Maryam De Groef on female empowerment during the #SheDIDIT events

(Getuigenis) Experiences are meant to be shared, so are those from our own community. In this post Maryam De Groef shares hers about and with #SheDIDIT. She attended our latest event ‘Strong women at the helm’ on 21 February.  Maryam is a British-Pakistani living in Antwerp and is part of the organising committee for TEDxFlanders. 

#SheDIDIT is collaboration between Muslinked, Markant vzw, a networking organisation, and Artevelde Hogeschool. In October 2018 they launched the #SheDIDIT campaign, which set the bar pretty high for their following events. But what is #SheDIDIT really all about?

From my experience the #SheDIDIT platform brings together women from diverse backgrounds together and highlights ambitious women with entrepreneurial dreams.

It’s a platform to show the wider community who these women are, what they do and what they stand for. It also explores various stages in a business, from start up to marketing and everything in between, with the idea of building a strong, cohesive network.  

For their last edition of #SheDIDIT on 21 February, the group organised its second networking event called Sterke Vrouwen aan het roer (Strong women at the helm) at the Karel de Grote Hogeschool in Antwerp. The panel invited three strong women (from diverse backgrounds). This included Charlie editor Anouk Torbeyns, Nadia Aimé founder of She Leads Digital and Hadisa Suleyman a founder of real estate agency. These women discussed their their entrepreneurial journeys in a panel, followed by an opportunity to network with like-minded women.

“I’ve walked away from each event with a new found passion
to persue my dreams and the resources to do it. “

#SheDIDIT also focuses on active coaching in smaller Masterclass settings. It usually involves a strong expert panel and networking events where keynote speakers come to tell their stories. The goal is to inspire others to pursue their dreams/goals, to encourage authenticity and to create a community/tribe.

Having attended a few of their events now, I’ve come away with a deep sense of community.

As a British, Pakistani, Muslim woman living in Antwerp, it hasn’t always been easy to access the information I’ve needed in order to grow (my own business). Although the events are mainly held in Dutch, I’ve always felt they’ve been accessible to me. I’ve been asked if I require any translation when I’ve had that confused look on my face. We all know that look, right??!!. Nevertheless, I’ve been welcomed with open arms.

I’ve walked away from each event with a new found passion to pursue my dreams and the resources to do it. Thanks to networking! Although the aim is to support young women from diverse roots, the #SheDIDIT team welcomes all people, genders and age groups to their events. It creates a strong, inclusive community. And boy are they doing one heck of a job to make that happen.

It really has been incredible to see other women share their stories. They are open and honest about their trials and tribulations. I love to see their desire to help others achieve their goals without an ulterior motive. After all, “we rise by lifting others” (Robert Ingersoll).

In need to experience the same feeling as Maryam? Our next coaching event will be in Bruges on April 4th. It will be about work-life balance and time management led by Valerie Thys. More information is found on our Facebook and Instagram pages @shedidit.be. Registrations are now open via this link here.