Attendance and reaction from the first-ever women’s conference sponsored by the City of Los Alamitos on Oct. 12 left the organizer “encouraged and excited” for upcoming years.
After years of planning interrupted by COVID-19, the city’s recreation department sponsored its first “Elevate Women” event a couple of weeks ago at the Los Alamitos Community Center.
“The goal was to create a network of local women who could learn from one another, share real stories both personally and professionally and help one another grow,” said conference organizer Emeline Noda, who serves as the Director of the city’s Recreation.
Approximately 50 women attended the first-year event, she said, many of whom “felt inspired, recharged, and renewed.” Overall efforts were underway to stage a woman’s conference before the onset of the pandemic, she said, so the staff simply picked up where they left off to put Elevate Women together on Oct. 12.
Noda said there were many local and “incredible” speakers at the event who spoke from the heart and instilled hope and purpose in the attendees.
“Through their words and workshops, they provided beneficial tips, tricks, and life-changing mindsets to help women navigate this ever-changing world,” said Noda.
Many attendees were from the local area, she said, including business owners and residents. Some attendees traveled from nearby cities as part of the California Park and Recreation Society network of recreation professionals in the region, the official said.
Noda said the most popular feature of the conference was the small group sharing workshop where women were able to meet one another and share thoughts. Attendees were able to introduce themselves to connect with other like-minded women who are looking to grow.
Women ranging from ages 20 to 80+ attended and were able to relate to one another and shared laughter and tears, she said.
“I found that the women who attended Elevate Women were surprised to find how much they needed the words of encouragement, empowerment and connections,” said Noda. “I saw a light in their eyes that they felt a new excitement inside with something to look forward to,” she added.
Overall, Noda said Elevate Women focused on hot topics women face, such as growth, change, limiting beliefs, life transitions, communications strategies, financial questions, meal planning tips, embracing who you are, how to achieve life balance successfully, women in non-traditional leadership roles, invisible weight/pressure women carry and pursuing personal, professional empowerment.
“During the pandemic, people, in general, experienced a wide array of emotions, disconnected from their normal day-to-day interactions, making it difficult to return and find their new normal,” said Noda.
“Many questioned how they were spending their time pre-COVID, causing them to re-evaluate their lives. It has been a difficult time of constant change, confusion and loss.
Many women are looking for positivity, encouragement, new purpose, and how to be their best selves in a world faced with social media standards and expectations that can be unreachable and unattainable,” she said.
A common theme to the conference sessions was the idea of not feeling guilty while making oneself a priority with self-care, since many women constantly put others first.
“Elevate Women’s Conference provided the attendees a half day to invest in themselves, be surrounded by positive energy, and learn valuable life lessons, starting with believing in oneself,” said Noda.
Judging by the emails and reaction to the event, many of the women who attended felt like they were no longer alone and looked forward to the next event.
“Many asked how they can be added to the notification list for upcoming meet-up events that were being planned so they can meet more attendees and get to know them better in the coming months, leading up to the next conference in 2023,” she said.
“This is just the beginning of something great in our community that will continue to build and inspire friendships and connections,” she said.
Both Mayor Shelley Hasselbrink and Mayor Pro-Tem Tanya Doby spoke during the conference. During the recent Los Al Council meeting, they also had high praise for the first-year effort.
Hasselbrink said after the event, many women told her, “I had no idea I needed that, just to be girlfriends for a day.”
“It truly was a life-changing event for the ladies who attended,” said Doby.
“Being a first-year event always poses challenges,” said Noda, adding that many women did not hear about it and said later they would have loved to attend.
“Now that year one of the conference has taken place,” she added, “with positive feedback from participants, the word will spread.”
