X-CHANGE: Right here, right now!
As an active Mission Female member, Meike Finkelnburg was a guest at the "Mission Female X-CHANGE" in Hamburg and was more than impressed by the power of the panel talks. We think that quite a few statements, points of view and approaches still resonate in the heads of the numerous visitors and will continue to do so for a while, because rarely do you see, hear and feel so much concentrated power, that is channeled in the right direction.
For those who are not yet familiar with the event, “X-CHANGE is a global leadership event that brings together influential and impactful figures from business, entertainment, technology and finance to find ways to empower women. Each year, this three-day event provides the inspiration that moves people to action – through provocative conversations, compelling stories and a commitment to actively driving change.”
We would clearly like to highlight the conversation between Brigitte Mohn, Pierre Zapp, Tatjana Kiel and Daniela Bojahr. What already seems clear to many, but has not yet reached everyone, was brought to the point here: Female empowerment already starts in childhood. Among other things, it is crucial who shapes children in this formative phase of their lives, what role models they have at their disposal, what is exemplified to them, how they are talked to about what, and what opportunities they are presented with (e.g. for their personal future).
In short, we all shape these children through our examples and our actions, but even more so, we influence our common future. Companies must not be left out of this process, because business and civil society are mutually dependent. Thus, it must be understood that civil society should be much more involved in business and vice versa, companies should see themselves much more as part of civil society.
Mirja Schwartz, Managing Director of hi, tilda, showed in a deep dive what impact companies have on us and we on them: she sees the development of a community in which everyone pulls together as fundamental, i.e. not just “nice-to-have”, but as a central parameter for resilience! Probably the most important question that all sides must ask themselves is “What added value do companies offer beyond the product itself?
These few lines are unfortunately or rather fortunately, not enough to do justice to the speakers, the content and the event in general. Regrettably, it also became clear that we are still a long way from #diversity and #equalopportunity in many areas. However, this fact does not drag us down, but on the contrary, it motivates us! We’re #NotDoneYet and therefore it remains exciting and extremely motivating!