

Posted by sherrysaunders on March 16, 2012

Business and Professional Women’s (BPW) Foundation announced that Women Veterans Interactive (WVI), a Maryland based organization meeting the needs of DC Metro Area women veterans and their families, has been designated a Community Partner in Joining Forces for Women Veterans and Military Spouses Mentoring Plus™.

WVI brings a fresh interactive approach to supporting women veterans through diligent advocacy efforts, research, policy engagement, networking, collaborations, community support, and peer to peer interaction. WVI is dedicated to addressing the needs of women veterans.

Founder and CEO, Ginger Miller said, “Our goal is to serve the whole women veteran by meeting her at her point of need, while providing her with housing options, support services and interaction.”

“BPW Foundation’s Joining Forces Mentoring Plus™ will fill a critical need by matching women mentors with women veterans who are receiving assistance from Women Veterans Interactive.  Working together, Women Veterans Interactive and Joining Forces Mentoring Plus™ will help these veterans face employment and career challenges so they can move toward successful civilian careers” said BPW Foundation CEO Deborah L. Frett.

Ginger Miller, herself a veteran and formerly homeless said, “We believe in giving women veterans the respect they have earned and we are dedicated to working alongside these women to facilitate their path to independence. We also are working to help eradicate homelessness among women veterans and seek ways to prevent it.”

Studies have shown that many factors make transition harder for woman veterans, including, lack of awareness and/or unavailability of veteran’s benefits, legal issues, military sexual trauma, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, service disabilities, divorce/separation, domestic violence, lack of family or social support networks, and substance abuse.

The 1st Annual Empowerment and Unification Brunch Cruise for women veterans sponsored by WVI will sail from National Harbor, MD on March 18 and will celebrate women veterans during Women’s History Month.  The cruise is a community outreach tool for 150+ women veterans who will engage in peer to peer interaction and obtain information on services and support available through the VA and nonprofit organizations. In addition to being a Cruise sponsor, BPW Foundation is providing funds to sponsor 20 women veterans to attend the cruise at no cost, and will be on board providing mentoring information.

The goal of the cruise is to strengthen and enlighten women veterans as they learn about some of the essential components needed for self sufficiency and economic stability which will help bridge the women veteran unemployment gap.

“Being able to tap into the Joining Forces Mentoring Plus™ network of women mentors and subject matter experts will be invaluable for these women veterans and offer them important resources. We are excited to join BPW Foundation as a Community Partner in Joining Forces Mentoring Plus™ and we know that this partnership will support women veterans, which is our organizations’ mutual goal.”

“Joining Forces Mentoring Plus™ is connecting women veterans of all eras with volunteer working women mentors across the U.S. whose personal and professional training has prepared them to provide insights, advice, and encouragement to women veterans,” Deborah Frett said. “Working together, volunteer mentors will help steer their mentees on individualized courses of action to succeed in the civilian workplace. Women Veterans Interactive’s commitment to women veterans and their families is an extraordinary example of serving those who have served. This is an ideal partnership, and we look forward to helping to meet the needs of women veterans together.”

BPW Foundation’s Joining Forces for Women Veterans and Military Spouses Mentoring Plus™ was developed following the October, 2010 Joining Forces for Women Veterans Summit, which found the need for informed, committed mentors to position and assist women veterans as they search for new employment, hone their career goals, and package their military skills and experience to gain access to meaningful civilian jobs.  First Lady Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden highlighted this “mentorship gap” when they applauded BPW Foundation’s mentoring initiative as part of the White House’s national Joining Forces effort.

 

Women Veterans Interactive was created last year to meet all women veterans at their specific point of need, with a concerted focus on wellness and empowerment and homelessness. A division of John 14:2, Inc., Women Veterans Interactive (WVI) brings a pioneering, interactive approach to supporting women veterans and their families through policy engagement, community support, mentoring, and advocacy.  http://www.john142vets.org/womenveterans/womenveteransinteractive.html

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Posted in Career Advancement, Joining Forces, Joining Forces for Women Veterans, Mentoring, Uncategorized, Women Veterans | Tagged: , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Mentoring and Housing Assistance Will Put Women Veterans on Road to Success

Posted by YWM on February 23, 2012

BPW Foundation and Final Salute Partner to Help Homeless Women Veterans

Business and Professional Women’s (BPW) Foundation today announced that Final Salute Inc, a Virginia based organization successfully meeting the unique needs of DC Metro Area homeless female veterans and their families, has been designated a Community Partner in Joining Forces for Women Veterans and Military Spouses Mentoring Plus®.

“BPW Foundation’s Joining Forces Mentoring Plus® will fill a critical void by matching mentors with homeless women veterans currently receiving housing assistance and services from Final Salute.  Working together, Final Salute and Joining Forces Mentoring Plus® will help these brave women who have returned from military service to face employment challenges that have forced them and their families into homelessness move toward self-sufficiency by finding civilian careers” said BPW Foundation CEO Deborah L. Frett.

There are an estimated 13,000 homeless women veterans in the United States, over half of whom are single mothers. According to HUD and VA statistics, women veterans are significantly more likely to become homeless than their male counterparts. Women veterans are four times more likely to become homeless than non-military women.

“Given the sacrifices they and their families have made, it is unacceptable for any woman veteran to be homeless and most Americans are not even aware that a homeless woman veteran population even exists,” said Final Salute Inc. President and Founder Jas Boothe.  “We believe in giving women veterans the respect due them and working alongside these women to facilitate their path to independence.”

Studies have shown that many factors can lead to homelessness for woman veterans, including unemployment, unawareness, and/or unavailability of veteran’s benefits, legal issues, military sexual trauma, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, service disabilities, divorce/separation, domestic violence, lack of family or social support networks, and substance abuse.

“Through Final Salute’s Housing Outreach Mentorship Encouragement (H.O.M.E.) program, we are providing transitional housing and housing subsidy assistance to homeless women veterans and their children who live in DC, Maryland, or Virginia (DC Metro Area),” Jas Boothe added. “Being able to tap into the Joining Forces Mentoring Plus® network of women mentors and subject matter experts will be invaluable for these women veterans and offer them resources previously unavailable. We are very excited to join BPW Foundation as a Community Partner in Joining Forces Mentoring Plus® and we know that this partnership will support women veterans, our organizations’ mutual goal.”

“Joining Forces Mentoring Plus® is connecting women veterans of all eras with volunteer working women mentors across the U.S. whose personal and professional training has prepared them to provide insights, advice, and encouragement to help women veterans,” Deborah Frett said. “Working together, volunteer mentors will help steer their mentees on individualized courses of action to succeed in the civilian workplace. Final Salute’s commitment to women veterans and their families is an extraordinary example of serving those who have served, and the organization is uniquely positioned in the DC metro community to address homelessness among this growing population. This is an ideal partnership, and we look forward to helping the too-many homeless women veterans together.”

BPW Foundation’s Joining Forces for Women Veterans and Military Spouses Mentoring Plus® was developed following the October, 2010 Joining Forces for Women Veterans Summit, which found the need for informed, committed mentors to position and assist women veterans as they search for new employment, hone their career goals, and package their military skills and experience to gain access to meaningful civilian jobs.  First Lady Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden highlighted this “mentorship gap” when they applauded BPW Foundation’s mentoring initiative as part of the White House’s national Joining Forces effort.

To join the mentoring program as either a mentor, subject matter expert or mentee sign up on the Joining Forces Mentoring Plus webpage.

Final Salute Inc. was founded in 2010 by Jas Boothe, a female veteran and cancer survivor who became aware of the large number of homeless female veterans and realized the need for an organization to meet and understand the unique needs of homeless female veterans and their children. Final Salute Inc. provides homeless female veterans with safe and suitable housing, financial counseling, and other assistance. Awareness. Assistance. Aspiration. For more information visit http://www.finalsaluteinc.org/

 

Posted in Homelessness, Joining Forces for Women Veterans, Mentoring, Uncategorized, Women Veterans | Tagged: , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Mentoring Program for Women Veterans and Military Spouses Launched

Posted by YWM on February 13, 2012

BPW Foundation Builds on History of Women Helping Women

 During January, National Mentoring Month, Business and Professional Women’s (BPW) Foundation deployed Joining Forces for Women Veterans and Military Spouses (JFWVMS) Mentoring Plus®. This ground-breaking program connects women veterans and military spouses with working women mentors and subject matter experts (SMEs).  Participants receive career development support and guidance that will enable them to find and keep meaningful employment.

“BPW Foundation’s long history of women helping women allows us to leverage the experience, expertise and resources of women in the workplace, to benefit those who have made so many personal and family sacrifices to protect our freedom: women veterans and military wives,” said BPW Foundation CEO, Deborah L. Frett.

Joining Forces Mentoring Plus enables mentors and mentees to work together to design and develop individualized and quantifiable goals and benchmarks for mentee employment plans.  Online resources and subject matter experts will assist mentees in areas that affect workplace attainment, adjustment, retention and/or supplier chain participation for small businesses.  This deployment of the program will focus on an initial group of 1,000 mentees, and then broaden to benefit a larger group of 10,000 women veterans and military spouses. Ultimately, additional public and private workforce partners will be engaged to achieve a target of 100,000 mentoring relationships. More than 150,000 women are projected to leave the military over the next five years joining the more than 1.8 million existing women veterans.

“We are determined and honored to help our women veterans meet their post-military service employment goals by applying their exceptional skills and military achievements to their future success in the civilian work world.” said Dr. Lynda Davis, Chair of the Joining Forces Mentoring Plus Advisory Council. “The program will also help overcome the challenges of base living and frequent moves that military wives often face by connecting them to training and employment opportunities that match their abilities, interests and education level.”

Joining Forces Mentoring Plus builds upon the research and experience of proven mentoring programs that have measurably impacted many individuals’ lives. The BPW Foundation initiative is connecting women veterans of all eras and military wives with volunteer working women mentors across the U.S., whose personal and professional training has prepared them to provide insights, advice and encouragement to help women veterans and military wives. Working in tandem, volunteer mentors will help steer their mentees on individualized courses of action to succeed in the civilian workplace.  While the national program has just been launched, a USO grant funded a successful six-month pilot effort for women veterans in Virginia during the second half of 2011.

“This program really does work. I don’t know where I would be without the help of my dedicated BPW mentor,” said Carolyn Allen, a veteran who retired from the Army after 20 years of service. I am now looking forward to passing the torch and stepping up as a mentor for other women veterans.”

As the first organization to conduct research about working women, BPW Foundation attributes much of its success to programs built upon evidenced-based research.  Joining Forces Mentoring Plus is the result of a commitment BPW Foundation made in 2005 to better understand the employment transition of women veterans.  Research identified unique challenges that hinder the successful re-entry of women veterans upon their return home, including limited access to benefits and services they have earned and deserve. BPW Foundation’s research highlighted translation and portability of skills as major obstacles and underscored an overwhelming gap in career and employment support that this growing population of military women need upon their return to civilian life.  Mentoring Plus was developed following the October, 2010 Joining Forces for Women Veterans Summit, which brought together government, nonprofit and business leaders, and women veterans to examine and seek solutions for the challenges facing our women veterans. The group recognized a broad-based need for informed, committed mentors to position and assist women veterans as they search for new employment, hone their career goals and package their military skills and experience to gain access to meaningful civilian jobs.  First Lady Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden highlighted this “mentorship gap” when they applauded BPW Foundation’s mentoring initiative as part of the White House’s national Joining Forces effort.

“Mentoring is a two way street,” Frett said.  “The benefits to mentees are easy to see, but recent research shows that mentors reap rewards, as well. They not only find great personal reward in helping others succeed, they also improve their leadership skills, expand their own networks and keep more current with industry trends.”

To join Mentoring Plus as a mentee, mentor or subject matter expert, please visit www.bpwfoundation.org.

Posted in Joining Forces, Joining Forces for Women Veterans, Mentoring, Military Families, Misbehavin' Notification, Uncategorized, Women Veterans | Tagged: , , , , , | 1 Comment »

Mentoring: Giving Back to Those Women Who Have Given So Much

Posted by YWM on January 30, 2012

This article first ran on the Huffington Post
By Deborah L. Frett

Deborah L. Frett, BPW Foundation CEO

You aced the holiday dinner, picked out the perfect presents, rung in the New Year with style, and started working on those resolutions. By now, you’ve got that gym routine down and even shed a few holiday pounds. You dusted off the resume, reached out to your networks and updated the LinkedIn profile. Check, check, and done. Yet you still feel like something is missing.

January is often the month when we take stock of our lives and realize that among our many goals and accomplishments, giving back sometimes takes a back seat. January is also National Mentoring Month, and for a decade now, it has been highlighting mentoring as one of the most personally rewarding ways to give back. This year, Business and Professional Women’s (BPW) Foundation is taking the power of mentoring and focusing it on those women who have given their lives and their loves to protect our freedom: women veterans and military wives. BPW Foundation has deployed Joining Forces for Women Veterans and Military Spouses (JFWVMS) Mentoring Plus®, a program dedicated to helping women veterans and military spouses connect with working women mentors and subject matter experts (SMEs) to receive support and guidance, career development, and ultimately, to obtain meaningful employment.

Beginning in 2005, BPW Foundation made a commitment to better understand the employment transition of women veterans. We realized that every day, women in the military proudly serve our country, but when they return home they are faced with different challenges and often do not receive the recognition, benefits, or services they have earned. Our research highlighted translation and portability of skills as major obstacles and underscored an overwhelming gap in career and employment support among the growing population of military women upon their return to civilian life. Armed with this learning, BPW Foundation initiated studies and engaged private and public sector partners to outline employment access strategies, culminating in October 2010 with the inaugural Joining Forces for Women Veterans National Summit. More than 80 corporate, community and public sector leaders, including high-level White House and Administration officials, joined with women veterans to discuss key reintegration issues.

BPW Foundation’s Joining Forces for Women Veterans and Military Spouses Mentoring Plus® was conceived and developed following this conference to address the critical ongoing need for informed, committed mentors to position and assist women veterans and military spouses as they search for new employment, hone their career goals, and package their military skills and experience to gain access to civilian jobs. First Lady Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden acknowledged this “mentorship gap” when they recognized BPW Foundation’s mentoring initiative as part of the White House’s national Joining Forces effort.

We chose to officially launch this landmark program during National Mentoring Month 2012, as it builds upon the research and experience of effective mentoring programs that have successfully impacted the lives of so many. JFWVMS Mentoring Plus is focusing on helping thousands of women veterans and military wives by connecting them with volunteer working women mentors over a sustained period of time. Veteran and civilian mentors of all ages across the country will provide insight, advice, and encouragement to help women veterans and military wives steer an individualized course of action in the civilian workplace.

The Mentoring Plus structure will enable mentors and mentees to work together to design and develop the goals and benchmarks for mentee employment plans. A cadre of online resources and subject matter experts will assist mentees in areas that affect workplace attainment, adjustment, retention, and/or supplier chain participation for small businesses. With this grassroots capacity to guide women veterans in their job searches and career development, we will initially pair 10,000 mentees with mentors. Ultimately, we will engage partners toward a widening target of 100,000 mentoring relationships, recognizing that more than 150,000 women are projected to leave the military over the next five years and join the more than 1.8 million existing women veterans who have proudly served our nation.

So as you take stock of your life and lay out your goals and resolutions, resolve to give back to these women who have given so much for your freedom and way of life. Being a mentor for women veterans and military spouses is a great way to give back and pay it forward. Recent polling shows that mentors not only find great reward in helping others succeed, they also discovered that they improve their own leadership skills, expand their own networks, and surprisingly keep more current with industry trends. BPW Foundation can help you become a mentor and invest in America’s “sheroes.” To join Mentoring Plus, please visit www.bpwfoundation.org.

Follow Deborah Frett on Twitter: www.twitter.com/BPW_CEO

Posted in Joining Forces, Joining Forces for Women Veterans, Mentoring, Misbehavin' Notification, Uncategorized, Veterans, Women Veterans | Tagged: , , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Everyone Can Lend a Hand Through Mentoring

Posted by serenity order simplicity on January 26, 2012

At a year old, Rachel can walk. However, when we saw her a month ago, she still preferred assistance. She would commandeer the closest adult. Without a word, she made her needs clear. She would lift her arms and whoever noticed knew to extend a finger or two. She grabbed on and headed off—a 2-foot-tall dynamo leading the stooped over, willing adult.

So, what does this have to do with mentoring? Rachel is not your typical business associate. While my connection with my granddaughter is certainly not professional, our interaction has aspects of mentoring.  We have a mutually agreeable relationship that includes respect, communication, and setting boundaries.

Within each of us is the capacity to mentor. And each of us has an area in which we could use mentoring by someone else. Mentoring is more about relationship than skills or knowledge. Probably the biggest “skill” a mentor needs is the desire to help. It’s a relationship built on trust and respect.  And it recognizes that at some point, our mentee will no longer need us and be able to “walk” by herself.

A mentor wants her mentee to succeed. Rachel’s ability to walk is independent of me, but my helping hands have encouraged her in the process. And you can bet I’m there to applaud every step she takes. I’m also there to pick her up when she falls; drying tears if needed.

January is National Mentoring Month, focusing on mentoring as a way to give back.  This year, Business and Professional Women’s (BPW) Foundation is concentrating on women veterans and military wives.  BPW Foundation has deployed Joining Forces for Women Veterans and Military Spouses® (JFWVMS) Mentoring Plus, a program dedicated to helping women veterans and military spouses connect with working women mentors and subject matter experts (SMEs) to receive support, guidance, and career development.

There is a role for everyone to play. Our mentors and mentees are women of all ages, eras, ranks and skills. Follow this link to sign up to be a mentor, subject matter expert or mentee.

Did you ever teach someone how to use Facebook, or knit, or mix a margarita? Congratulations, you have the skills to be a subject matter expert (SME). While, Mentoring Plus is focusing on career-oriented skills, it’s not so different than teaching other things. In the new world of job seeking, there’s overlap between personal and professional roles. A SME might advise you to have a Linkedin profile or possibly edit the photos you post on social media sites.  Maybe you’d like to rehearse interview questions and a mentor or SME can help. A mentor may also share contacts on her network, point out opportunities, and open doors.

Rachel’s successes are hers to enjoy. I feel honored to accompany her as she blossoms from baby to toddler. Who knows how her life will unfold, but you can be sure of this: I’ll be there to share and shape and guide the person she becomes. You’ll recognize me by my loud cheering, whether she’s jumping off a diving board or walking across a stage to pick up her diploma. And if you are involved in a mentoring relationship, you can probably relate.

Please help us connect 10,000 women veterans and military spouses with mentors during 2012 by sharing this information on webpages, social media, and at meetings.

If you have questions or need further details, please contact us at JoiningForces@BPWFoundation.org.

For updates, follow us:

http://www.facebook.com/BPWF4WomenVets 

https://twitter.com/#!/BPWF4WomenVets

Posted in Mentoring, Military, Successful Workplaces, Veterans, Women Veterans | Tagged: , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Women’s News to Chew On: Link Love for Lunch

Posted by YWM on January 20, 2012

January is National Mentoring Month – Sign Up to Mentor a Women Veteran or Military Spouse -

Successful, Equitable Workplaces -

More young women are covering campaigns [Politico]

Does it pay to be one of the guys at work? [Forbes]

38 years after passage of legislation designed to enforce workplace equality, the Equal Pay Act is often violated [KStateCollegian]

Empowered Work Force

How the gift of mentoring changed two lives [Naples News]

A mentor can help you reach your goals at any stage of your career or life [Chicago Tribune]

Chart showing women’s earnings as a percentage of men’s in 2010 [HR Compliance]

Wal-Mart Women file expanded Texas Class Action [MarketWatch]

Walmart seeks to halt refiled gender discrimination law suits [Insurance Journal]

Rutgers study finds that paid family leave leads to positive economic outcomes [National Partnership]

Health

New recommendations for older women and bone tests [New York Times]

VA says women veterans getting screened for cervical cancer [DODLive]

Women’s groups file Supreme Court brief supporting Health Care Reform Law [National Partnership]

Small Business

Women have to shine to attract investments in their businesses [Women2]

California, Texas and New York have the most women owned businesses [Gisuer]

Are women more careful entrepreneurs than men? [Forbes]

Do men and women bring different skills to entrepreneurship? [FastCoExist]

Three in four women small business owners see more tough times in 2012 [Insurance News]

STEM

Encouraging biotechnology workplace diversity [BioTech Now]

Gonzaga University awarded grant aimed at bringing more women into STEM careers [Spokesman]

Gen Y

Millennial Women are burning out at 30 and starting their own businesses [Forbes]

Other Interesting Items

Professional women rate 6 biggest mistakes businesses make when marketing to women [SFGate]

Men and women are still both from earth despite study showing “brain” differences [Huffington Post]

Commission on Status of Women to get budget ax in CA [SFGate]

A furor over gender marketing for Lego toys [Huffington Post]

Dr Pepper’s bizarre “not for women” ad campaign [Forbes]

NY area female retail workers experience low pay, little health insurance, scheduling instability and an abuse of part-time job status. [Women's eNews]

Politics

Political Parity’s drive to help women win office [The Daily Beast]

15 women GQ could have named to its most powerful in Washington list [Think Progress]

Why women still won’t run for office [Elect Women]

Military/Veteran

Film, “The Invisible War” takes on rape in the military [Huffington Post]

Jill Biden writes children’s book about military family’s struggles [Huffington Post]

The Battlefield and the Barracks: Two War Fronts for Women Soldiers.  Why Do Soldiers Rape? Part 1 of a 5 part series [Truth-Out]

Female vets struggle to find work [WWLP]

Cengage and BPW Foundation partner to support women veterans with career transitions [InfoTechSpotlight]

PTSD—an equal opportunity disorder—rates are same among male and female vets of the Afghanistan and Iraq wars, with about 18 percent of both groups [KQED]

About one in five women and one in one hundred men reported that they’ve experienced military sexual trauma [MotherSatWar]

The double trauma of war and sexual assault by “brothers-in-arms” in the military leaves women feeling unsafe [Truth.Out]

The first VA patient to receive all of her prenatal care from the VA [SL Tribune]

Panetta announces new measures to combat sexual assault [Stripes]

Posted in Feminism, Link Love, Mentoring, Small Business, Uncategorized, Women Veterans | Tagged: , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Joining Forces – Women Veterans Speak Out: Love Is The Most Important Thing

Posted by YWM on January 16, 2012

Returning guest blogger, Liz Mclean, an Air Force Academy graduate who has transitioned into the civilian world in search of fulfillment after serving on active duty for four and a half years tells a very personal story today.

In my past articles, I have talked about my drive towards the ambiguous definition of “success” …the constant quest for new motivation. While I have always been someone who recognized the efforts others, it wasn’t until recently that I realized how the unwavering support of one particular person is truly what carried me for the past 27 years. Without him…”success” would have had a much smaller meaning.

Not but a few weeks ago, my father was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer that had metastasized throughout his body. I have had horrendous experiences in life, but finding this news was by far the most gut wrenching.  Much like the opening stanza to Emerson’s Concord Hymn, it was a devastating shotgun diagnosis heard around the world.  Flying out to CA to sit in the Oncologists office as “Jingle Bells” played in the background was surreal, but it was my father’s positive mind-set that still made it seem like Christmas after all.

Liz and her dad Bud

As he goes from doctor to doctor hearing the trials and tribulations of what he must endure ….one thing never vacillates: his positive attitude and his mantra to fight with all his heart. When I say to him “dad, you are an inspiration to start appreciating what is important in life” his response is “I’ve always said love is the most important thing in the world. Some people thought I was crazy. But I have known it is supporting family, friends and having a positive attitude that matters.”

As I began to reflect on life, I started realizing what it was that got me to this point of “success.” There is no doubt I have worked hard on my own, but without my dad’s love and support growing up…I would not be anywhere. Starting to compete in running events in Kindergarten; my dad was there as a cheering squad for every road, cross-country or track event. I can still hear him in the background chanting “Go Liz Go!” as I came around the bend. He was there for every drama performance, every monologue, for my Miss Junior America competitions, my biggest fan for every newspaper article I drafted, my sailing teacher, my horse show applauder, my driving teacher, my example of work ethic and the one person who constantly told me he thought I was beautiful.

When I think back to momentous occasions such as when my USAFA acceptance envelope came in the mail, parents’ weekends, graduation, my wedding, nearly every Thanksgiving no matter where I was in the world…..he has been there. My number one fan.

The point being that sometimes when you think you have accomplished success on your own, you fail to look behind the scenes to who may have been the catalyst. My father has given me faith to prevail …and now it is my turn to stand behind him to help him make this fight.  Cheers to you Dad….you were right….love is the most important thing in the world. Keep calm and carry on.

Posted in Joining Forces for Women Veterans, Mentoring, Uncategorized | Tagged: , , , | Leave a Comment »

January is National Mentoring Month

Posted by egehl on January 4, 2012

January marks National Mentoring Month in honor of all of the wonderful mentors out there working to help others reach their life goals. All of us need mentors at varying stages of life. Mentors help children to succeed in school, support colleagues with figuring out their career paths, or provide invaluable wisdom and guidance when a friend is faced with a hard decision. Mentors can play many different roles and typically they are someone that has your best interests at heart, and can provide feedback and support that you trust and value.

I am lucky to have found mentors throughout my life who have helped to guide me through a number of important decisions. In this tough job market when networking and building relationships is key to securing a new position, having a mentor can be instrumental in guiding you through that process. Mentors are also extremely helpful when you are still deciding on what type of work to pursue and how to reach your professional goals.

In my experience, mentors have been some of my best fans supporting me in every endeavor I undertake. They know my professional ethic, work product and overall value firsthand and have a clear sense of how to convey it to others. Mentors are the people I go to for recommendations, advice on a job search, or when I am seeking to connect to new people and information. They are my friends, colleagues and confidants.

BPW Foundation has launched a new mentoring program specifically geared toward women veterans. BPW Foundation believes that women veterans especially need mentoring assistance as they make what can be a challenging transition back into the civilian workforce. The BPW Foundation Inaugural Joining Forces for Women Veterans National Summit in October, 2010, identified an ongoing need for women veterans and military spouses to find informed, trusted outlets to assess their goals and navigate their way to successful careers –careers that provide economic stability for themselves and their families.

Therefore to meet the needs of these women, BPW Foundation has launched the “Joining Forces for Women Veterans and Military Spouses Mentoring Plus” program. Through this effort, BPW Foundation will develop the tools, outreach, and capacity to support a long term goal of engaging 100,000 women mentors to connect with women veterans and military spouses. By the end of 2012, 10,000 of the total number will be recruited in collaboration with their launch partner, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

The BPW Foundation is honored to have received recognition from The Office of the First Lady and the Joining Forces effort, which has highlighted the “mentorship gap” in their selection of BPW Foundation as the point organization for a large-scale mentoring initiative to benefit women veterans and military spouses.

This month think about becoming a mentor or perhaps strengthen the relationship you already have with your mentor. It’s important to maintain your ties with your mentor and keep them up-to-date regarding your professional endeavors so they know how to help you.  And finally, consider becoming a mentor to a woman veteran by getting involved with BPW Foundation’s mentoring program. For more information please visit the website.

Posted in BPW, Education, Mentoring, Military Families, Successful Workplaces, Women Veterans | Tagged: , , , , | 1 Comment »

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