With Covid-19 actively ravaging, the year 2020 brought an unexpected transmutation for Philia and our expected projects. As long-held plans came to be suspended for an indefinite period of time, instead of having a wavering presence, we emerged stronger than ever before, joined in by many young and bright professionals, willing to volunteer for the successful execution of our common mission for inclusivity, justice, and empowerment.
Let’s catch a glimpse of our successes over the year 2020!
Effective Team Building – The People who make up Philia
The success of any team is contingent upon the efficacy, dedication, and positive contribution of its members. Philia is lucky to have been home to many new and engaging members, whose very presence has overhauled the operational dynamics of the team itself. Be it the HR Team, the Branding Team, the Social Media Team, the Research Team, or the Content Team, the collaborative posturing of each one of these has allowed for the development of a well-knit internal community, the Philia Family.
Thoroughly optimized operational strategies crafted by our team members under the auspices of the Philia CEO, Nicole Bogott, has allowed for a seamless flow of operations and deliverability.
Increased e-Course Registrations: Manifesting the Importance of Peer to Peer Coaching
In the year 2020, many new members enrolled for the Philia E-course and took part in the Philia Study measuring their self-development in terms of self-awareness, self-acceptance, and authenticity.
In the midst of Covid-19, having such an encouraging number of participant enrollment is a testament to the need of Peer to Peer Coaching for not only the purpose of personal development but also for progressive societal development. It has opened up to the reality of how many people globally want to share their stories, are in need of a genuine listener, and desire to evolve personally.
For each of the months for the year 2020, Philia dedicated a pertinent theme to constitute as a part of its global conversation. Centred on our pivotal values and beliefs, these themes allowed the members of the empowerment branches to reflect, ponder, and think about aspects that they deem to be useful for social empowerment as well as equality.
For instance, for the month of February 2020, we globally conversed on the importance of Self-Love. The conversation entailed insights into the necessity of Self-Love, means for its effective cultivation, and the realization of knowing thyself as being essential to one’s happiness and optimum performance in life.
Similarly, if we talk of another pertinent theme Philia dedicated to one of the months of 2020, it has to be the one for September 2020 revolving around the concept of shedding the security blanket and learning to proceed beyond the precincts of our comfort zones for achieving better things in life!
The Philia App – A Unique Gateway to Peer Coaching
The year 2020 also saw us actively working to enrich its Peer to Peer Coaching Method through the development of the progressive Philia App (a work still in progress). This app, being meticulously worked on by the all-female Philia tech team and designers seeks to allow for people across the globe to be a part of the Philia Experience and have a great user experience to comfortably be supported by their Philia Partner and vice versa.
In other words, the Philia App will prove to be a good source of virtual empowerment, connecting people all over the world and providing them support whenever needed! Stay tuned for its launch in 2021!
Collaborations and Workshops – Engaging in Resourceful Dialogue
The year 2020 also heralded Philia’s involvement and participation in notable collaborations and workshops.
In February 2020, Philia took part in a collaboration of ATOLYE and Yabangee – the new enriching season of Exact Spotlight – a monthly series displaying the most vivacious and inspiring contributions rendered by Istanbul’s diverse international community in the spheres of culture, history, sports, and humanities. This season was themed around “intercultural dialogue”. It provided for an amazing opportunity, allowing participants to share real stories, reflect on multiple perspectives, and engage in a resourceful dialogue.
In the month of March 2020, Philia Project, together with Friedrich Ebert Foundation delivered the 3rd part of its Workshop Intensive for Empowerment and Leadership in Kabul on the occasion of International Women’s Day. The group of Afghan women who were involved in the FES Young Leaders Forum was a consistent part of this programme for a three-year period-starting in 2018!
The year 2020 also saw Philia partnering with the prestigious SOHO House Istanbul for an empowerment workshop on the articulation of the Philia Method. The Philia Workshop allowed the participants to imbibe the Philia Method through three main stages: Powerful You, Powerful Peers, and Powerful Community.
The workshop featured face to face interactions and in-depth exercises. Through the powerful Philia Framework, each and every participant discovers their individual journey and creates collaborative bonds with their peers, those that last a lifetime!
Campaigns – Conversing on Pivotal Notions
Led by Philia’s esteemed CEO, Nicole Bogott, our eminent campaign “Conversations on Consent” has been the highlight for the year 2020. The campaign essentially calls upon for developing a culture of mutual respect by acknowledging people’s autonomy over their bodies in navigating the choice of their sexual partners as it impacts the wider societal context affecting the negotiation of boundaries and the functioning of democratic structures. It essentializes the need for communication, a non-violent conflict eradication tool in strengthening society by preventing the abuse of power, especially in rape and assault-related cases. The campaign insinuates reflection over the fact that if we find it hard to practice consent on the most basic level, how is it possible for us to work towards social equality, justice, and in turn the establishment of democracy!
The Philia Association – Another Step on the road towards Gender and Social Equality
The Philia Project also took an important first step in establishing the Philia Association in 2020, a non-profit entity dedicated towards the attainment of gender equality and social justice across the globe.
Initiated by seven founding members from four different continents, the Philia Association is another step towards making the world a better place to dwell by advocating for women’s rights, youth, and elderly care as well as international development. The prime aim of the Philia Association is to empower people with hope and faith in a better tomorrow.
We can’t wait for 2021 to kick off. Join us!
