Coach Virigina Anderson during the "Deep Democracy" workshop;
Credit: Jazmin Campbell
On Wednesday evening, The Network, the Grand Duchy's oldest international professional business women's association, hosted its last event before the summer holidays: Summer Drinks and Networking on the rooftop terrace of Le Sud in Luxembourg-Clausen.
Over 80 members and non-members alike registered for this summer event, which began with an interactive workshop led by expert systemic coaches Karen van Hout and Virginia Anderson. Based on the model of "deep democracy", where all voices are important and deserve to be heard, the activity focused on the topic of "motivation" - as chosen by the group themselves.
Standing in a circle, the participants had to move towards or away from an individual who took on a particular role related to motivation, for instance "money" or "fulfilment", depending on whether they agreed or disagreed with the individual's statement. A little stiff at the start, the group gradually became more engaged with the activity with more and more participants using it as a platform for their ideas on the subject.
The evening continued with summer drinks and networking (as promised in the event name) on the terrace overlooking the Clausen district and set against the backdrop of Luxembourg City's green forests.
On this occasion, Chronicle.lu spoke with The Network's Vice-President Amy Amann about the non-profit association's origins and mission: The Network was set up in 1991 by a four professional women who saw the need for a networking and career development association aimed specifically at women like them. Since its creation, the association has grown significantly and become more structured. It now boasts some 130 members. Amy Amann also highlighted that whilst the association is not exclusively for women - there were even a few men at the Summer Drinks event -, its main aim is to "connect, empower and engage" professional women. She similarly emphasised that The Network is not exclusively for the expat community in Luxembourg, although all of its events are in English which may make it more attractive to this particular group.
Regarding the future of the association, Amy Amann spoke of The Network's own "digital transformation"; indeed, the association uses Eventbrite for event reservations and membership can also be bought online on The Network's website. In addition, the association keeps all of its documents and meeting minutes on Google Drive, which serves as a sort of archive preserving the history of The Network. Amy Amann added that the Board members of the association, which is a second job for most, are elected for a few terms, adding continuity to The Network's organisation. Finally, the Vice-President spoke of the association's current collaborations with companies such as Badenoch & Clark, among others, and the desire to work closer with more and more companies in Luxembourg.
The Summer Drinks and Networking event was The Network's last event before September. The next event will be an interactive workshop on management and leadership on 18 September 2019. For all future events, visit https://thenetwork.lu/.
