A thriving community or network of women is an important component in building the foundation of an inclusive society, said Michelle Nicholas and Lyndell Danzie-Black, Co-Creators of the 25 Influential Women Leaders Award (25IWLA).
Over the years, Nicholas and Danzie-Black have built a community of 125 pioneering Guyanese women, all inducted into the 25IWLA leadership programme — a network dedicated to empowering women leaders across a range of sectors.
The network was birthed out of the 25 Influential Women Leaders Award, considered one of Guyana’s premier accolades. It recognises visionary women from the public, private, and non-profit sectors who are driving transformative growth and setting new benchmarks of excellence.
During an interview with Ignite News on Wednesday, the Co-creators reflected on what the community of women leaders means to them.
“The community really represents hope, promise and possibility,” Nicholas said.
“Imagine having a room of 125 women, visionaries, colleagues, friends, being in the same space as you and they’re all looking for the same thing– which is collaboration, innovation, impact, and opportunity to build. Not just go alone, but to be able to say we are gonna do this together. Impact is so important right now. So when we think about community, we see possibility, and not just the possibility for today but for tomorrow and beyond,” she shared.
Danzie-Black emphasised the importance of safe spaces and the recognition of women’s rights.
“What we see also is women’s rights. The right to be here, to produce in the way we work, the right to have an opinion and a view, the right to build our tables and our chairs and bring it in, because we have a voice and we are contributing consistently to community. We also see the issue of safety of women. So, not only are we thinking about what we can do, but that we can do that in a safe environment and that is so important,” she stated.
The 25IWLA network, she said, has been making a mark.
“The beautiful part about being in the 25 community is that your impact is not just individual, your impact is expanded. It triples and continues to multiply across industries, sectors. So we can tell you a story about one honouree, but know that that one honouree is impacting so many other honourees,” she said.
The sixth anniversary gala of the 25IWLA is slated for this evening at the Guyana Marriott Hotel in Georgetown. The event is expected to be a night of inspiration, networking, and recognition — bringing together government officials, corporate stakeholders, and industry leaders to celebrate 25 women currently making a significant impact in shaping Guyana’s future.
