Filipina Women's Network (FWN)
FWN's mission is to enhance public perceptions of Filipina Women's Capacity to lead, change biases against Filipina women's leadership abilities and build the Filipina community's pipeline of qualified leaders, to increase the odds that some will rise to the President position in all sectors.
Description:
FWN achieves its mission through public education forums that heighten Filipina women's visibility, research on Filipina women's issues, leadership, skill building and career development programs for Filipina women, and influencing popular culture.
History:
FWN has been in existence since January 1996 under the leadership of Virna S. Tintiangco. The original purpose was to provide a unique space for Filipinas to discuss concerns and issues related to their personal and professional lives. FWN operated under an informal structure with volunteers chairing ad hoc planning committees. FWN members met quarterly for either lunch or dinner with invited guest speakers covering topics such as “balancing work and home life, growing up Filipina in the U.S., spirituality, mother/daughter relationships, career development, peer mentoring, and a visit to the Asian Art Museum to view the Filipino art exhibit in celebration of the centennial of Filipino migration to the U.S.
In 1999, Marily Mondejar and Victoria Urbi took over as co-chairs when Virna moved to Oregon. By then, FWN had grown to about 250 women including a CEO, a judge, several executive directors, attorneys, nurses, doctors, academics, government and corporate employees, business owners, students, homemakers, and many more successful, professional Filipinas from diverse backgrounds, varying age groups based in the San Francisco Bay Area. Programs were designed to continue to address needs expressed from surveys. “Transitions” –managing change issues in career and personal lives, “Political and Civil Rights Issues in the Fil-Am Community,” and “Amazing, Successful Filipinas,” – these programs were very well received.
FWN has filled a need for women to talk about issues they rarely talk about in a group of Filipina women. In a letter to the members on January 26, 1998, Virna expressed, “I feel that it is time for us to reflect and think about the future direction of FWN.”
Marily and Victoria formed a Steering Committee tasked to take FWN to the next level -
- create a professional identity for FWN,
- ensure leadership succession,
- continue to provide programs that meet the professional needs of FWN members,
- create a vision of who we are and our role in the Filipino community.
The first step we took was to formalize the organizational structure of FWN as a non-profit professional association. The founding board members met on a weekend retreat facilitated by organizational coach Kelsey Escoto. The board planning retreat resulted in the following strategic directions which has been the guiding force behind all FWN programming:
o Engage and partner with all members, understand their needs and expectations, and respond with value-added solutions to strengthen learning, leadership, professional and personal development in their respective workplaces and the Filipina community.
- Create, Capture and Provide First Class Knowledge and Professional Learning
o Make FWN a comprehensive source of information on Filipina American culture, workplace learning, leadership, professional and personal development for Filipina women.
o Leverage technology to engage members, capture knowledge, facilitate interaction, and deliver customized products and services.
o Define the Filipina image and shape its future by being the leading source of workplace data, trends, and successful practices for Filipina women professionals.
- Position FWN as the recognized leader with current and emerging players
o Serve the Filipina global community by being a leading catalyst for sharing knowledge, professional learning, and personal development worldwide.
FWN continues to re-invent itself adapting to current workplace, economic and political trends, and responding to the needs of Filipina women in the U.S.
Contact people:
Main office number:
(415) 278-9410Office fax number: (415) 839-6741
Address:
 |
PO Box 192143
San Francisco, CA 94119 |
Web Site: http://www.ffwn.org
Miscellaneous Information
| Besides English, which languages are spoken at your agency? |
|
Tagalog
|
| What is the minimum age for volunteers at your agency? |
|
20s
|
| Is your agency wheelchair accessible? |
|
No
|
| Does your agency have the capacity to host groups of more than 10? |
|
No
|
| Does your agency have the capacity to host groups of more than 20? |
|
No
|
| Last updated on December 19, 2009 |
