WIC Week 2021: Celebrating Community with Construction Women
WIC Week 2021: Celebrating Community with Construction Women
The National Association of Women in Construction has a rich history of lifting up construction women and supporting their place within the industry. Although this has always been the mission of NAWIC, we felt this initiative could go one step further with an annual event promoting the community of construction women – and so, in 1998, Women In Construction Week™ was born! Fast forward about two decades and 2021 is shaping up to be one of NAWIC’s biggest WIC Week™ celebrations ever, thanks to all of the WIC Week committee chairs across our 117 chapters.
To get ready for WIC Week 2021, let’s take a look at the history behind the week, how you can get involved, and what type of events you can look forward to this year.
A little history on WIC Week and why it’s a big deal for construction women
NAWIC’s first official WIC Week took place in September of 1998. In the twenty plus years since, WIC Week has grown to become an event recognized industry-wide for encouraging networking, connection, sisterhood, and building a strong community of construction women. As WIC Week gained momentum, the event was moved from September to March to coincide with Women’s History Month. This enabled WIC Week events to cover a wider range of topics related to women’s struggles within the workplace in general, including the history of women’s rights, striking a balance as a working mother, and how to be a mentor for young girls.
Types of events construction women can attend during WIC Week
NAWIC members can expect a wide variety of WIC Week events this year, however most of the events will be held virtually due to ongoing COVID-19 safety restrictions. WIC Week Chair, Toni Osberry, helped to shape this year’s WIC Week program by thinking of new ways to involve the entire community of construction women in safe and fun ways. These events include having virtual happy hours, reaching out to local 4H groups and befriending female members of the farming community, virtual women’s history trivia contests, lunch and learn opportunities, and drone tours of jobsites. Several chapters are also hosting innovative events like power tool workshops open to the community, where women can learn how to properly operate power tools and learn safety tips.
A few of our chapters let us have a sneak peek of their event calendars to help the larger community of construction women get a glimpse of what opportunities are available during a typical WIC Week celebration. Check out a preview of some of those events listed below!
• Sunday, March 7th, 2021 – 6:00pm – Trivia Night over Zoom. The trivia topic will be Women’s History with Comfort Zone Camp to benefit the camp and help send a kid there! There will be cash prizes ($100 1st, $50 2nd, $25 3rd). Sign up your team online for a donation minimum of $10 (feel free to donate more it’s for a good cause)!
Puget Sound Chapter 60:
• Monday, March 8th, 2021 – 4:00-5:30pm – International Women’s Day/NAWIC Mentor Kickoff Event
• Wednesday, March 10th, 2021 – 11:30am-12:30pm – Author’s Lunch on “The B Words,” with Tricia Kagerer (tickets open to members and non-members)
• Friday, March 12th, 2021 – Seattle Community Fridge Pantry Wares Drive/Build with Sawhorse Revolution
How construction women can learn about WIC Week events
WIC Week 2021 will run from March 7th through March 13th. For more information on events on the national level or celebrations held near you, contact your NAWIC chapter leaders. You can also search the hashtags #womeninconstruction2021 #wicweek2021 #nawicwicweek2021 on social media to find posts related to WIC Week events and visit our social media pages for shared event info. Not a member of NAWIC yet? Now is the perfect time to join! Any construction women interested in getting involved with WIC Week can apply for NAWIC membership by using either the online form or downloadable application to fill out and mail in – both of which are available on the NAWIC website. There are also several membership options available for flexible pricing and membership terms. Many chapters will have events open to non-members as well – all construction women are encouraged to check out your local events to see what options are available!
The National Association of Women in Construction now has over 117 local chapters across the United States, which makes it very easy for female builders to connect with our network of professionals. Membership is open to all construction women and NAWIC is able to provide members with amazing resources to help them gain confidence in their abilities and develop more leadership skills. Any female builders interested in becoming a NAWIC member can apply for membership by using either the online form or downloadable application to fill out and mail in – both of which are available on the NAWIC website. There are also several membership options available with flexible pricing and membership terms. To learn more about the female builders and powerful construction women involved in NAWIC or if you have any questions about membership, contact us through our social media pages.
