We know you were planning on attending The OpEd Project workshop Owning Your Expertise last week except that something came up (and a LOT of rain came down.) Don’t despair! You can still watch Katie Orenstein’s presentation because it was recorded.
Those that attended the workshop at Bay Path University found it very powerful. We heard over and over again “I wish more people could see this.” Orenstein led the audience through a game of “I’m an expert in __________ because ________” that required everyone in attendance to look deep inside themselves to take ownership of their personal knowledge and expertise. Orenstein gave many examples of previous workshops where people forgot to include their degrees, copious years of experience, awards, and twice people forgot to mention they had won a Nobel Prize. There was plenty of nervous laughter and many women reported feeling awkward about sharing things that might put them above other people in their group. Orenstein’s point was that only “the experts” get asked for their opinions and they are the ones who write history. If women want to have a say in how the story is told, we need to own our expertise and put ourselves out in front.
The OpEd Project is a national organization with a mission “to increase the range of voices and quality of ideas we hear in the world.” The Women’s Fund was able to bring The OpEd Project to Western Massachusetts with very generous underwriting support from the Irene E. & George A. Davis Foundation. To watch the recorded session on September 25 visit https://livestream.com/baypathuniversity/OpEdProject. The program itself starts at 18:34. Many thanks also to Strategic Alliances at Bay Path University for hosting the event and arranging for live streaming and recording of the workshop.
