The heart and soul of Women's Connection is its small groups. This is where women connect – face to face – to explore what’s next together.
What is a Transition Peer Group?
Transition peer groups are informal, shared leadership groups composed of 8 to 10 members who meet on a monthly basis to engage in informal discussions. These groups provide a safe and supportive environment in which women may have confidential thought-provoking and stimulating conversations relating to personal or career transitions.
Groups generate topics of mutual interest and relevance to their current lives. Discussion topics range from those that are light-hearted and fun to others that help members to define and think through their futures. Each group works to find a comfortable way to select topics and share the responsibilities that make a shared leadership group run smoothly.
What are the benefits of a Transition Peer Group?
Transition peer groups provide opportunities for meaningful connection, new friendships and mutually supportive exploration of topics relevant to its members. The intention of these groups is for women to share and learn from each other, and while the groups are meant to create a supportive environment, they are neither support groups nor therapy groups and cannot substitute for professional help when a member confronts a life crisis.
What does it take to support a group’s success?
The most successful peer groups are ones where everyone makes a solid commitment to attend each monthly meeting unless traveling or encountering an emergency. Why is commitment so important? Members come to rely on one another for acceptance and support; they feel they are “there for one another.”
What should I expect at a meeting?
Typically, members “check in” to catch up on the highlights of the past month. Groups generate topics of mutual interest and relevance to their members’ current lives and pick a topic for the following month. Discussion topics range from light-hearted and fun to others that help members define and think through their futures. Each group works to find a comfortable way to select topics and share the responsibilities that allow a shared leadership group to run smoothly.
What are some sample topics peer groups explore?
Popular topics have included:
- The changing nature of friendships. When to sustain a friendship. When to let it go
- Taking risks: Is it now or never? What are we afraid of? What could we gain?
- The “upside” of aging: It sounds like a short topic, but groups have found there is a lot to be said ...!
- My bucket list: What is on that list? Is it realistic? What is my timeline?
- *For a great list of topics and other group resources to explore, check out the Philadelphia Chapter website.
What encourages successful group interaction?
- Selecting topics relevant to members that are of mutual interest.
- Sharing airtime and balancing participation.
- Periodically, evaluating whether the group is on track and is meeting member needs. Being willing to make desired changes.
- Every group has an experienced Women's Connection partner to help during the initial meetings or at any point where members feel the group would benefit from re-direction.
Boston Chapter Peer Groups:
Below are examples of Peer Groups. These groups are subject to availability of openings. If there is not an opening in a particular type of group that interests you, we will happily work on starting a new one.