Facilitated by Nethra Samarawickrema and Varshini Balaji
Are you looking for work, building a business, or starting a project and feeling stuck around reaching out to strangers? Does the word networking make you cringe? Do you have a vision of what you want to build but find it hard to meet the right people to collaborate with?
Many of us have been told that if we want to pursue our dreams, we have to follow a script: start networking, get on social media, become an extrovert, hide the parts of ourselves that feel most true, and perform an identity that will win the approval of others. Implicit in this script is the idea that we have to become something we are not and seek people out with an aim to get something from them—work, clients, likes, contacts. For many of us, this instrumental mindset feels misaligned with who we are.
This workshop, run by two anthropologists, shares an alternative approach to finding your people, one that is built on resonance, connection, and shared values. We will explore the common barriers that prevent people from reaching out to others and how to overcome them. We will guide you through practices to share your vision for work and foreground your values as a way to find the people who closely align with this vision.