Have a Jolly Charitable Christmas With Viva Professional Women Network

Christmas is almost here! Truly the best time of the year. Maybe you haven’t decked your rental halls with boughs of holly, but your agenda is surely laden with festive events.

Let’s be real, though, once you hit adulthood, many of these parties exclusively revolve around feasting and drinking. Don’t get me wrong, that’s lovely, but maybe you’re missing some variety in your seasonal fun.

It would certainly be wonderful if there was a Christmas event where you could mingle and jingle, cozy up with some beverages, craft to your heart’s content, get a chance in a lucky draw, and more…all while doing some networking with other fine ladies.

Well, have I got some good tidings for you. Viva Professional Women’s Network is doing all that and a slice of figgy pudding with one of their signature events. Yes, you heard that right! The Viva ladies are wrapping up 2021 with their annual Christmas Party, this Wednesday night at Lily's American Diner.

Tickets include two drinks and some yummy finger food like salmon lox, bruschetta, and other delicacies; now that’s a cup of cheer! While the ratio of female attendants will be undoubtedly high, all genders are welcome to this event as allies of professional women’s development.

For starters, there will be an introduction to Viva’s Mentorship program, soon to be followed by the launch of the Call for Mentees for 2022.

The Viva Mentorship Programme is a unique scheme aiming to connect bright and ambitious women in junior or mid-level positions with senior-level mentors to provide an objective, confidential, and psychologically safe platform to support mentees’ professional and personal growth.

Rooted in an exemplary, diverse network of mentors, the Mentorship Programme runs for six months twice a year. Mentors and mentees are required to meet online or in-person at least three times for an entirely mentee-led process. For instance, mentees are encouraged to have specific goals and ask intentional questions to their mentors.

Viva also fosters ongoing online support through webinars, where mentees can bring workplace dilemmas that the mentee group will then discuss. Mentees may also rely on professional literature, such as the Harvard Business Review and other books, podcasts, and documentaries, to aid with their growth.

Furthermore, you may let your heart be light on this meaningful evening knowing that your contribution is going to a good cause. Every year since 2008, Viva has donated all profits from their events to Educating Girls of Rural China (EGRC). Established in 2005 under the motto “Educated women have educated children,” EGRC has a resolute mission to empower rural young women through education and provide opportunities for their personal and career development, and training a new generation of women leaders.

Since its founding, EGRC has sponsored more than 1,400 women's high school and university education, with sponsored students achieving a more than 99 percent graduation rate and 100 percent of graduates finding employment, therefore enabling them to lift their families out of poverty.

EGRC currently operates in China as a registered independent charity, combining mentorship with a variety of training programs focusing on mental health, confidence building, career, and personal development. In short, a cause worth your support.

The Viva Professional Women Network Christmas Dinner will take place on Wednesday, Dec 15 from 6.30-9.30pm at Lily’s American Diner (LAD) in Sanlitun. Tickets are RMB 180 for members and RMB 250 for non-members (includes two drinks and substantial appetizers). Scan the QR code above to RSVP.

READ: Events to Ring in the Merriest Time of Year

Images courtesy of Viva Professional Women Network and Educating Girls of Rural China