womENcourage 2025 organizers’ experience
Please find below the message from womENcourage 2025 organizers, who share the experience of applying to host the event, going through different stages.
Motivation
I had applied to organize womENcourage 2024, with slight shyness and restraint. I had participated in previous editions, my first being in Belgrade 2018 and, every year following, I was enchanted to discover a new facet of this type of event, a “celebration” event. My motivation especially blossomed from the run-ins with returning members, and because of this, I recognized an active community which grew and, in turn, blossomed with every womENcourage edition. I understood, beyond participation in these events themselves, this celebration is about gatherings, networking, interculturality, belongingness, diversity – all so important for young women beginning their journey in IT and computing.
Young students, freshers, timid participants for the hackathon returned as Master or PhD students with posters, trusting the feedback they can receive here for the journey of their research. With no competition and without looking for a scientific conference in search for a paper to publish, womENcourage succeeded at inspiring dozens of participants to present their posters and, as an exercise, to later defend their results, to publicly speak or brainstorm research topics.
I was fascinated by the participants’ implication in the hackathon! In the womENcourage format, the hackathon happens exclusively on the first day, offering a generous and productive amount of time, in which teams aim to transform every seemingly modest idea into an innovative and impactful project. But, beyond the quality of the results, I had noticed the quality of time spent together in teams, the openness of the participants to work in said teams and the motivation to contribute with their own knowledge and skills.
Involvement and Application Process
And so, towards the end of 2022, I had accumulated these experiences over 5 years, taking part both physically and online (2020, 2021), alone or in larger groups of colleagues and students from our university and signing up for all kinds of activities proposed by womENcourage. I felt part of this community, I was grateful to the steering committee for the receptiveness and diversity of opportunities which we could offer our students and… I was searching for an answer to the question: What can we give back to womENcourage? I am continuously grateful to everyone who, directly or indirectly, realising or not their impact, contributed to finding the answer… to apply to host womENcourage in Brasov! It was a revelation, a beautiful purpose which could end up becoming true.
I was beyond myself with joy about this idea, but, as I have already mentioned, applying for hosting womENcourage 2023 was done with shyness and restraint. I had the experience of organizing student events, we represented a large university, with a growing trend of international visibility, but…I felt it was not enough. I applied, anxiously awaited the reply, and indeed, we had not drawn the winning ticket. The reason was understandable, and it showed me exactly what we were missing: our place, Brasov’s place, on the ACM map.
WomENcourage 2023 followed, in Trondheim, Norway, and this is when our stars aligned. Our students, who themselves were captivated and excited by the implications in this celebration, inspired and motivated by other similar examples encountered during the three days, created UniTBv ACM Student Chapter upon returning home, which placed us on the map. Furthermore, the Trondheim edition, through extraordinary people who organized and supported the event, gave us the courage that we can collaborate and learn how to successfully celebrate the women in computing in Brasov as well. Last but not least, uncoincidentally, I reunited there with colleagues from Romania, open and dedicated, with whom I could build a stronger team.
womENcourage 2025
With all of these – experiences, a team, local and national support – the application done 2 years later for womENcourage 2025 was successful! We hosted at the Transilvania University of Brasov the 12th edition of womENcourage, in which we achieved a balance between professional, academic and cultural approaches, showing off, through our artistic students and teachers, Romanian music, and traditional costumes and dances. We proudly hold exceptionally positive feedback from participants. For example, 85% have it in their mind to join the professional family of ACM-W Europe and participate in womENcourage again.
Follow us! Take part in womENcourage, and you will uncover personal growth opportunities and professional guidance into an open and dynamic European community. Let yourselves be inspired by the experiences offered year after year and… take back home the motivation to be the next host of womENcourage, to show the world your university, as well as your local and national beauty and culture.
Until we meet again in Nice and then… surprise us with everything you’ve got for 2027!
We wish you good luck!
Anca Valisescu
womENcourage 2025 co-chair