NU Women

NU Women is a network open to all women who work at the University. The network provides a forum for women to meet, share ideas, provide mutual support for their career development, and to feed into the University issues of concern and interest to women members of staff.

As the 27th of October is UK National Mentoring Day, we’re highlighting NU Women and their excellent Career Conversations Scheme. This scheme offers the opportunity for members to receive career mentoring from a more experienced colleague at the University. Through the online database, NU Women members can browse profiles of mentors from across the University who are happy to spend an hour over coffee discussing career challenges and options.​

To find out more about NU Women and the other events and activities they run, we chatted to Professor Kathryn Hollingsworth, a Professor at Newcastle Law School and the Chair of NU Women.

Can you tell us a bit about how NU Women began?

NU Women was originally established in 2008 by Professor Vicky Bruce, but it was re-launched in its current form in 2014, after Candy Rowe had attended a women in higher education conference (co-organised by Durham and Newcastle) where a session was given by Sheffield University on their women’s network.

Candy loved the idea, so held an event here to see if there was interest, had Sheffield speak, and gathered together a small group to form the committee. I went to that event and joined the committee then, and went on to help establish the Women Professor’s Network as part of NU women, and I chaired that sub-committee until I took over as Chair of NU Women in 2016.

How do you feel being a member of NU Women has helped you?

I joined because I think I am committed to gender equality and I think women’s networks can really help to support other women, provide space for skills development (including in our women-only writing clubs) and it is a good way to meet other women from across the institution, not only in one’s own school/unit.

It has provided me with a real network of colleagues and friends and huge amounts of professional and personal support. It has also helped me see that difficulties I face are shared by others and has given me support, advice and help in overcoming any work challenges.

What’s been your favourite NU Women event so far?

I love the weekly writing groups. It gives me dedicated space to write, but moreover it has provided me with friends and a close knit community. They are great!

All our events are fantastic though – the imposter syndrome workshops are really popular, and this year I particularly enjoyed the talk by Maria do mar Pereira on her work on the experiences of women academics and work, knowledge and workload. It was challenging and thought-provoking.

Finally, what can we expect from NU Women this year?

We’ve continued to grow and now have about 800 members and as well as the Women Professors subgroup, we have a subcommittee for PS staff. They are fantastic and organise loads of excellent events alongside the general NU Women talks and workshops.

Candy Rowe is leading on our development of a ‘network of networks’ with other women’s networks in other universities, and we will continue to respond to our members in terms of events and writing space etc. This year, we will also look at how we might work with our colleagues in the other employee networks to deliver joint events.

If you’d like to find out more about NU Women, or either of their subcommittees, please click here. You can also keep up to date with what they’re doing on their blog, or by following them on Twitter @NU_Women.

#MentoringRocks

MentoringWe’re encouraging everyone in the Faculty to get more involved with mentoring. Would you like a mentor? Or can you be a mentor for a more junior member of staff or a postgraduate student?

We often come to a crossroads where we need to make some decisions about our careers and want to talk it over with someone else. You may just feel like you need a one-off career conversation with someone, or you may be looking for a longer term mentoring relationship. This person might have experience you lack, or just be an independent ear to listen to your situation. This is especially the case for people early in their careers, but can be useful for any of us.

In order to facilitate such conversations, a few years ago, we launched the Early Careers Mentoring Network (ECMN) database. Our database has a long list of people (including our own academics and professional staff, as well as people in other careers outside the University) who are willing to be contacted for a one-off conversation (or more) about their career.  You can search this list on a range of different characteristics which you might be looking for in a potential mentor.

What are the benefits to having a mentor?

One of the benefits to having a mentor is that you can learn a lot from their experience, and get a fresh perspective on your current challenges. You can also get access to support and resources which you may not know about, or get feedback on your career aspirations, which might help you achieve your goals more quickly. And a good mentor can also motivate you and help increase your confidence or self-esteem, enabling you to resolve challenges and move on in the longer term.

If you want to find a mentor and start a conversation, you can do search the database any time: https://fms-apps.ncl.ac.uk/mentor/search/early_career_mentors/

Why become a mentor?

A successful scheme needs good mentors, who are willing to give something back and support people at an earlier career stage. We are always looking for people to join our mentoring schemes. Mentoring passes on your knowledge and values to the next generation to accelerate their careers, but can also benefit you. The benefits of being a mentor can include: improved confidence, enhanced communication skills (especially listening), a broader view, and an enhanced ability to manage people.

Why not sign up to be a mentor today? Our database is directly linked to similar schemes run by NU Women and the BAME network for their members, so when you sign up as a mentor for our scheme, you can also choose to be a mentor for these schemes too – just tick the relevant boxes once you log in. To sign up (or update your profile if you have on already), please go into the database: https://fms-apps.ncl.ac.uk/mentor/myprofile.

If you have an queries about our Early Careers Mentoring Scheme, please contact Tom Smulders. All other queries to the Faculty EDI Team

Organisational Development also runs the NU Mentoring scheme for all staff. It is currently closed, but will be open its annual call for mentees in January. You can register your interest here.

NU Parents’ Network

NU Parents’ Network is a network for all parents at Newcastle University, including students. They aim to build and oversee an interactive and supportive network for parents and to be a voice for parents with children of all ages at institutional level.

I spoke to Helen Elliott, a Project and Programme Coordinator and Chair of NU Parents’ Network, to find out more about why the network is important.

How did the Parents’ Network first come about?

The network was first founded in 2015, but was recently reinvigorated based on the Parenting and Childcare Review which the University is in the process of undertaking. The Review showed a clear desire for a network to support parents and share information with each other. These findings motivated us to build up the network and make it a real presence within the University.

Last year, we appointed a brand new steering group, with male and female representatives, to shape and run the network. We also had a large relaunch event and set out a great program of activities which begin this September.

Why do you feel the network is important?

I found returning to work from maternity leave really daunting and wanted a place where I was able share information with other parents (such as information about childcare vouchers) and make connections with parents going through similar experiences. I hope this is what the network will be for its members, and that it will provide all parents, irrespective of age or gender, with a sense of solidarity and support.

What have you got planned for the upcoming year?

We’ve got a lot of exciting events and activities planned, including:

  • A Q&A about childcare scheme. We will compare the government scheme (represented by a member of the local council) with the University voucher scheme, to help parents understand the differences.
  • An applying for schools talk. This is to try and make the process less daunting and confusing for parents. A representative from the local council will come in and talk to parents about the process of applying to a school, how to appeal a decision, and our members will be able to share their own experiences.
  • First aid course. To inform and train parents in infant and child first aid. We’ll be offering a discounted rate for our members.

To find out more about these events, please sign up for our mailing list here.

Where do you hope to see NU Parents’ Network going in the future?

We all really want the network to be something that people are excited about and really want to be a part of. We want to provide a space our members can turn to for support. It’s also really important to us that everyone has a say and that we have as much collaboration and feedback as possible on events.

In the future, we’re hoping to develop subnetworks, which will group parents with similar aged children, to offer greater support and understanding. We’re also looking at potentially creating a parenting calendar, to share events at the University and in the local community that would be of interest to parents, such as half-term activities like the coding for children event run by the School of Computer Science. Finally, we’re looking to develop a system of benefits for our members, such as retail discounts.

If you think all this sounds exciting, click here to find out more about how to get involved with what NU Parent’ Network has got coming up.

NU Women Professional Services Network

The NU Women Professional Services Network (NUWPSN) is a subcommittee of NU Women. It’s a supportive community of and for women professional staff at Newcastle University. It was established in November 2016, due to demand from professional staff within NU Women for activity more targeted and tailored for them.

I spoke to Hilary Noone, a School Research Administrator at Newcastle University Business School and Chair of NUWPSN, to find out more about why you should become a member of NUWPSN.

Why did you decide to join NUWPSN?

I joined NU Women a number of years ago on the suggestion of my line manager at the time. I attended one of the career conversation events and found the honesty and insights brilliant. I was amongst a number of volunteers who to help set up NUWPSN, as I wanted to use my passion for gender equality to create opportunities for Professional Services (PS) women to connect and address issues in the productive way the NU Women group had for academic colleagues.

Since then, the network has helped me to meet lots of colleagues across the University and learn that we are all facing similar challenges, which without this knowledge and the community that’s out there, can feel like you’re the only one. Personally, it has given me a sense of belonging to a great community with great purpose where everyone is valued. It’s also given me insights and perspectives on challenges or opportunities I might never have otherwise come across. It’s exciting to be part of a community dedicated to women during such dynamic point in society; playing a small role in an important movement.

What has been your favourite NUWPSN event so far?

Personally, one of the most striking events has been the workshop developed by the NU Women PS committee, led by Nicola Dolman and the North Leadership Centre, on the ‘good manager’, which explored matters such as delegation and difficult conversations. We had heard this had become particularly hard for many female managers, due to increased pressure on PS resources and restructuring and tension between the two.

Afterwards, I bumped into a colleague coming back from one of the sessions, who they told me the workshops were so well timed. Before the session, they had felt like they were ready to give up their role, but the guidance and peer support had given them the motivation to carry on. It really hit home how important the support the network offers is and the positive impact it can have, most importantly to an individual, but also to their colleagues and the University.

What would you tell someone who was looking to get involved with the network?

The network is a community and so you can get involved in so many ways. Engage by sharing experience and insights, suggest topics for future events, raise issues which the committee can help address, volunteer on the steering committee to organises the events and activities, and champion each other in the workplace.

NUWPSN often ask for volunteers to help with events by sharing their experiences with others. This has been key in the success of their graded round table discussions, which allowed the opportunity to ask burning questions on how someone got to a particular grade, the work life balance, can it be done part time, and how they manage the day-to-day personal and professional responsibilities with career progression. This offers an informal opportunity to reality check aspects which may be important to career development decisions.

Where you might see the network going in the future?

I’m excited about the future for NU Women Professional. At the end of last academic year we replenished our steering committee with representation across all areas and grades and the perspectives and energy feels like this will really be a great year for the community. We’re especially looking forward to working closer with our EDI networks and groups to develop an even wider community.

Events planned for this year include a careers drop in for support with CV’s and applications, and a joint session with NU Women on the latest concepts which can support workplace wellbeing.​​

Plans are also underway for NU Women and NU Women Professional to become part of developing regional and national networks for women in Higher Education. The opportunities these will create for gender and community members are exciting.

To read more about NU Women Professional Services Network, please see this page. They also keep joint social media channels with NU Women, so you can follow them on Twitter @NU_Women or visit their blog.

World Mental Health Day: Just Ask

 Today (Wednesday 10th of October) is World Mental Health Day. Every year, 1 in 4 people experience mental health difficulties, and sometimes you just need someone to talk to.

We spoke to Mark Bendall, a volunteer for Just Ask, about how the network supports staff and promotes good mental health at work.

Can you tell me a bit about what Just Ask does?

We are a group of volunteers, independent from the University, who are trained to provide non-judgmental, confidential advice to staff. We are a stepping stone for staff, to give them a chance to explore their options without going through the more formal University channels.

Our volunteers are excellent. A mixture of long standing and newer volunteers that were recruited two years ago, they have gained lots of training and experience, meaning they are sensible and really know what they’re doing.

Why do you feel Just Ask is so important to staff?

While we aren’t a counselling service, and only usually offer one meeting, maximum two, we still have an enormous impact on those we speak to. Many who speak to us have had our service recommended to them by colleagues, which shows the impact we’ve had.

For many, it is the first time they are able to speak about their problem, and it gives people a space to fully express their concerns and emotions, without fear of judgement. We hope that people see the service as something that’s there for them when they need it, and that the advice we give is empowering and provides a sense of control.

Can you tell me a bit about how Just Ask came about?

Initially, we were two separate volunteering groups, one which helped with bullying, and the other with stress. When we came together, we sat down and discussed what we would be, and broadened the areas in which we offer support. Until recently, we have been looked after by HR, but are now an independent volunteering group under the University Health and Safety Service.

Why did you choose to volunteer for Just Ask?

I had been active in trade union and while part of the union, I developed an interest in helping people with bullying at work. Here, I saw that there were often cases where people felt that they were being bullied, but by talking to them about the situation I was able to help them see if this was really the case and understand their situation more clearly. This was something I hoped I could do as a Just Ask volunteer.

Where would you like to see the network go in the future?

Because we have moved under the Safety Office, as part of the University’s broader wellbeing strategy, this has made Just Ask much more robust and will allow us to do a lot more for staff and have more regular meetings for the volunteers.

We also hope this new structure will promote the service more, and allow us to reach more people.

If you’re a staff member at Newcastle University and would like to find out more about Just Ask, or other resources the University offers to promote staff wellbeing, please click here.

Alternatively, if you’re a student and feel you need some support, you can contact Nightline or the Student Wellbeing Service.

Talking Equality, Diversity & Inclusion in the Faculty of Medical Sciences and at Newcastle University.