Who gave you the most useful career advice? We asked leading women from Slack, Microsoft, EY, Culture Amp, M-Time and StartUpVictoria!

“Whether you think you can or you think you can’t, you’re right”. 

This handful of simple words from American industrialist and business magnate Henry Ford packs a powerful punch. Why? Because so much of what we achieve, or don’t, in life is based on the power of positive thinking and self belief. 

But sometimes the obstacles of everyday life, both at a personal and global level especially during times like the COVID-19 pandemic, can hinder our ability to set personal or career goals, work out what matters, and stay a true course to happiness and fulfilment in our lives, study and work.

That’s where great mentors and role models can make a world of difference to how far you go, and how big you dream.

In fact some of the most successful people on the planet attribute their success to being supported and backed along the way by Mentors, who provided encouraging and powerful insights from lived experiences and shaped their Mentees next steps.

We wanted to tap the experience and advice of some of the great leaders and mentors we know, so we can all learn from them.

We hope their words of wisdom will inspire, uplift and invigorate you at a time when many of us need it more than ever before!

Sarah Agboola

CEO & Founder at m-time, Board Member of the Foundation for Young Australians and Australia Post Stakeholder Council Member

“I really wish someone had told me not to worry about choosing a particular career, course or job path - but instead to use the first few years I had out of school to be as curious as possible and to learn as much as I could. Not necessarily in an academic capacity, but just about the world in general through travel and meeting new people, or even just by reading more books or trying new things. That type of growth is invaluable and ultimately helps you learn who you are and what you like, and without knowing who you are it's going to be a challenge to find a path that is fulfilling.” 

Sarah Tinsley

General Counsel & Company Secretary, Culture Amp

“I wish I had known earlier in my career how valuable the 'accidents' are - when you miss out on an opportunity and have to re-think your approach, take Plan B over Plan A or diverge a bit from the plan. Those 'accidents' resulted in me being in the Tech Industry - if I hadn't strayed from my original plan and let things happen organically I'd be missing out on an industry I absolutely love and be missing out terribly right now!

Rebecca Dabbs

Oceania Managing Partner for Climate Change and Sustainability Services at Ernst & Young 

“See everything as an opportunity. Sometimes you might need to do something to help the team that you don’t want to do. You will be surprised at what you learn when you go into everything with an open mind rather than being critical. Give people the benefit of the doubt.  It’s not always about you, people have things happening in their lives that you have no idea about. Always go with your gut. Don't compromise your values to get ahead. If I could have my time over again I would be more patient, more empathetic towards others and more confident in my abilities.”

Rita Arrigo

Chief Digital Advisor at Microsoft

“Have a portfolio approach to your skills. Always be building on new skills. Be Seen Ask Questions – Present, comment, share on all media. Go to User Groups Meet-ups Hackathons- it’s great way to learn new skills, hear opinions and expand your knowledge.”

Sian Gooden

Account Executive at Slack and Storyteller at s p a c e 

“Stay curious and stay humble. Seek to learn- constantly- from everyone around you! Everyone that you cross paths with has a complex story, a unique set of skills and diversity of experience to learn from. So don't underestimate people- give them your time and energy.”

“Stay open to all possibilities. Don't just focus on the obvious path that lies directly ahead of you. Look for the possibilities that might be in your peripheral vision. You might find that the hidden opportunities are the ones that will challenge you, shape you and open up doors that you didn't even know existed!”

Judy Anderson

CEO Startup Victoria

“Avoid separating your work and personal identities. Bring your true self to work and you will succeed. “

Big thanks to all these awesome leaders and mentors for taking time to share their advice.

For more on mentoring listen to this ABC Episode of This Working Life with Lisa Leong and girledworld Cofounder + CEO Madeleine Grummet on The Power Of A Good Mentor, read this ABC article, or join us for virtual Workplace Mentoring in partnership with the Victorian State Government until June 2020.

Teens struggling to be 'normal' in a hyper-digital world

This article was published by Stephen Lunn in The Australian on Thursday September 5, 2019.

These are the post-feminists, post-MeToo, post-TimesUp, looking to define their version of womanhood in the new hyper-digital world.

And they are struggling with the almost overwhelming complexity of navigating life on and offline.

They know their carefully ­curated digital identity is far from ­reality but want to create the perfect selfie anyway.

They desire online connection but are wary of revealing their true selves to their peers.

They are routinely exposed to online content that parents couldn’t imagine, and look to ­Kardashian-esque influencers to set the standard for beauty, behaviour and social norms.

This snapshot of life for female teenagers is drawn from the contributions of some 8000 girls around the world who were asked to share their hopes and fears by Melbourne digital platform and education technology company girledworld.

The content will next year become a book entitled You Are Not Your Face, but its main topics are being debated among some 200 high school students on Thursday September 5 at the Melbourne Writers Festival Schools Program.

“We had girls contribute from Australia, India, Brazil, China, France, Korea and the US among others, and so many common themes emerged. I have to say it was a pretty dystopian collective world view,” girledworld co-founder Madeleine Grummet said.

“So many girls wrote in to share personal accounts of social isolation, self-harm, depression, sexting, cyber-bullying, digital ­addiction, over-sexualisation — they were all writ large in the submissions we received.

“Interestingly, they found ‘feminism’ to be a dirty word. They rejected MeToo and Times­Up as not their thing, and saw modern feminism as irrelevant, confrontational and divisive, aflame with accusations rather than based on equality and re­conciliation. They had their own version of post-feminist womanhood.

“So many were struggling with what it meant to be ‘normal’, in behaviour and looks, as they checked out the feeds of influencers on Instagram, Snapchat or Weibo.

“What was clear was this increasing pressure young girls felt to be perfect due to the social media-fuelled overemphasis on outer appearance, which was creating mental health problems.”

Westall Secondary College student Zoi Spiliopoulou, 13, is heading to Thursday’s debate with more than 100 schoolmates.

She couldn’t remember the last time she watched TV, as her phone had everything she needed.

“At times girls can get all ‘I’ve got to keep the perfect image online’, and they don’t feel comfortable showing what their insecurities are,” she said.

This was not a judgment, she said, as “when you use social media, you want to capture the happy moments. When I look back, I don’t want to see when I wasn’t so happy.”

Her schoolmate Monineath Seang, 14, said she didn’t have an online persona different from her offline one:

“I balance (social media) with my everyday activities, and try and use it only with the people I’m close to.”

Ms Grummet said a concerning level of naivety remained about responsible digital usage among the teenagers, despite them being submerged in the digital realm with all its access to unfiltered information.

“They really haven’t come to grips with the realities of their passive digital footprint, and just how much of their lives they have exposed which can never be erased,” she said.

Thank you to Stephen Lunn at The Australian for covering this story.

Stephen Lunn is The Australian's Social Affairs Editor, covering social policy issues including ageing, disability, welfare, immigration and population policy. Read more

Mind Over Matter: Yes You Can

How does mind over matter work?

Over 30 years ago, #CarolDweck and her colleagues became interested in students' attitudes about failure. They noticed that some students rebounded while other students were devastated by even the smallest setbacks.

After studying the behavior of 1000’s of children, Dr. Dweck coined the terms #fixedmindset and #growthmindset to describe the underlying beliefs people have about learning and intelligence.

When students believe they can get smarter, they understand that effort makes them stronger. Therefore they put in extra time and effort, and that leads to higher achievement.

Recent advances in #neuroscience have also shown us that the brain is far more malleable than we ever knew, and that with practice, neural networks can grow new connections, strengthen existing ones, and increase our neural growth by the actions we take, such as using good strategies, asking questions, practicing, and following good nutrition and sleep habits.👍🏽

Research has also demonstrated the link between mindsets and achievement.

It turns out, if you believe your brain can grow, you behave differently. 🙋🏻‍♀️🧠

Which means you can indeed change your mindset from fixed to growth, and when you do, it leads to increased motivation and achievement.

Make this week a YES YOU CAN week :)

What's the average amount of time we each spend on our digital devices per day?

We’re living in the digital age. An age of drones and clones, of big data, of constant screens and technology and social media playing an ever-present and pervasive role in our everyday lives and work.

Technology is not a bad thing. In fact, technological advancements have enabled huge leaps in healthcare, transit and communication delivery across the planet, changing lives every day.

But technology also has a dark side.

Have a think about your relationship with the devices in your life.📲💻⌚️🖥

New statistics on screen time and digital addiction reveal that the global average time spent on smartphones is 261 minutes a day (4hrs 33mins).

And the average user spends 76 minutes a day (1hr 16mins) on the top 5 social media apps.

Countries including China and South Korea have recognised internet addiction as a new disease (Internet Addiction Disorder (IAD) and now publicly fund internet and gaming addiction treatment centres across the country.

It’s time to take charge of your usage and stay in control of your devices.

Be aware of your screen time, and try a few stints where you do a digital detox this week.

You just might feel a whole lot better for it. :) 🙏🏼

IN SEARCH OF SELFIE

girledworld joins the Melbourne Writers Festival Schools Program 2019 in a public forum with 200 students and teachers to unpack the strange and rule-ridden world of selfie culture.

#girledworld Cofounders and authors of #youarenotyourface@madeleinegrummet and Edwina Kolomanski @edwinamani will facilitate a youth-led discussion exploring the role of #socialmedia and #selfies in teenage personal narrative and identity development.

Plenty to debate, share - and unpack!💥

‘In Search of Selfie’
Facilitated Q&A Teen Forum
Thursday September 5, 2019.
State Library Victoria
Isabella Fraser Room

Book early to avoid missing out. All deets @melbwritersfest or go to website here for bookings.

Teenage anxiety is an epidemic. Why?

We hang out with and hear from lots of teenagers, and what keeps coming up is that anxiety is an epidemic right now.😬😞

In fact it’s estimated that worldwide up to 20% of teenagers experience anxiety, and in Australia alone one in 14 young Australians (6.9%) aged 4-17 have experienced an anxiety disorder - equivalent to about 278,000 young people.

Social media pressure?

Technology?

More complicated lives?

Nutrition?

There are many theories as to why. .

If you, or someone you know is experiencing anxiety, getting help is the best first step anyone can make.
The second is to try and take tiny steps every day to ground yourself.

Try this little 5-step practice above and see how you go.
1️⃣2️⃣3️⃣4️⃣5️⃣ 🙏🏼

#youarenotyourface READ MORE HERE.
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girledworld Cofounder Edwina Kolomanski shares her story at Melbourne Town Hall event with Lord Mayor Sally Capp

Our Cofounder + COO Edwina Kolomanski will share the girledworld story, startup journey and her career and study pathways at the Melbourne Town Hall this Friday August 2, as part of the The University of Melbourne Young Alumni Cocktails + Conversations series.

Edwina will take the stage alongside Lord Mayor of Melbourne Sally Capp and CEO + Cofounder of Allume Energy Cameron Knox.

In case you didn't know it, Edwina is a serial entrepreneur and university student!, who has a Bachelor of Media and Communications, a Master of Entrepreneurship (First Class Honours) from the The University of Melbourne on scholarship, studied as a Visiting International Student at Columbia University in the City of New York, and is currently completing a Juris Doctor on scholarship Monash University, where she was awarded a Monash Global Discovery Scholarship in 2018 for her demonstrated commitment to innovation.

We don't know how she does it! But she does. Every day.

More info on event below or via this link.

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UNIVERSITY OF MELBOURNE YOUNG ALUMNI COCKTAILS + CONVERSATIONS
Friday August 2, 2019 7.00pm-10.00pm
Melbourne Town Hall, Swanston Room

What does the Melbourne of the future have in store for you?

The world is changing rapidly. The drivers of change are many and include trends such as the rise of entrepreneurship, business technology, and consumer expectations around sustainability. So how will these drivers influence our city? And how will you be best placed to take advantage of the opportunities these changes will bring?

Join our key note speaker Lord Mayor Sally Capp as she gives her take on the future of doing business in the City of Melbourne. She will be joined by two young alumni guests who will give their unique perspective as young business owners.

Following formalities, you will be able to continue the conversation with your young alumni network over refreshing cocktails and delicious canapes. If you would like to kick-on further, the Business and Economics Young Alumni Committee will be hosting an after-party in the city.

MEET THE EVENT SPEAKERS

Lord Mayor Sally Capp, BCom, LLB(Hons)1991

Sally Capp was elected Lord Mayor of Melbourne in May 2018 and was the first woman to be directly elected as Lord Mayor. Sally was also the first woman to hold the post of Agent-General for Victoria in the UK, Europe and Israel. She has also served as the CEO for the Committee for Melbourne and COO of the Victorian Chamber of Commerce and Industry.   Sally began her career as a Solicitor, after completing Law (Hons) and Commerce degrees at the University of Melbourne. Sally has held senior roles at both KPMG and ANZ, and she took the small business she co- founded to the ASX. Most recently she was Victorian Executive Director of the Property Council of Australia. A passionate Magpies supporter, in 2004 Sally made history as the first female board member of Collingwood FC. She is involved in a number of charities, currently sitting on the board of the Olivia Newton-John Cancer Research Institute, the Mary Jane Lewis Scholarship Foundation and the Melbourne University Faculty of Business and Economics. Sally is also Honorary Patron of the Lord Mayor’s Charitable Foundation, Trustee of the Shrine of Remembrance, Member of the Council of Capital City Lord Mayors, Patron of the Royal Victorian Association of Honorary Justices, Patron of the Royal Women’s Hospital Foundation and Victorian Honorary Vice President of the Australia-Britain Society (Victoria) Inc.

Cameron Knox, BSc 2016, DipLang 2016

Cameron is the CEO & Co-Founder of Allume Energy, a Melbourne based start-up aimed at making solar affordable and accessible for apartment residents. Since its inception in 2015 Allume have grown to 12 employees, secured over $2M in contracted revenue, signed customers in 2 continents and attracted over $2.5M in investment. Allume are an alumni of the UniMelb affiliated Melbourne Accelerator Program. Cameron is a graduate of a Bachelor of Science at the University of Melbourne and juggles his role at Allume with a part time Masters of Mechatronics.

Edwina Kolomanski, MEnt 2016, BA 2012

Edwina is Cofounder of Australian education startup Girledworld, with the mission of upskilling, equipping and inspiring the next generation of female leaders, entrepreneurs and STEM champions.

In response to a lack of gender diversity in future-facing industries such as STEM and startup, Girledworld deliver large scale World of Work events for high school girls, educators and parents, design in-school career and Future of Work employability programs and partner with schools, industry and governments to better support young women in the critical years of career decision making. 

Edwina has a Bachelor of Media and Communications and Master of Entrepreneurship (First Class Hons) from the University of Melbourne on scholarship, studied as a Visiting International Student at Columbia University’s Barnard College in New York and is currently completing a Juris Doctor at Monash University, where she was awarded a Monash Global Discovery Scholarship in 2018 for her demonstrated commitment to Innovation. 

All event details here.

Meet James. Part human, part machine.

It’s predicted that humanity will change more in the next 20 years than it has in the last 300.

Meet James, a 25-year-old biological scientist who has an advanced cybernetic prosthetic arm with a built-in drone and flashlight.

Humans like James will be commonplace by 2030.

In fact, research and advancements in cybernetics will increasingly give humans super-powers, and we will move to an age of trans-humanism where augmentation, cognitive acceleration and the use of science and technology will evolve the human race beyond its current physical and mental limitations to a new era of advanced intellect and physiology.

Are you ready for it?

Read more about developments in STEM and cybernetics, and how your future job pathway just might be in this space here.

How do we prepare today's students for tomorrow's workforce?

A recent future of jobs report by the @worldeconomicforum shows that the Fourth Industrial Revolution is currently interacting with multiple socio-economic and demographic factors to create a perfect storm of business model change in all industries, resulting in major disruptions to traditional labour and employment markets.

New categories of jobs are emerging, partly or wholly displacing others, and the skill sets required in both old and new occupations is changing in most industries and transforming how, where and why people work.

What is clear is that given the #futureofwork is radically reshaping itself, today’s students are preparing for an uncertain tomorrow where #technology, #automation and #globalisation are driving a new marketplace, requiring new skill sets, mindsets and employment capabilities.

That’s why @girledworld we’re working with high schools all over Australia in 2019 delivering #FutureOfWork 21st Century Career Workshops!💡

Our workshops, led by #girledworld co-founders and expert #innovation facilitators, allow students to be inspired, expand their knowledge and upskill in 21st Century, #entrepreneurship #innovation #teamwork and #STEM capabilities through real world, industry-backed learning contexts so they’re ready and equipped for tomorrow’s world of work, today.

To find out more about our workshops click here.

Embrace your inner freak. You Are Not Your Face FINAL SUBMISSIONS CALL OUT! Teenage writers we're talking to you!

Embrace your inner freak. #youarenotyourface
FINAL DAYS! Submit your story!

If you’re a TEENAGE GIRL and would like to contribute your story to the #girledworld #youarenotyourface project CLICK HERE!

We’ve received 1000’s of AMAZING stories, poetry and writing from teenage girls across the planet 🌏 and we’d love to add your voice to the mix!

Massive and heartfelt THANK YOU to all the amazing girls who have contributed their words and wisdom so far! We can’t wait to share it all VERY SOON! in a phenomenal book for teenage girls!! 🙌🏽💛🌍
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Submissions (first name, age and country only) will be published on the @girledworld platform and selected entries will be published in ‘You Are Not Your Face’ (scheduled for release in late 2019).📓

SUBMIT ENTRIES HERE 🔝🔝🔝

Gorgeous words in picture via @mattzhaig 🙏🏼

In Search of Selfie. girledworld join Melbourne Writer's Festival to unpack selfie culture.

FACTS: Last year, more people were killed taking selfies than in shark attacks.🦈

93 million selfies are taken and posted worldwide each day. 📸

And the average 16-25-year-old female spent 5 hours a week taking 3 selfies per day in pursuit of the perfect pose.👅

Why? What’s going on here?

Well what is clear is that for many people their self-worth is highly dependant on the feedback 👍🏽👎🏽 they receive from posting daily selfies.

And the fickle currency of social media likes and online popularity is spilling over into the complex world of real lives and relationships, making it harder and harder to divide our online and offline selves.

We’re interested in exploring the cult of selfie, and the connection between selfies and self-esteem.

So join us @melbwritersfest #MWF19 Schools’ Program in a public forum with 200 students and teachers to unpack the strange and rule-ridden world of selfie culture.

#girledworld Cofounders and authors of #youarenotyourface@madeleinegrummet and Edwina Kolomanski @edwinamani will facilitate a youth-led discussion exploring the role of #socialmedia and #selfies in teenage personal narrative and identity development.

Plenty to debate, share - and unpack!💥 Deets below. 👇🏽
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‘In Search of Selfie’
Facilitated Q&A Teen Forum
Thursday September 5, 2019.
State Library Victoria
Isabella Fraser Room

Book early to avoid missing out. All details and full program at @melbwritersfest or on their website here.

#girledworld #leadership #identity #youarenotyourface
See You Are Not Your Face here.

What no BS innovation looks like: Inside Atlassian's ShipIt 42.

Just popped out of two amazing days inside @atlassian’s #Shipit #SanFrancisco.

A rare chance to work inside one of Silicon Valley’s hypergrowth tech companies, see what open company no BS looks like, and work with their teams to spin up solutions - fast!🔛

ShipIt gives you 24 hours to innovate. Build stuff. Simple, technical, insane. Doesn’t matter what. It’s about ideas made actual, and about teams humming.

It’s kinda like 20% time. On steroids. (This happens once a quarter right across the world and 1000’s of people join in).

What struck me most was the people inside Atlassian, their open ways of work, patterns of collaboration, the fluid free flow of information.

These are seriously talented, authentic, passionate people working open, working fast, no BS, no power plays, with rapid cycles of communication>ideation>synthesis>focussed work>start again. 

This is unsurprising given Atlassian’s values-first tilt on the world. And people first approach to hiring.

If you walk through any Atlassian office across the globe, you’ll see their values everywhere - hanging like flags, expressed creatively on walls, part of the living culture and bounce boards of the work that’s done day by day:

1. Open company, no bullshit

2. Build with heart and balance

3. Don’t f*ck the customer

4. Play as a team

5. Be the change you seek

But the take out here is that when we talk ad nauseam about innovation, about its process and methodology and science, what we’re really talking about is the way we as REAL people best work together in teams to stand our ideas up. Simple. (As long as you’ve got the right people in the room in the first place).

I’m a big believer in no BS, bringing my authentic self to everything I do, and working with people and in ways that make sense - to me, and the bigger world. 🌏

This #ShipIt experience has restored my faith in what great work looks like.

Future ways of work are already here. At @Atlassian. No BS.

Work open.
Work real.
Bring you to work.

girledworld joins Vivid Sydney to chat the Future Of Work with DropBox, CommBank and NewCo

Artificial intelligence, robotics and digital platforms are changing the way we learn, communicate and work. Australians must continuously innovate to stay relevant, or risk being left behind.

Join us to hear from four of the NewCo festival’s most inspiring business leaders; Shani Langi - Partner & Managing Director of Usual Suspects Creative, Madeleine Grummet - Co-Founder and CEO of GirledWorld, Heath Brown - Executive Manager at CommBank Innovation Labs and Deeps De Silva - Head of Marketing for Asia-Pacific and Japan at Dropbox, as they dissect the future of work, and share the business practices and life hacks that can help keep you ahead of the game. 

NewCo festival was founded in San Francisco by John Battelle (founder of WIRED) and has run in 18 cities around the world with over 2,500 businesses involved to date. 

NewCo is a Silicon Valley-born inside-out festival that opens the office doors to the most innovative and purpose-driven businesses where business leaders demonstrate what they are doing to evolve, adapt, make an impact and generate positive change. 

At the 2017 Sydney and Melbourne festivals, over 600 attendees visit 80 host companies including the likes of Uber, Amazon Web Services, Girledworld, Airtasker, Seven Network, KPMG, LinkedIn, WeWork, Fishburners, Pandora Internet Radio, Lendlease, Lonely Planet, University of Technology, The School of Life, Time Out, Bellroy, The Asylum Seeker Resource Centre, The Big Issue and more.

Please join us in Sydney for Vivid, NewCo on Thursday May 31, 2018.

BOOK TICKETS HERE

Why the diversity dial isn't moving: Atlassian State of Diversity Report 2018

As a female founder, mother of four girls and passionate #STEM and #diversity advocate, I am doing what I can in my sphere of influence to drive diversity and inclusion, ignite conversation, table the metrics and push for progress. 

But diversity is indeed a very wicked problem. 

Entrenched cognitive biases, fixed cultures, diversity fatigue and too much talk and too little action mean we’ve actually still got a long way to go before D&I and gender is no longer on the agenda. (Run the numbers on the number of women in tech/STEM/funded startups/ASX or Fortune500 CEO leadership roles/government senior level positions. Not good.)

We keep talking/reading/town hall-ing about team diversity as a critical driver of innovation and problem-solving, but unless we can cultivate it/hire for it/celebrate it/elevate it/action it, our best attempts at innovation will always be constrained. 

Atlassian’s recent State of Diversity Report 2018 reveals why the D&I dial isn’t actually moving despite the conversations about cultural shift and commitment to D&I in the US and Silicon Valley right now. 

This is, of course, an endemic problem.

To effect any real change we need to sweep company-, startup- and society-wide, top to bottom, bring more chairs to the cap table, break down mindless bureaucracy, shift fixed mindsets, share our stories, build D&I skills, action inclusivity programs, push against status quo, employ empathy, and put people, values, balance and belonging before the BS of empty D&I PR rhetoric.

We also need to commit to active end-to-end processes and systems that mandate diversity as an accountable, transparent line item, and usher in a new world of work practice where we hire for diversity of not just faces but races, places and think spaces (mind sets).

What are you doing to action diversity and shift the dial? #teamup 

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At www.girledworld.com we are doing our bit to build girls up with skills and real-world knowledge so they can do their best work with values-driven passion. But the world needs to be ready for them when they unleash themselves on it. 

Join us to build the next Gen of innovators, founders and leaders at the girledworld WOW Summit 2018 at RMIT University.

A life-changing weekend of real-world learning for girls. Details here.

#teamup #girledworld #closetheSTEMdergap #womenintech

Let's get girls to unleash their potential and solve the wicked problems of the world: girledworld summit 2018

There are so many wicked problems to solve in the world that we think it’s time girls unleash their potential and collective talents to tackle them head-on.

This year at the @girledworld WOW Summit 2018 @rmituniversity WE WILL have a full-day deep dive on DESIGN THINKING to give girls real-world tools in real-world problem-solving. CLICK HERE TO READ MORE. And click here to book your spot.
 

SO What is Design Thinking ANYWAY?

Design Thinking is a process for creative problem-solving. It's a methodology often used by designers to solve complex (or wicked) problems through a stepped process in order to find desirable solutions for their clients (= humans who have problems they need solved).

In order to use Design Thinking, you need to use a design mindset which parks what you know and let's you instead go deeply into understanding the human you are solving problems for. You need to EMPATHIZE with their world, and notice what's happening for them, so you can best gather insights about their experiences.

Once you've gathered your insights about the problems you have observed you will need to DEFINE them. Kind of come up with a set list of the things you've observed, and patterns you've recognised, so you can then try and solve for the problems therein.

The next stage is to IDEATE (ie: brainstorm to come up with as many awesome solutions as you can to solve the problems on your DEFINE list).

You can THINK BIG here! Moonshots. The idea is you just get as many wild and wacky ideas out there as you can. Flex your creative muscle. Go nuts. Because the whole point of Design Thinking is that it pushes you to explore the possibilities of what could be, by drawing on logic, imagination, intuition, and systemic reasoning to create desired outcomes that will ultimately benefit the end user (the customer/human).

The next step is to build the solution: PROTOTYPE. Make it. But make it simple. And make it fast. Do it for under $100. Under $1 is even better! Use paper, wire-framing on a free web tool, sketch it, act it out. Whatever you do. Don't overcomplicate it. Just bring it to life as fast as you can because once you've built your PROTOTYPE you need to quickly get it into the hands of a human (customer) as soon as you can to TEST it.

Why? The human can tell you if it sucks, or not. They can also tell you if your solution is solving their problem well, or not at all. If it does solve quite well but not quite well enough, work with the human to change it (iterate), so it gets closer to what they need, and then ask them to TEST it again. If it still sucks, go back to the start of the process and see if you started with the right problem in the first place. Then step through the cycle again. Rinse and repeat. Til ultimately, you place in the hands of the human (customer) a solution so insanely awesomely customised just for the problem they needed solved, that they'll be begging you to keep it.

Voila. Simple as that.

Problem solved. Solution beautiful.

You now have a product worth making and shipping to the world!

What's the difference Between Design and Design Thinking?

“Most people make the mistake of thinking design is what it looks like. People think it’s this veneer — that the designers are handed this box and told, ‘Make it look good!’ That’s not what we think design is. It’s not just what it looks like and feels like. Design is how it works.”
— Steve Jobs, APPLE

“Design is the action of bringing something new and desired into existence—a proactive stance that resolves or dissolves problematic situations by design. It is a compound of routine, adaptive and design expertise brought to bear on complex dynamic situations.”
—Harold Nelson, The Design Way

Join us for a full day of immersive Design Thinking where girls will work in groups to use creativity, collaboration and innovative problem solving to design solutions to three real-world problems. (And gain a Micro-Credential in #designthinking to add to their resumes :)

@girledworld invites future female changemakers (currently in Years 9 to 12 in Australian secondary schools) who want to gain skills in entrepreneurship, design thinking and real world problem solving to join us for a hands on day of business building! 🙌🏽

Led by a dynamic, hand-picked squad of industry specialists, innovation coaches, entrepreneurs and RMIT experts, our young female changemakers will work together across a day of Design Thinking modules to unpack complex problems and work to solutions on three real world pain points.

Limited spots. A lifetime of learning. 

“Design thinking is a process for creative problem solving.”

- Coe Leta Stafford, Managing Director IDEO U 

GIRLEDWORLD WOW (WORLD OF WORK) 🌏SUMMIT 2018 🙌🏽

This year's Summit has been developed and designed with RMIT Melbourne (where the event will be held) and will feature two days of immersive, real-world, hands-on learning for girls in Australian Secondary Schools (Year 9 - Year 12) so they can radically upskill, powerfully goal-set and get ready to thrive in the Future of Work. 

Across one extraordinary, transformational weekend, the @girledworld WOW 🌏Summit will bring together top speakers, industry experts and amazing career mentors to explore the new world of work and emerging areas of technology and STEM. This interactive, highly curated, Australian curriculum aligned event will empower, educate and equip all attendees with the mindsets, skillsets and toolkits they'll need to make informed choices about their future career pathways. 

WE PROMISE. THIS IS NOT YOUR AVERAGE CAREERS EVENT. ⚡️🚀

CLICK HERE FOR TICKETS AND MORE INFO ON THE LINE-UP

LAST YEAR’S @GIRLEDWORLD SUMMIT AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MELBOURNE WAS A SELLOUT! GET IN QUICK FOR THIS ONE!

GROUP BOOKINGS AVAILABLE FOR SCHOOLS AND COMMUNITY GROUPS.
PLEASE SEE HERE. 

Why girls need strong, visible female role models

Do as I do, not as I say.

Role modelling is incredibly powerful. 

Research shows that the greatest determinant of a young girls’ future success is her access to a tribe of strong, visible, capable female role models who can show her how to unearth her talents, find her voice and forge her own path.👊🏽 

Research also tells us we need strong, visible female role models because we need girls to feel their own power when they see it reflected in women leading companies, running countries and founding businesses. (And there are nowhere near enough of them across the world right now).

And what we know is that in the new world of work we will need many more strong visible female role models thinking big, breaking through and radically redesigning the future of the workplace so girls can, alongside and after these women, push through barriers and biases to create the world-shaping innovations and new economies of our age. 

If you’re a secondary school aged girl (Years 9-12), a Parent or an Educator please join us for the girledworld WOW Summit 2018 at RMIT University for a life-changing weekend of role modelling, skill-building and windows to the future of work. 

girledworld World of Work Summit 2018
In partnership with RMIT University, Melbourne City Campus
Saturday June 16 + Sunday June 17, 2018
Earn Micro-Credentials in Design Thinking, Critical Thinking and connect with girls and female mentors from across Australia and the world.

EARLY BIRD TICKETS ON SALE NOW! $49.95 Selling fast! 🏃🏽‍♀️ 

Click here for details on speakers, program and certifications. 

girledworld WOW Summit 2018 at RMIT. Tickets On-Sale Today!!

We are pumped to announce that tickets for the girledworld WOW (World of Work) 🌏Summit 2018 are on sale today (as in right now, right here, get 'em before they're gone!) 🙌🏽

This year's Summit has been developed and designed with RMIT Melbourne (where the event will be held) and will feature two days of immersive, real-world, hands-on learning for girls in Australian Secondary Schools (Year 9 - Year 12) so they can radically upskill, powerfully goal-set and get ready to thrive in the Future of Work. 

Across one extraordinary, transformational weekend, the @girledworld WOW 🌏Summit will bring together top speakers, industry experts and amazing career mentors to explore the new world of work and emerging areas of technology and STEM. This interactive, highly curated, Australian curriculum aligned event will empower, educate and equip all attendees with the mindsets, skillsets and toolkits they'll need to make informed choices about their future career pathways. 

We promise. This is not your average careers event. ⚡️🚀

CLICK HERE for TICKETS and more INFO.

Last year’s @girledworld Summit at the University of Melbourne was a sellout!

Get in quick for this one!

Group bookings available for schools and community groups. Please see here. 

#girledworldsummit #girledworld #melbourne #rmituniversity #rmit #worldofwork #futureofwork #internationalwomensday #createyourfuturecareer 💡

girledworld get behind International Women's Day 2018!

It's a big week, this one, for women the world over as International Women's Day comes around again - Thursday March 8, 2018.

This year's theme? #pressforprogress

We'll be doing our bit travelling around the country speaking at events, on panels and on podcasts connecting with extraordinary audiences of women and girls, learning from each other and having the conversations we need to have about standing up, stepping up and starting up, so we can progress society as a whole.

Please join us as we #pressforprogress in 2018.

And join in the conversation this week in your school, university, home, business, boardroom and social circles so, together, we can move toward a future that is brighter, fairer and bolder for all.

#girledworld #grittynotpretty #girlscantbewhattheycantsee #equality #parity #humanitywins

girledworld joins Pause Fest 2018 to chat The New School Rules: Driving Innovation in Education

Join girledworld at Pause Fest 2018 chatting The New School Rules: Driving Innovation in Education with girledworld, Girl Geek Academy, The Hacker Exchange and Deakin Spark.

How can traditional education institutions prepare students to thrive in our fast-moving world?

Real students and education innovators will gather to debate and discuss their views on education trends and what skills students really need, and want, in today’s evolving market with Sarah Moran, Co-Founder and CEO Girl Geek Academy, Madeleine Grummet, Co-Founder and CEO girledworld, Jeanetter Cheah, Co-Founder and CSO The Hacker Exchange, and Daizy Mann, Program Manager SPARK Deakin.

ABOUT PAUSE FEST

Pause is Australasia's premier creative, tech and business event.

A catalyst for change, a uniter of all industries, and a platform for the future, Pause brings the world’s foremost thought leaders like Airbnb, NASA, Netflix, Hyperloop, Fast Company, Girls in Tech, This American Life, SXSW, Pixar and Lucasfilm together with local heroes, for one unforgettably action-packed event.

Book your tickets here and join us to 'Network like a pro, Upskill like a boss, Marvel like a kid, and Future like you want! @PauseFest @FedSquare #Pause2018. 

Youthquake: 15 FYA Future Chasers Set To Shake Up 2017!

This article can be accessed on the FYA Website here.
By Jan Owen AM, CEO Foundation For Young Australians

We seem to get a buzz from calling young people lazy, entitled and self-obsessed. The frenzy around them spending too much money on smashed avo and too much time taking selfies is nothing new - but somehow we still seem to think this generation is the worst, most disinterested bunch.

This generation has experienced perhaps the most rapid, dramatic shifts of societal standards than any other generation before them. Overwhelmingly this has resulted in a generation more driven toward progressing constant social change.

The Oxford Dictionary word of 2017 was ‘youthquake’, meaning a significant cultural, political, or social change arising from the actions or influence of young people.

With two major elections, first in the UK and second in New Zealand, usage of ‘youthquake’ spiked fivefold in 2017 compared to the previous year, describing a massive surge of young people making their political voices heard.

Of the over 100,000 new votes to join the electoral roll ahead of the Australian ‘yes’ marriage equality survey, an overwhelming 65% were young people. And in the results – 78% of young people (aged 18-19) voted yes.

On the back of a year of immense and vivid change across the globe, we need new, unrestrained ideas and new thinking to create a strong future. We need to amplify the ‘youthquake’ and ensure that young people’s creativity, fearlessness and unfettered thinking is unleashed.

In 2018 FYA is working to put these young people at the centre, to ensure they are not just getting a seat at the table, but they’re actively engaged in the conversation and given licence to take the wheel.

Here are 15 young Future Chasers ready to send ‘youthquakes’ through 2018:

Adam Jahnke

A 27 year old technology and public health professional from Melbourne, in 2016, Adam Jahnke founded Umps Health after his grandpa was hospitalised due to a fall at home. Umps Health uses machine learning enabled power plugs and lighting to empower the elderly to live safe and independent lives at home.

Ally Watson

Ally Watson runs, Code Like a Girl, a small initiative with big ambitions to inspire females into careers in coding and leadership roles within the tech industry. Code Like a Girl has an online community of women and hosts free events around Melbourne with a focus on celebrating women in the local tech-industry.

Andy Barley

Andy Barley is re-imagining science. His project, Sci-Ground, is a modern, colourful, fascinating science playground which turns public spaces into STEM exploration spaces. The physical experience is augmented by an immersive app connecting the community with the ways STEM is improving our lives. Sci-Ground provides kids with a captivating opportunity to get outside and discover science handson.

Chris Varney

An advocate for children’s rights, Chris Varney is the founder and CEO of the I CAN Network.  I CAN Network is driving a rethink of Autism so that young Australians on the spectrum think ‘I CAN’, not ‘I Can’t’, in response to their challenges and opportunities. Chris was inspired to start I CAN from the exemplary support his family and friends provided in helping him channel his Asperger’s.

Jordan O’Reilly

Jordan O’Reilly is the co-founder of Fighting Chance and hireup, an online platform revolutionising the way Australians with disability find, hire and manage their own home care and support workers. From the age of 16 Jordan has dedicated his life to working with people with disabilities ensuring they gain access to work opportunities and their choice of quality care. Jordan has led disruptive innovation in the disability care sector, working within the newly minted NDIS. 

Hunter Johnson / Jamin Heppell

HeadQuarters Australia is a preventative mental health and emotional intelligence organisation co-founded by Hunter Johnson and Jamin Heppell. Heading up initiatives including The Man Cave, the duo are working to empower a generation of young people with the social and emotional skills to lead a life of connection, purpose and positive impact.

Paige Burton

The 2017 UN Youth Representative, Paige Burton previously served as the National Education Director and Chair of the Board for United Nations Youth Australia. Paige helped develop the UN Youth Australia’s national curriculum, founded the first national advocacy-oriented public speaking competition (Voice), and facilitated educational tours of Timor-Leste and the Middle East for high school students.

Lisa Rapley

A 28 year old Gumbaynggirr woman from Brisbane, in 2016 Lisa Rapley co-founded Yuludarla Karulbo, an organistation with two important goals. The first is to engage Indigenous people in sharing culture in our wider communties, and the second is to empower Indigenous youth to achieve their dreams. Yuludarla Karulbo has delivered cultural workshops to over 1200 school children, and is in the process of creating a space to empower Indigenous youth on their leadership journey.

Mikhara Ramsing  

Mikhara is a 27 year old social entrepreneur from regional NSW. In 2017 she founded ‘Ethnic LGBT+’, a free online community resource intended to provide support, education and mentorship for individuals who identify at the intersection of sexual and gender diversity and cultural and linguistic diversity. Ethnic LGBT+ has reached 100s of individuals around Australia and is based on the strong belief that stories save lives.

Natasha Ritchie

Natasha is a 23 year old social entrepreneur from Melbourne. She is the Managing Director of Tijimbat (Teachabout Inc.) which facilitates community programs in remote Northern Territory during the school holidays. Tijimbat provides paid employment for community Program Leaders who, along with voluntary Activity Leaders, facilitate cultural, vocational and academic based activities for kids aged from 0 to 15. If not working or completing her studies in Law and International Relations, Natasha can be found in the dance studio.

Nayuka Gorrie

Nayuka Gorrie is an Aboriginal activist and writer, primarily concerned with the topics black politics and feminism. She’s written on topics including her ever-changing stance on constitutional recognition, recited her work at Melbourne literary salon Women of Letters and works in the youth not-for-profit sector as a program manager. An author, social commentator and comedian, Nayuka is passionate about self-determination and culture.

Nkosana Mafico

The Founder and CEO of the Council for Young Africans Living Abroad, Nkosana empowers young Africans to find work, to develop into borderless thinkers and future leaders and to change how African youth are perceived by some in Australia. Passionate about advancing humanity through business,  Nkosana was part of the 2017 Young Social Pioneers cohort.

Taj Pabari

At just 15 Taj Pabari was the youngest ever Young Social Pioneer to take out the prize money in 2015. An inventor, entrepreneur and educational pioneer with a passion for inspiring children in today’s emerging 21st Century Digital Economy discover the great world of entrepreneurship through technology and innovation, Taj is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Fiftysix. Fiftysix is an exciting and interactive way for children to immerse themselves in innovative technology through continuous creation and entertaining education.

Usman Iftikhar

Usman is the co-founder of Catalysr, a startup incubator working with exceptional individuals from migrant and refugee backgrounds, by supporting them to break down barriers to employment and starting their own businesses. They’ve orke it ntrepreneur ro igrant/refuge ackgroun thei irs ear, whic a e e usinesses. hes usinesse av reate ve $300,00 evenue, n ull-tim ob n r ontinuin row. Catalysr’ isio reat “igrapreneuria” evolutio ustralia. t issio reat 0,00 ob ustrali h ex ears.

Vanessa Marian  

In 2016 Vanessa Marian founded Groove Therapy, aimed at making dance accessible to all walks of life. The program has brought dance to at-risk youth, Indigenous communities, dementia sufferers, refugee girls and the every-day person, using the political and healing foundations that these street dance styles are built upon and mindfully appropriating it in new communities to help spark global conversation and cultural understanding.

WHY GENDER NEEDS TO STAY ON THE AGENDA.

At events recently, several successful males have said the following to me: 'I wish women would just stop with all this female founder and leadership and gender stuff and just get on with doing big things and building great businesses.'

They, clearly, completely miss the point.

Some women ARE out there building businesses and doing big things - but nowhere near the rate that males are. 

Some women ARE leading organisations, engaging in public life, policy shaping, and creating the architecture of the new economy.

But nowhere near the participation rate of men. 

And you don't have to look far to see that in the media, in business, in politics, in boardrooms, in startups, in tech and in STEM, women continue to be underrepresented, underpaid, under-voiced, undervalued and under-done - across industries, and across the world.

On top of that, women are predominantly carrying the invisible burden of care, for which there is no trading currency.

So we can choose to shut down the conversations or sugar up the stats, but the facts remain... the scales aren't balancing fast enough.

The gender gap is real.

Bias is entrenched.

And shifting legacy fixed mindsets is going to take multi-generational momentum.
 
Equality? Parity? We're nowhere near there yet. 

So we need to keep gender on the agenda, have the hard conversations, and then as a whole society create action to find a positive, workable solution to bring up the numbers and get the whole of humanity participating in the problem-solving of our age.

We need to get women and the girls after them to step up, lead, succeed, shape, design, learn, listen, speak, start, quest, wonder, run, code, write and win. Alongside men.

The conversations will only go away when the problem is solved, the gap has closed and we can ALL get on with doing big things and building TOGETHER.

@girledworld Building the next generation of female founders and leaders, one girl at a time. ✖️✖️