Empowering and supporting Exeter’s female graduates in 2020

Volunteering in the spotlight – Exe-X: The Alumnae Group

2020 has been a year of unexpected challenges, but it is also a year where we have seen so many communities coming together to support each other. Exeter’s alumnae network has been no exception.

One of the network’s core goals is to support and inspire female graduates and a key way to do this is through events. The coronavirus lockdowns and restrictions put a swift end to the Alumnae Group’s plans for the year, but after several months it became clear that the impact of the pandemic was likely to continue for some time, so it was time to find alternative ways to reach out to alumnae.  Georgina Treen, Chair of the Group’s steering committee said “We felt very strongly that we had a role to play in supporting alumnae in facing the challenges of this year, and we leapt into action to pull together a series of virtual events around four key topics”.

Starting with a discussion on surviving and thriving in challenging circumstances, very apt given the stress and uncertainty so many of us have experienced this year, executive coach Annie Coleman and adventurer Anna Blackwell outlined ways of cultivating resilience and overcoming setbacks inspired by their very different careers and life experiences. The next two events explored very important topics around employment: navigating redundancy from consultation process to departure and job-hunting in a difficult economic climate.

The final event in the series featured an inspiring discussion with three women in leadership roles around their experiences and learnings leadings teams during the COVID-19 pandemic.

As this year comes to a close, the committee is now looking ahead to the network’s goals for 2021.  Georgina said “We are very excited to share that we are planning a mix of events next year, starting in March with a fireside chat style event featuring a very special guest. If you’re on LinkedIn, why not join the Alumnae Group community there? It’s the best way to connect with the network and stay up to date on our events and activities.”

The network is also looking for two more alumnae to join the committee in early 2021. If you would like to find out more and would be interested in taking one of these committee roles, please email alumni@exeter.ac.uk.

Recordings from this year’s Alumnae Group events are available if you missed out on the live events and you can find them online.

Exe-X: The Alumnae Group is run by a committee of alumnae volunteers who work together, with support from the University’s Alumni office, to engage, inspire, and support female graduates.

Date: 9 December 2020