Based in British Columbia, the Society for Canadian Women in Science and Technology (SCWIST) is a non-profit association that promotes, encourages and empowers women and girls in science, engineering and technology. As part of the Government of Canada Women in Technology project, SCWIST has created the Make Possible Mentoring Network to provide mentoring support, networking connections, professional development and leadership opportunities to help women reach their full potential (www.makepossible.ca).
The Make Possible vision is a world where aspiration, opportunity and diversity intersect. Make Possible’s mission is to help women connect, collaborate and lead through its dedicated on-line mentoring platform – which now includes over 300 members – including post-secondary students, early to mid career women, and senior leaders and CEOs – across a variety of industry sectors, organizations and geographies.
SCWIST has provided mentoring opportunities, leadership training, skill development workshops, and gender diversity tool kits to positively influence workplace culture and create policies that will attract and retain top STEM talent. Collaboration partners in the project include WinSETT Centre, WWEST (West Coast Women in Engineering, Science and Technology), BCHRMA (BC Human Resource Management Association), and the WEB Alliance – a network that represents 10,000 women in business in BC.
Within the first two years of this project, SCWIST Make Possible has successfully engaged digital economy business leaders in BC in productive forums and provided new insights on how to influence change in their organizations to advance women in technology.
