Today we kicked off the community organizing aspect of our Tradeswomen Delegation. We welcomed delegates from across the USA, Canada, and Norway with a reception hosted by the University of Westminster. This is the beginning of 10 days of programming to support women in every way working in the construction field. University of Westminster Vice Chancellor, Dr. Peter Bonfield gave opening remarks. He welcomed the whole delegation on behalf of the University, the industry, women’s organizations and London. He spoke about the Universities goal to become a movement for change, and to encourage students from diverse backgrounds to live their dreams.

We then heard remarks from Co-founder/ Painter Kathleen Santora and delegate/laborer Jenaya Nelson about the upcoming delegation and the work TBB does. Then the mic was opened for delegates to introduce themselves, their backgrounds and their work. We ended by introducing our Norweigan delegates, co-founders of a new Norwegian network of women in construction trades called Ingeborg-Nettverk, named after the first female plumber in Norway.

It was an outstanding start to what is sure to be an exciting 10 days of learning, networking, and leadership development.