I know you already know this.
You know that women on the field often suffer from loneliness and isolation. You know they’re hungry to connect and share with other women who understand their cross-cultural lives. You know how important this kind of connection is for women.
And you know the problem. Life on the field often makes this kind of connection difficult or impossible for women to have.
Until now. Velvet Ashes has created a way.
This spring, we’re offering a 9-week session of Connection Groups. These groups consist of a cross-cultural mentor and five other ladies who meet weekly via a video chat program and/or a private Facebook group.
Last spring we tested out a small pilot session of groups. We had two big questions. Is this something ladies want? And, would it actually work?
Learning from our pilot session, we launched our first full session last fall. Groups filled up in 27 hours, and we were flooded with requests to open more groups. Clearly the answer was “yes, women really want this.”
So did it work? Well, here’s just a snippet of what women have shared:
“My connection group has been fabulous for me. I felt like I was actually getting a real visit with friends every Wednesday.”
“Meeting with my Connection Group this fall has been the best part of my week.”
Our second question was answered. It actually works.
Our Connection Groups are for women in all stages of life, single, married, new to the field, and veterans. We also offer groups specifically for those on home assignment and those transitioning off the field.
Velvet Ashes offers a variety of times and time zones for ladies to choose from. Our mentors are carefully selected ladies with overseas experience who have a heart to encourage other women. And this spring they serve and live on four continents!
I want you to know about our Connection Groups, so you can let people know. I’ve spent a significant amount of time getting the leaders together, working on a Mentor guide for the leaders, and working with others behind the scene on the tech side.
To say I am excited and tired is to speak truth :).
Registration for our Spring Session opens Feb 24, 6pm EST and fills up quickly. If you know of women who could benefit from this, please share! And if you want to hear from Kristi who was in my fall group, you can read about her experience here.
Here’s to hoping all the spots get filled!
Amy
This is such a great idea Amy! I’m going to pass along this information, as I know it will be a great resource for so many around the world. Love that these connection groups will be bringing together women who understand in some way the joys and struggles of living and serving overseas.