Women Empowerment workshop ‘Unlock Purpose’ left lasting impact on participants

‘Women Empowerment’ is more than just a hashtag or trend to follow for social media likes and shares. It has to take a purposeful approach that directly targets key areas of development in women in order to successfully ’empower’ them.

Recognising this, two Guyanese young women, Gabriella Chapman and Elsie Harry, collaborated on a workshop titled ‘Unlock Purpose’ that was hosted on the weekend of International Women’s Day (March 11th and 12th), and tailored specifically to helping young women with the tools to identify their purpose, learn how to tap into and monetise it; help them write their personal manifestos; set financial goals; among several other topic areas.

Both women are focused on living out their purpose in life, which is where the common ground for the collaboration was established.

Gabriella founded her NGO, The Girl Build Girl Foundation in 2017 to create a sisterhood that is anchored in self-development and becoming your best selves, while Elsie runs a successful social enterprise that was founded in 2021, “This is YOUR life“, geared towards encouraging all members of society to live intentional, purposeful lives.

Reviews from the workshop have been astounding, as the 77 participants reflected on the lasting impact the content shared, has made on their lives.

“The knowledge that was imparted during the event was very relevant, inspiring and practical. I left the workshop feeling motivated to put all that I had learnt into action. One of the most valuable takeaways for me was the prompt to write a personal manifesto that would serve as a compass to guide and realign me on the path I’ve chosen for myself.

In addition to this, I received information that will help me identify and monetise my purpose. I was also reminded to set ‘SMARTER’ goals for myself. These are goals that are Specific, Meaningful, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound, as well as Evaluating and Readjusting them when necessary. I left the workshop feeling motivated to put all that I had learnt into action,” one participant, Morvina Szala expressed in a recent press article.

“The workshop was well executed and successful. I went with the mindset that I’ll never be the same individual when I leave the room. I said to myself I’ll put action to what I learn and so I believe it left an impact on my life to how I viewed things before,” another participant said.

“It was timely, so many people are walking around doing things they hate and sitting on talents and gifts that can help them live full lives. I would love to see a longer event with more room for discussions. Cause so much gems were dropped, I feel like there was more to share from both the facilitators and attendees,” another participant submitted in the evaluation form.

Both creators are overwhelmed with the feedback and are happy to have made an impact on the lives of 77 women and girls.

“…so many of the participants have communicated how they learnt new information that will make a big difference in their lives. Further, they are interested in the virtual follow up sessions and other purpose driven events because they see value in living a truly purposeful life – this makes our work feel worth it,” Elsie said.

She disclosed that the Unlock Purpose Workshop is part of a series of Purpose Driven Events that will be executed in 2023 and explained that hosting such events is a decision that she holds near and dear to her heart.

“… it felt like a natural and necessary progression for me, because at my core I believe that a life built on Purpose is more sustainable, more productive and more fulfilling than one that is not. Especially in the context of living in a society that is riddled with social ills and is now becoming a fast growing economy because of the production of oil. Living in a society that does not always allow you the opportunity to slow down, catch your breath and recalibrate can leave you feeling like you are living on autopilot, like things are happening to you without your consent and you simply have to acquiescence. The aim of Unlock Purpose was to push back against this reality, to encourage women in particular, to regain control of their lives, to say- I am the author of my own destiny and I will decide the direction of my life,” she said.

Meanwhile, Gabriella said joining forces with Elsie is by far one of the greatest decisions she has made thus far for 2023, as the workshop did not only give her the opportunity to impact lives, but to be impacted.

“I have great respect for and trust in Elsie, and as she was sharing the areas she believes we should tackle, it made me realise even more that this is one of the best decisions. It gave me the opportunity to delve into areas I never thought of, ask myself questions I never asked myself, and really position myself to be more secured and resolute in my purpose. I’m big on being authentic, so I facilitated my sessions at the workshop in an honest way, admitting my insecurities and flaws and allowing myself to be vulnerable with the participants, to create a safer space that we could have learn from each other. The feedback indicated that they appreciated the vulnerability and the impact was certainly made which makes me feel extremely happy that we are successful steering a community of women down a path that will make for a stronger society of empowered, purposeful women,” she posited.

Both women as well as some of the participants indicated that they hope for greater support with sponsorship so that the other events to come will be more affordable so a larger amount of women can attend.

Unlock Purpose was supported by several individuals, businesses and organisations.