Women in News (WIN) Launches Third Year in Botswana, Namibia and Zambia

WAN-IFRA’s groundbreaking Women in News programme kicked off 2012 with simultaneous launch events in Gaborone, Lusaka and Windhoek in March 2012.

19 new Freshmen joined returning participants for a week of events that featured WIN’s signature capacity building combination of coaching, mentoring, skills development and networking under the theme of ‘Authentic Leadership’.

The launch events marked the first of four National Gatherings to be held throughout the year. In December all participants will come together in Lusaka for the WIN Summit: a 3-day event filled with leadership and media management skills development workshops, keynotes, peer mentoring and networking activities.

About Women in News 

The Women in News (WIN) programme provides women media professionals with personalized, high-impact leadership development opportunities with the support of local and international experts. It equips them with sustainable strategies, skills and support networks to advance their careers and contribute to the growth of strong local media enterprises. Launched in 2010, the programme has been operating for two years in the markets of Botswana, Namibia and Zambia.

WIN has welcomed 50 participants to the programme to date. The professional background of participants is diverse, ranging from HR managers, accountants and sales consultants on the commercial side to senior reporters and editors-in-chief on the editorial side of newspapers.

The WIN programme has participants on three different levels:

1.   Freshmen (first year participants)

2.   Sophomores (second year participants)

3.   Graduates (third year participants)

Programme Benefits 

Coaching: All participants benefit from 4-6 hours of individual, confidential coaching sessions with their International and National Coaches to either create or begin implementing their Career Roadmaps.

Mentoring: Participants engage in regular one-on-one mentoring as well as facilitated group mentoring at each event.

Networking: Networking opportunities through regular social activities, as well as guided training exercises are woven into each event as a means to develop this crucial business tool.

Skills Development: All participants receive a minimum of 25 hours of Skills Development, through both the customised WIN Leadership and Media Management curriculum, as well as self-selected skills development on practical business and journalism skills.

WIN is a highly collaborative programme that relies extensively on a strong local leadership team for both the programme development and implementation of the project. This approach to project management supports the key WAN-IFRA objective to create and grow a sustainable programme that has a lifespan outside of the initial funding period.

For more: www.womeninnews.org