Why Join BPW?

Membership in BPW offers many opportunities and many benefits to working women. Our advocacy work gives women a chance to be involved in the key issues that affect women in Canada and around the world. Clubs provide a “training ground” for developing leadership skills in a safe and supportive environment, allowing members to build networks and create lasting friendships. Members participate in a range of activities that lead to personal and professional development and career advancement.

A member of a local club is automatically also a member of the district, national, provincial, and international organizations. She is entitled to attend all events, including national and international conferences. She is also entitled to be part of BPW Canada’s delegation to the Commission on the Status of Women at the United Nations in New York each February. In addition, we have some specific programs that are available to BPW members

Group Insurance

• Term Life Insurance
• Critical Illness Insurance - 10 impairments
• Accidental Death & Dismemberment Insurance
• Extended Health Care Insurance
• Dental Insurance

To obtain information about Sun Life Financial's products and services and to get an on-line quote, click on the link provided here or visit www.sunlife.ca/sunaffinity. When you are completing the online enrolment form, indicate “BPW” as your reference code. Once you are enrolled, you can conveniently conduct your transactions electronically by visiting Sun Life Financial’s Plan Member Services website (www.sunlife.ca/member).

Leadership for the 21st Century
Our commitment to a new model of leadership. Prevalent leadership ideals and practices of the present and the recent past reflect the "warrior" model of strength, power, dominance, control and authority. Women aspiring to leadership positions - in business, politics, sports or the community – have had to be conquerors, and many have done so quite successfully. But research has shown that most women, when acting according to their own inclinations instead of the expectations of others, prefer to lead in a much different way: consulting, seeking consensus, sharing power and information, being respectful even of opponents, focusing on long-term relationships rather than quick-fix results. As the world becomes more polarized between "haves" and "have-nots", and the earth itself is damaged and its resources depleted, many thinkers are realizing that a different kind of leadership is needed, and that "women's ways" - inclusive, nurturing, less aggressive - are essential to our very survival as a species.

BPW Canada’s interactive leadership workshop includes discussion and development of strategies, and an action plan to promote leadership based on feminine principles. It is offered regularly to clubs, upon request, and we hope to offer “train-the-trainer” sessions in the near future. The specific learning objectives of the workshop are to discover the answers to these questions:

• What is effective leadership?
• What are “women’s ways” of leading, and why are they especially important for business and government today?
• Why should we seek to be leaders?
• Where and how can we practice leadership skills?
• How can we support and help our leaders?
• How can we – individually and together - promote more effective leadership for the future?

Women’s W.O.R.K. (Women Offering Resources and Knowledge)
BPW clubs can access funds from this non-profit organization to organize educational activities and programs in leadership, life skills and professional development of women in Canada. For more information, contact the BPW Canada Chair of Personal Development.

Career Skills Achievement Program
BPW Canada has developed a series of training modules for women. Available on CD to each BPW Club, the modules take approximately 2-1/2 hours each to complete. They are “self-directed,” in the sense that participants learn by working through the materials together. No one needs to teach, present or lecture, although often a BPW member will facilitate. Click here for details of the program.

Topics include:

Module 1: MEETINGS - How to organize, lead and participate in meetings to make them fun and effective
Module 2: COMMUNICATIONS - How to get your message across, briefly and effectively
Module 3: GENDER EQUITY - How to prevent, recognize and deal with sexual harassment in the workplace
Module 4: BUSINESS ETIQUETTE - How to introduce yourself, attend business dinners and use communication technologies with professional poise and polish
Module 5: MENTORING - How to find and use a mentor, or be a mentor
Module 6: TIME MANAGEMENT - Make the best use of your time in achieving your goals