GTAZ hosts African mining representatives
On Saturday June 26, Global Ties Arizona virtually welcomed 9 IVLP mining experts from across 7 African countries, to Phoenix, Arizona. With a program focused on 'Sustainability and the Extractive Industry,' GTAZ staff, along with 3 local home hospitality hosts, took the mining experts on a fun, spooky, interactive video tour of Jerome, Arizona: a town which once steeped in a rich history of copper, zinc, gold, and silver ore mining. The IVLP Delegates engaged in a lightning round of Jerome trivia, before moving into breakout groups and connecting on a deeper level with their local home hospitality hosts: Alpha M., Malikee S., and Lora W. Together, all hosts and IVLP Delegates represented 10 different African countries and spoke over 10 different languages.
Then, on Monday July 5, Global Ties Arizona hosted a virtual panel titled ‘Women in Mining.' Guest speakers for the professional meeting included Dr. Isabel Barton, Assistant Professor of Mining and Geological Engineering at The University of Arizona College of Engineering: Mining and Geological Engineering; Ms. Jennifer Burge, CEO of WorldwiseCoaching; Melissa “Mel” Sanderson, President of Mel Sanderson Consulting LLC; and Julia Potter, Geological Engineer and part owner of Tucson-based consulting firm, Call & Nicholas. During the 90-minute panel, our guest speakers and #IVLP Delegates engaged in meaningful discourse, covering a range of significant topics such as increasing the presence of women within the mining industry.
According to our guest speakers, research shows that women are more likely to gravitate towards careers, which feature environmental sustainability and science, while men are more prone to apply for positions focused on fields of engineering such as civil, labor, mechanical and construction sectors. For inclusive practices, some companies have begun to offer intersectional opportunities between mining and the environment, in order to more intentionally cater to women, however, efforts such as these are still few and far between nationally and even globally. Other considerations for inclusive practices that were mentioned in the panel include efforts to ensure paid maternity leave, incorporate intersectional topics of interest, close the wage gap between men and women, increase possibilities for higher education, and assuring the ability for women to move into higher positions of leadership within their respective mining sectors, at least at the same rate as men.
While this professional meeting confirmed that unfortunately these career-focused issues exist globally, cross-culturally and throughout our world, it also succeeded in creating connections amongst passionate world leaders focused on increasing respect, support and opportunities for women within mining, for the sake of more diverse and equitable work spaces.
A special thanks to GTAZ partner, Trevor Ritland, for producing an incredible video featuring Jerome, AZ; the Institute of International Education (IIE); U.S. Department of State; our guest speakers; our English-French Interpreters, and our International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) Delegates for making this program a success!