METALCON honors the magnificent women in our industry as this week marks Women in Construction Week (WIC) 2021! The focus is to highlight women as a viable component of the construction industry. WIC Week also provides an occasion for NAWIC’s thousands of members across the country to raise awareness of the opportunities available for women in the construction industry and to emphasize the growing role of women in the industry. It is also a time for local chapters to give back to their communities.
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.
Here’s 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)!
• Wednesday, March 10th, 2021 – 6:00pm – Presentation for the South Atlantic Region members by Catherine Brennan, author of, “So Now What? A Guide for People Who Feel Stuck.”
• Friday, March 12th, 2021 – 5:30pm – Site tour of Carvana Tower project
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 runs 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.
The National Association of Women in Construction (NAWIC) was founded in 1953 as Women in Construction of Fort Worth, Texas. Seeing that women represented only a fraction of the construction industry workforce, 16 women founded NAWIC to create a support network for others like themselves. Women in Construction of Fort Worth was so successful that it gained its national charter in 1955 and became the National Association of Women in Construction. Today, NAWIC provides its members with opportunities for professional development, education, networking, leadership training, public service and more.
For more information, check out NAWIC’s Blog.