Tag Archives: Middle East

July 11, 2018 · 8:35 pm

Day 8, General Convention

This was the seventh legislative session day of the 79th General Convention of the Episcopal Church “GC79” (in Austin, Texas). I am with the Deputation of the Diocese of El Camino Real (Central California).

Today, the GC79 legislative calendar was so full that we had to add an after-dinner session. Very long day! Bishop Griselda Delgado Del Carpio was welcomed with a sustained standing ovation and joyous singing to the House of Deputies after the enthusiastic passage of a historic resolution welcoming the church of Cuba as a diocese of the Episcopal Church. We considered the budget for the first time in a joint session of the House of Deputies and House of Bishops. The House of Bishops rejected the Isreal-Palestine resolution but passed a “Marriage Rites for the Whole Church” resolution with a small amendment.

Marriage Rites now return to the House of Deputies for a final vote. The House of Deputies today agreed on a plan for liturgical and Prayer Book revision plus a great many less-controversial resolutions (including one welcoming nursing mother Deputies). We are proud of El Camino Real Deputy Jeff Diehl who appeared briefly on the House of Deputies big platform as Co-Chair of the Environmental Stewardship and Care of Creation committee today.

Deputies in wheelchairs and Deputies who find it hard to hear spoke passionately in support of a resolution to “Establish an Advisory Council on Disability and Deaf Access” – which was passed. Deputy Sarah Watkins of Texas said “nothing about us without us.” She and Deputy Charis and others made the point that there had been nine such resolutions passed in General Convention since 1985 but little effective change has been made – perhaps because few who are themselves impaired have been represented in the groups making the decisions. There have been signers for the deaf at House of Deputy and House of Bishop sessions and worship services but not at most other meetings. There was an interesting moment during Tuesday evening’s worship service when flute player Dakota Wind from Standing Rock spoke silently in Lakota signs with the GC79 deaf interpreter on the stage.

These blog posts and other GC79 news are posted on the Diocese of El Camino Real website.

1 Comment

Filed under Church, News & Reviews, Politics

Tagged as Disabilities, General Convention, Israel, Middle East, Palestine, St. Andrew's Episcopal Church

July 9, 2018 · 7:20 pm

Day 6, General Convention

This was the fifth legislative session day of the 79th General Convention of the Episcopal Church “GC79” (in Austin, Texas). I am with the Deputation of the Diocese of El Camino Real (Central California). Pigeon jokes continued (Twitter @gc79pigeon) and most of the House of Deputies wore purple scarves to honor Women Bishops.

Among many smaller decisions, two of the big GC79 topics were discussed today: B012 – “Marriage Rites for the Whole Church” and D019 – “Ending Church Complicity in the Occupation”. The Rev. Lester V. Mackenzie, House of Deputies Chaplain, opened the afternoon legislative session with a shoulder-to-shoulder prayer. The discussion process is complex and time consuming and requires much checking of parliamentary procedure. The capable President of the House of Deputies, Rev. Gay Clark Jennings, keeps us to time and in order with humor and charm.

Deputy Celeste Ventura allowed me to substitute for her in the House of Deputies in the afternoon. Since I have lived and worked in Israel, and because of my many years of work with the TechWomen of the Middle East, I have been particularly interested in the many resolutions on Israel and Palestine and was glad to be able to testify and vote. Both the Marriage Rites and Israel-Palestine resolutions were approved – and will move to the House of Bishops next.

Our Bishop Mary Gray-Reeves presided in English and Spanish over the evening worship service which, as usual, offered excellent music and a peaceful interlude in a busy day.

These blog posts and other GC79 news are posted on the Diocese of El Camino Real website.

1 Comment

Filed under Church, News & Reviews, Politics

Tagged as Disabilities, Episcopal church, General Convention, Israel, Middle East, Palestine, technical women, TechWomen

July 6, 2018 · 9:27 pm

Day 3, Episcopal General Convention

This was the second legislative session day of the 79th General Convention of the Episcopal Church “GC79” (in Austin, Texas). I am with the Deputation of the Diocese of El Camino Real (Central California). Early this morning, I gave testimony at a hearing for resolution D027 “Pursuing Justice for Gaza” before the Committee on Social Justice and International Policy. Episcopal Church News published an article quoting me this afternoon: “Israel-Palestine resolutions spark impassioned testimony under expedited process for review”.

After the hearings, the House of Deputies held a joint morning session with the House of Bishops discussing racial reconciliation. This featured inspiring presenters, including a hip hop poet. Bishop Mary Gray-Reeves lead the El Camino Real Deputies to the section of the hall where the Alternate Deputies sit so the whole Delegation could discuss together – since Alternates are not allowed to come onto the House floor unless we are formally substituting for a Deputy. The Alternates gallery applauded her! After the discussion, we took a photo of the whole El Camino Delegation.

This afternoon, the House of Deputies began its discussion on whether the revise the Book of Common Prayer – a subject of much passionate and prayerful consideration. The final vote was put off until tomorrow morning to allow for additional discussion. After the worship service, most of our Delegation ended the day with a (late) birthday party for Bishop Mary – including spouses and kids of some of the Delegates.

The Austin weather continues to be very hot and humid – going outside feels like having a soggy warm blanket dropped on you.

These blog posts and other GC79 news are posted on the Diocese of El Camino Real website.

1 Comment

Filed under Uncategorized

Tagged as Episcopal church, Gaza, General Convention, Middle East

April 18, 2018 · 3:42 pm

Thanks, TechWomen!

Thanks to the TechWomen program for the recent Tweet quoting me:

Behind every successful woman is a tribe of women supporting her, like TechWomen

It is my honor to have helped design TechWomen – and to have been a TechWomen mentor and enthusiastic supporter since the program started:

TechWomen brings emerging women leaders in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) from Africa, Central and South Asia, and the Middle East together with their professional counterparts in the United States for a mentorship and exchange program. TechWomen provides participants access to networks, resources, and knowledge to empower them to reach their full potential.

During the five-week program, participants engage in project-based mentorships at leading companies in the San Francisco Bay Area and Silicon Valley, participate in professional development workshops and networking events, and travel to Washington, DC. for targeted meetings and special events to conclude the program.

Over the past seven years, more than 500 women from Algeria, Cameroon, Egypt, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Kenya, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Nigeria, Pakistan, the Palestinian Territories, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Tunisia, Uzbekistan, Yemen and Zimbabwe have participated in TechWomen.

TechWomen is an initiative of the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA). TechWomen, launched in 2011, supports the United States’ global commitment toward advancing the rights and participation of women and girls around the world by enabling them to reach their full potential in the tech industry.

TechWomen is managed by the Institute of International Education (IIE).
More: https://www.techwomen.org/

More about my company, Mentoring Standard: http://www.mentoringstandard.com/

If you want to receive Katysblog posts by email, please sign up using the Sign Me Up! button (upper right).

Crafts and Souvenirs from Egypt

During the TechWomen Delegation to Egypt there was very little time for shopping but I did manage to find some presents and souvenirs. Before our Professional Development Sessions with Alwan wa Awtar – AWA – Youth in Cairo, we bought bags, necklaces, and scarves from a young woman who started an embroidery craft and sewing business with her mother. We also stopped by a Carrefour on the way to a meeting, where I found an excellent selection of lovely cotton scarves – not surprising in a country where colorful and well-designed scarves are worn by so many women.

We had time on the day we left to walk through Muizz Street and the shops of the old city in Cairo. I was pleased to purchase a large black shawl with Egyptian hand embroidery, and a Ramadan tablecloth in a colorful primary color pattern we had seen many times as we traveled. I even found some alabaster lamps which will be appreciated as presents, plus a pair of silver earrings for myself. Thanks to 2015 Fellow Doaa ElEraqy of Egypt who was our patient guide and negotiator in the souq.

In addition to these treasures I bought, we Mentors received many kind gifts from the TechWomen Fellows of Egypt. I was also touched and honored to be given souvenirs from Palestine and Lebanon – presents from TechWomen mentees.

If you want to receive Katysblog posts by email, please sign up using the Sign Me Up! button (upper right).
Photos Copyright 2018 by Katy Dickinson.

1 Comment

Filed under Mentoring & Other Business, News & Reviews

Tagged as Africa, Egypt, Lebanon, Mentoring, Middle East, Palestine, technical women, TechWomen

March 7, 2018 · 4:59 pm

TechWomen Delegation to Egypt

I was honored to join the TechWomen Delegation to Egypt: my tenth TechWomen Delegation. TechWomen is an Initiative of the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. We had an inspiring and enjoyable trip. I got back to the USA a few days ago and am still getting used to California’s time zone (but am enjoying our clean air!).

Some of us mentors arrived in Egypt early so that we could acclimatize and see the sights. I was part of a group that toured Alexandria on 24 February, the day before the Delegation officially started. We had three flat tires on the road but were able to visit the Citadel of Qaitbay, a 15th-century fortress on the Mediterranean sea coast on the eastern point of the Pharos Island. It was erected on the exact site of the Lighthouse of Alexandria, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Some of the lighthouse stones were used to build the fort. We also saw the remarkable 2002 Bibliotheca Alexandrina (Library of Alexandria) and the Montaza Palace.

The first day of the Delegation, we had a short tour of Giza and Cairo. The Great Pyramid is another of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. I was delighted to discover so many of us Mentors and Fellows from the inaugural 2011 class of TechWomen were part of the Delegation. We also welcomed Fellows from Lebanon, Libya, South Africa, Palestine, Morocco, Jordan, and Kenya. All three of the 2011 mentees who were hosted at my company were part of the Delegation: Sukaina Al-Nasrawi and Maha Akkari (Lebanon), and Reham Nasser (Egypt). I was delighted to catch up with 2011 mentees Maysoun Ibrahim and Huda Alwahidi from Palestine, as well as Eman Ezzat, Ghada Bahig and others from Egypt. Sukaina and Maysoun and Reham have been on TechWomen Delegations before but I had not seen Maha for years. The Delegation included mentees from all TechWomen years, although Lara Chikhani (from my Team Lebanon) was the only Fellow who came from 2017. I was very happy to see Sara Abdelhafez (Egypt) for the first time since she was hosted at my company in 2012 – and to meet her new son who came to our Farewell Dinner on a Nile river boat.

We were very busy during the Delegation, sometimes being on the bus as early at 7:30 am and getting back to our Cairo hotel in the Zamalek district at 10:30 pm. Activities during which we interacted with hundreds of girls, women, entrepreneurs, and technologists included:

Briefing from U.S. Embassy (Monday, Feb 26)
The Power of Mentorship at the American Center (Monday, Feb 26)
Meet & Greet with U.S. Embassy Colleagues (Monday, Feb 26)
Workshops with Women in Tech and Entrepreneurship at the GrEEK Campus (Tuesday, Feb 27)
Pitch Practice and Speed Geek Sessions at the GrEEK Campus (Tuesday, Feb 27)
Girls in STEM Career Fair at Mentor Graphics (Tuesday, Feb 27)
Networking Reception at the Technology Innovation and Entrepreneurship Center – TIEK (Wednesday, Feb 28)
Discussions with Professionals in STEM at Vodafone (Wednesday, Feb 28)
Hands-on STEM Activities at High School (Thursday, March 1)
From Silicon Valley to the Nile: Soft Skills Workshops at the American University in Cairo – AUC (Thursday, March 1)
Reception with U.S. Embassy at INJAZ (Thursday, March 1)
Visit with Teenpreneurs at FabLab Egypt (Friday, March 2)
Professional Development Sessions with Alwan wa Awtar – AWA – Youth at Montessori Mokattam (Friday, March 2)

We were delighted to visit many projects started and supported by TechWomen Fellows in Egypt. Cairo traffic is as bad as that of the Silicon Valley so we spent about 1-1/2 hours on the bus to get from event to event. We enjoyed the time to catch up with dear friends and learn more about each other. Unfortunately, over half of the delegation came down with a respiratory illness and fever so we had to swap speaking slots quite a bit. On Monday, I gave a TED-style talk about mentoring then lead a panel discussing mentoring at the US Embassy’s American Center. Later, I helped Jill Finlayson teach girls to brainstorm and develop solutions to community problems, lead another discussion at AUC with Mohna Dhomse on how to Find a Mentor, joined a panel about life challenges, and gave two talks with Rekha Pai-Kamath on self-branding. All of us in the Delegation participated in speed geek sessions at several venues.

The day after the Delegation ended, groups of us Mentors and Fellows were able to tour the amazing Egyptian Museum and get some shopping done in the old city of Cairo – with 2015 Fellow Doaa ElEraqy of Egypt as our patient guide and negotiator.

If you want to receive Katysblog posts by email, please sign up using the Sign Me Up! button (upper right).
Photos Copyright 2018 by Katy Dickinson, TechWomen, and Lara Chikhani.

4 Comments

Filed under Mentoring & Other Business, Mentoring Standard, News & Reviews

Tagged as Africa, Egypt, Jordan, Kenya, Libya, Mentoring, Middle East, Morocco, Palestine, South Africa, technical women, TechWomen

January 12, 2018 · 4:26 pm

Reading for Mentoring Month

Every day I am online looking for interesting news and articles from around the world, especially about mentoring. Most days, I post what I find on my Twitter account, with summaries of the most interesting posted in batches to Mentoring Standard on LinkedIn. In honor of January being America’s National Mentoring Month, here is a selection recent notable articles on mentoring to inspire you. Please nominate mentoring gems I have missed!

Governor supports prisoner mentoring to reduce recidivism: “Brownback pitches prison mentoring to White House” – Kansas, USA
How Not to run a mentoring program: “Teachers’ mentor program becomes unfunded mandate” – Connecticut, USA
Forgiveness and mentoring – an effective response to violence: “Two teens attacked a Baltimore city councilwoman during a carjacking.” – Maryland USA
Both boys and girls need mentors. Favoritism in mentoring will cause backlash: “MP starts boy-child mentoring initiative” – Nakuru County, Kenya
Controversial mentoring program – only serves stars: “University of Sydney elite mentoring program a ‘waste of resources’, critics say” – Sydney, Australia
Trust and respect basic to successful mentoring – especially when mentor and mentee are demographically different: “OPINION: There is power in inclusive mentoring” – Greenville, South Carolina
A joy and privilege to mentor – specially for millennials “What millennials want in a mentor” – Cape Town, South Africa
Veterans mentoring veterans – working to rebuild lives after prison: “Thanks for your service, please stay out of prison” – Ohio, USA
Interesting: “Arab American National Museum to offer mentoring programs to Detroit immigrants, refugees” – Michigan, USA
Good advice but leaves out a key step: Keep everyone safe by meeting in public places until you know you can trust each other (more on Mentoring Standard’s “Finding a Mentor”): “9 Tips To Land A Great Mentor: How To Ask A Stranger For Career Advice” – Washington, USA
Senior mentoring in the Silicon Valley: This woman’s approach to mentoring in San Jose won a prize – California, USA
Consider leader’s mentoring history as part of requirements for promotion in STEM: “Great mentoring is key for the next generation of scientists” USA
In India mentoring, access to market, partnerships are key: “Start-ups need more mentoring than funding: John Chambers” – Hyderabad, India
Sometimes a smaller experience gap may help in practical mentoring: “The smartest entrepreneurs aim low when picking a mentor” USA
Interesting analysis about why on-site mentoring meetings can be better: “Think Twice About Meeting Your Mentor at Starbucks” USA
False choice: need mentors and sponsors to succeed not one or other. Rarely can one person be both. “How to Turn a Mentor into a Sponsor” USA
Program for mentoring children of fallen military or police: “New venture mentors, helps children of ‘fallen heroes’” USA
Good advice on how mentees can help make the mentoring relationship most effective. “What Mentors Wish Their Mentees Knew” USA
Mentoring success after a year: “How Your School Can Network Its Way to Increased Alumni Giving” – Pennsylvania, USA
Women supporting women entrepreneurs: “Female VCs fight gender gap via ‘Office Hours’ mentoring program” – California, USA
Fighting a life-threatening diagnosis with mentoring, strength, and a team: “Mentorship Can Be Life-Changing” USA
Regular mentoring meetings and active support make the difference: “How to mentor other women, according to one of the most powerful women in NYC government” – New York, USA
Task force on inclusion at Harvard supports more mentoring “Law School Establishes New Advising, Mentoring Programs” – Massachusetts, USA
Mentoring teachers in music to improve academics: “The value of music mentoring for teachers” – Australia

If you want to receive Katysblog posts by email, please sign up using the Sign Me Up! button (upper right).

Tag Archives: Middle East

Day 8, General Convention

Day 6, General Convention

Day 3, Episcopal General Convention

Thanks, TechWomen!

Crafts and Souvenirs from Egypt

TechWomen Delegation to Egypt

Reading for Mentoring Month

Email Subscription

Categories

Blogroll

Recent Posts