Building valuable networks

Penny Tucker on the Old Girls’ League Committee is working with the Diocesan Careers Department to help current students and recent graduates tap into the experience and expertise of our Old Girls.

When a new Dio girl walks through the school gates, she becomes a member of the Dio Old Girls’ League and part of the wider Dio family. She walks in the path of many fine women who have built on the privilege of their education to achieve great things. She walks in the shadow of astonishing thinkers, national leaders, innovators, entrepreneurs and creators – all of whom have navigated life’s ups and downs and learnt valuable lessons in the process.

One of the goals of the Diocesan Old Girls’ League is to mobilise this vast resource of experience, compassion and practical advice – and it’s certainly one of the School’s priorities as well. We’ve all heard of the ‘old boys’ network’ and often we had no choice but to accept that gender-based social and professional absolutes sometimes trumped true merit. It was as if there was some impenetrable forcefield around certain avenues to accessing opportunity. Women (especially female minority groups) were left on the outside of traditional power structures, wondering why the walls never actually went away, even after the political and institutional barriers were being torn down. This is what the Dio Old Girls’ League has been focusing on. We will always protect our School’s legacy, but we want to secure the best future possible for all our members – even the little ones. That means marshalling our willing helpers and creating some networks of our own.

It’s so much easier for young people to make informed choices when someone with real-life experience can give them an honest account of the ups and downs and some advice on the side.

Fortunately, it has never been easier; we are more linked in, connected, collaborative and communicative than we’ve ever been. The next step is to harness that immense resource by providing ways for people to put their hand up and say, “I can help.”

Recently a Dio student was interested in doing clinical psychology but didn’t really know what was required or whether it would be the right fit for her. The careers team asked if we could use our Facebook page (Auckland Dio Old Girls’ League @diocesanOGL) to see if any Old Girls could offer her advice. In under an hour, we had not one, but several people with great connections who were more than willing to help.

KEEN TO SHARE YOUR EXPERIENCE?

Dio and the Old Girls’ League want to make it easier for women with something to contribute to engage with the current generation. We are always open to new ideas. Do you know someone who might want to help a girl looking at the myriad of choices on offer today? Point her in our direction.

Likewise, if you are in a position to offer one-on-one advice, mentoring, work-experience or job-shadowing opportunities, or even come into School to talk to a class about your specific line of work, please contact us at: oldgirls@diocesan.school.nz with the subject line ‘Career connections’.

STAYING CONNECTED

If you’re reading this magazine as an Old Girl, it means you’ve taken the decision to stay connected with the School. There’s no special formula to make people feel part of our community but if you know someone who has drifted out of our orbit, please encourage her to reconnect with the League at oldgirls@diocesan.school.nz