…And a difficult year closes with a piece of good news. 1000 women are being given the network and skills they need to make a tangible difference and contribute to a more sustainable world at executive level in a movement called Homeward Bound.
Why Women? Because women can do the job and are not being given the opportunities to do so. This is expressed by Homeward Bound in these three statements:
- Globally, women are under-represented in leadership positions and change has been incredibly slow, despite increasing dialogue and process/systems changes.
- Women are emerging from college degrees as significant percentages of graduates and they take up a significant percentage of our workforce. However, they are in the profound minority globally when it comes to executive decision making roles.
- By giving these women the leadership and strategic skills, a sound understanding of the science, and a strong purposefully developed network they will be able to impact policy and decisions towards a sustainable future.
The project has a ten year goal, is 100% self-funded and carries a message to the world, Mother Nature Needs Her Daughters.
On Friday, December 2, the first 76 women to join the initiative set sail for Antarctica. These women all have science backgrounds and their mission is to raise awareness for the low representation of women in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) under the Homeward Bound banner.
The inaugural Homeward Bound voyage will last until December 21, led by Fabian Dattner, Australian leadership expert, and Dr Jess Melbourne-Thomas, Australian Antarctic Research Scientist.
But first, Elmwood Melbourne created a video to share the message of Homeward Bound, Mother Nature Needs Her Daughters.
The team took to the streets of NYC and approached women with the proposition of sending a love message to their mother. It was not revealed until after, that the messages were directed at Mother Nature herself. That way the women were able to collect messages that were personal and genuine.
“It was the first Sunday after Trump’s electoral college win and the mood on the street was incredibly fragile. Everyone we spoke to was feeling distraught, disenfranchised, angry and afraid. That, coupled with fading hangovers, ensured the women spoke with much needed heart,” explained Kess Broekman-Dattner, son of Homeward Bound leader, Fabian Dattner.
“Once we revealed the true nature of the project, without fail we were met with instant connection, appreciation and support. This to me, more than anything, showed us the calibre of outlook women’s voices will bring to the decision making table,” he added.
Read about the project in full on its website.
Do you have the potential and the science background to influence the policy and decision making that will determine our planet’s future? Applications for the next program, departing in 2018, will open on January 17 2017.
Agency: Elmwood Melbourne
Client: Home Ground Services
Brand: Homeward Bound Projects
Client Contact: Fabian Dattner
Creative Director: Ant Simmons
Creative Team: Lachlan McDougall, Ania Drozd, Ant Simmons
Account Team: Polly Sands, Amie Eramo
Managing Partner: Jonathon Cartwright
Designer: Lachlan McDougall
Director: Kess Broekman-Dattner
Edited: Kess Broekman-Dattner
Produced: Good Company, NYC
DP: Eric Branco
Music: Andrea Marie
