31st July, St Thomas Ardwick, Manchester 1:30 – 5:00 pm
Session 3 was not different from the other two sessions. The excitement was still there as the attendees showed an eagerness to drink the knowledge that was being imparted by the ARise 2 mentors. This time around, the learning points were the acquisition of knowledge and skills.
As usual, before the main speakers came to the front to deliver their presentations, Tikhala, one of the directors shared a fascinating story of the life of Tererai Trent, a renowned educationist who strived through life and education to get to where is. Trent is the founder of Tererai Trent International, which has built several schools in Zimbabwe, thus fulfilling all the goals that she wrote and buried in a tin in her village. Tikhala concluded her presentation by advising the women in the workshop to write whatever goals they are aiming to accomplish, regardless of how unachievable they look. Trent dared to dream, and her goals helped her to break through generational barriers (the outlook towards women in her village).
Grace Tsapayi.
Grace described skills as an ability that one acquires. This can be acquired through a woman’s natural capability, or they can acquire them through education.
Grace stated that when a woman wakes up every day, they need to revisit their purpose. They should be clear about what they want to do with their lives. She challenged the women to aim to learn something every day, whether, it is about their family, or something else. Learning however is a process, therefore, women should develop a need to learn. Some of the things that involve learning include the following characteristics:
· Growth mindset – creating room for yourself to learn
· Action – Need to rise, take the initiative
· Acquire – knowledge through various learning sources.
· Practice – once skills have been acquired, women need to practice them to perfect them.
· Pass/Fail – At times, one can fail during the process. Women should not despair, but go through the process again, seeking support systems that will help them excel. In the case of the ARise 2 project mentors have offered to support anyone who may need assistance.
· Resilience – Develop the ability to maintain control of a situation and think of new ways to tackle problems.
· Perseverance - Develop the strength to continue despite setbacks.
Grace advised that after acquiring a skill, women should continuously self-introspect so that they ensure that they are still in the right position to deliver their goals. Grace encouraged the women to continue what they are doing, even if it seems insignificant, as these actions act as launchpads for bigger goals.
Tamanda Amanda Kalua.
Tamanda stated that they are a few important reasons why women should build knowledge and skills. Some of which are because women cannot do things the same way they used because the world keeps changing.
· Women should become relevant otherwise they will become obsolete (i.e. IT skills).
· Women should adapt themselves to match the environment. This is not just for survival but to grow and excel (i.e. develop efficiencies).
· Some jobs never existed before. Platforms have changed, especially during the pandemic when organisations have restructured or adjusted the way they did things. (i.e., the introduction of the online Bollyfit fitness regimes).
Tamanda stated that knowledge and skills go hand in hand, and this occurs through a variety of media, strategies, or events. Knowledge entails acquiring concepts and principles that can be committed to memory, and skills refer to how to do things, through either training or shadowing.
Knowledge
A person can know, for example, how to play a game, however, they will need to train so that they acquire the skills for playing the game. The process of acquisition of skills includes attaining the following:
· Levels of knowledge learning – developing and awareness, a growth mindset.
· Literacy – getting familiar with the terms that are being used in the specific subject.
· Conceptual – knowing the jargon of the specific field that a woman is pursuing
· Understanding – comprehension of how elements fit together.
· Abstraction – able to form new thoughts and ideas beyond the subject.
All the above facets require commitment. Time, effort and money are essential for accomplishing the desired results (although, moneywise, there are free courses that one can take).
Skills
Skills are mastered through actual doing or putting into practice what one has learned.
Levels of learning skills.
· Awareness – develop the need to master the skill.
· Initial modelling – watch someone the skill, then copy them.
· Cognitive performance – perform the skill without assistance.
· Enactive mastery – perform consistently, and can even multitask
· Automaticity – performing the skill without any conscious or thought ‘whilst standing on your head’.
The points highlighted above also require time and effort to accomplish the desired outcomes.
Once the skills and knowledge are acquired, it is important to update oneself by embarking on continuous personal development (CPD) because learning is a continuous journey. It is also important to be organised and to plan actions according to their priority. One also requires practising good behaviours. The more one practices them, the more they become a way of life to the point that they become second nature.
Refreshments were provided by Zale Mbomba.
Conclusion
· There was a Q&A session for those who needed clarification on issues arising from the workshop.
· The women then discussed Who Moved My Cheese? A book was written by Spencer Johnson.
The next meeting will be held on the 28th of August 2021
Founders: Mary Kachitsa and Tikhala Chimpango.
Trustees: Barbara Makhalira, Tamanda Kalua and Chrissy Mlotha
Funded by The National Lottery
Patricia Kulipa Chimangeni – Women Arise desk
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