JEDDAH, 19 December 2004 — In a recent three-day workshop here last week, Saudi women were shown how to be assertive, to set goals and to know themselves in order to help develop their personal lives and careers.
The workshop, “Women’s Development,” was organized by the Khadija bint Khowailed Center for Businesswomen in collaboration with the British Consulate. It was held at the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce & Industry.
The trainer, Jenny Daisley, is co-founder of Springboard Consultancy which aims to provide access to good quality development training to women from diverse backgrounds. She and her partner, Liz Willis, have traveled around the world and formed an international network of over 400 Springboard trainers. She has conducted workshops in Riyadh and Jeddah and is currently in Dammam.
“One thing that I noticed about Saudi women is how open-minded they are as far as the new ideas I brought,” said Daisley to Arab News. “They just want to take what is rightfully theirs,” she said. Daisley measures the success of her program by the feedback she receives from women on whether the material was useful and if it helps them to attain their goals.
“There is no difference between what women around the world want. The content is different but the issues are similar,” she said. “For example, Saudi women tell me about problems where they need to be assertive; this might be different from other women in other places but the process of being assertive is the same,” she said.
The process takes into account culture, tradition and religion, things that influence women but also focuses on what is changing and what can be changed. “Society has to shift to accommodate changes if women are ready for them,” she said.
When women ask for advice or what the right answer is, she resists telling them because it depends on their priorities but she encourages them to look for help and generate more options.
“I want them to take action before gaining complete confidence, instead of waiting. They should stop questioning themselves and thinking negatively about themselves; they must accept that they’re good enough,” she said.
