1. Juno Leadership Collective
This year marks the launch of the OWLC’s immersive one-year leadership training, the Juno Leadership Collective, named for the Roman goddess Juno who inspires a leadership that is fair and protective in spirit—and creative, bold, and wise in action.
Last October, 14 nonprofit women leaders working on the front lines of equality, justice, sustainability, anti-violence, and economic empowerment across the country joined us for the Omega Women’s Leadership Intensive and were introduced to the OWLC curriculum that invites women to explore ways to #DoPowerDifferently in their leadership at home, at work, and in the world. Since then, the Juno leaders have been meeting as a cohort with OWLC staff and supporting each other’s leadership goals in a collective quest to #DoPowerDifferently.
In May, they returned to Omega, this time with their organizational staff members, to attend the Women Serving Women Summit (WSWS) during Omega’s Nonprofit Retreat Week, for a working retreat and much needed R&R. Juno leader Denny Marsh noted, “I am feeling the innate and dynamically beautiful powers of this group. Thank you for these doses of thought which have helped me to keep alive the feeling that I had with all of you at Omega—that the emergence of new power structures is possible and happening, that the solutions and tools our world needs are already known and embodied deep within us.”
2. Flying High
Anyone who visits Omega in early June is bound to notice the trapeze on the main field. It's where we will host Leadership in Mid-Air from May 31-June 2. The experiential workshop will offer a high-flying approach to leadership development—with nets and safety lines—and with an optional session with the Trapeze Experience team.
“We use the trapeze to look at patterns of stress and to work through fear, improve our relationships with our bodies, and recognize them as sources of power, no matter what challenges we face in our leadership,” Sarah Urech, OWLC director explained.
3. Hands-on Home Repairs
Plumber and activist Judaline Cassidy and expert carpenter Taji Riley are on a mission to teach women how to wield power of a different sort—in the form of drills, screwdrivers, and other implements of construction. In the July 12-14 Home Repairs for Women workshop, Judaline and Taji help participants overcome the reluctance and fear that can arise when facing basic construction and plumbing needs. By learning how to do the kinds of jobs usually delegated to professionals, women gain the confidence that comes with breaking down familiar barriers. Also, there are significant savings when you tackle your own home repairs.
4. Becoming Financially Fluent
The OWLC’s approach to financial literacy and well-being is now available as a self-guided, interactive online course. Building on the success of Manisha Thakor’s Financial Literacy and Beyond in-person workshop, now in its 6th year, the 11-module online course, Financial Well-Being: Gaining Wisdom, Balance, & Joy, offers skills and tools that cut across genders. In the course, Manisha, who is vice president of financial well-being at the wealth management firm Brighton Jones, focuses particularly on the challenges that so many women experience, from lack of financial education to systemic barriers across race, class, and gender.
Manisha noted, "It is my deepest hope that through this course you will develop a sense of increased calm, confidence, and clarity around your finances, and a desire to make dealing with your personal finances a part of your definition of your overall well-being."
(Have you chosen your free online learning course this year? Financial Well-Being: Gaining Wisdom, Balance, & Joy is a qualifying product.)
