Individual Ambassador Programme Relaunch: The Acorn Becomes an Oak Tree

Marie-Claire Isaaman Women in Games CEO

The creation of a thousand forests is in one acorn. When we established the Women in Games Individual Ambassador Programme, in a tiny London office space in 2016, we thought there would be an appetite for a few dedicated people to get involved to help Women in Games in its mission. We had no idea that by 2021 we would have engaged an active global community, full of amazing ambassadors, in 52 countries across the world. The level of enthusiasm, interest and growth of this community has taken us by surprise! With this incredible progress, we have been fully considering how we scale. 

In late 2020 we paused programme applications whilst we considered next steps. I want to use this opportunity to outline some of those steps.

Step 1. We are relaunching our Individual Ambassador Programme this month. The purpose of the programme is to support, empower and celebrate female talent in the games and esports sector by creating a collaborative, connected, diverse network and encouraging community. And we absolutely support all women, girls, non-binary people and allies to get involved. We provide networking platforms for sharing experiences, knowledge and ideas about  the games and esports sector, no matter at what stage of your career or life journey you are at. 

Step 2. We are hosting a Private Ambassadors Networking Event (Hopin) in late April or early May. This is an opportunity for our entire ecosystem of Ambassadors: Individual, Corporate and Education to come together informally in our welcoming vibrant Hopin space –  to share stories, exchange ideas, discuss collaborations or simply become friends! Check into the website regularly for updates and more detailed  information on this forthcoming event.

Step 3. We have set up our new Ambassador Committee which will meet twice yearly. This committee will have input into a range of strategic initiatives and projects, reporting directly to the Executive Board. We are keen to listen to – relate to and understand our Ambassador community – we want to create initiatives and events based on the knowledge and ideas from this talented group –  we want open discussion and debate with our Ambassador community enabling us to develop solutions to challenges and engage new talent and audiences into the games and esports sector.. 

Step 4. Each month we will highlight the important work our ambassadors are doing by showing activities. Our Individual Ambassadors create clusters of events and initiatives in their local and global communities, which is vital to communicating and raising awareness of our mission to achieve full parity of opportunity and equity of  treatment for all women working, or wanting to work, in the games industry and eSports. Showcasing how this is being actioned will be inspirational for all. 

Step 5. We intend to empower women to challenge and counter persistently high levels of gender inequality and discrimination by providing a safe space to socially connect, exchange knowledge and perspectives to activate change. Our new Ambassadors discord channel is particularly welcoming and active. We also celebrate and showcase the work and talent of women throughout the sector providing unique opportunities for all our ambassadors to contribute to: our festival, our conference, our events, our awards, our research and our community. 

If this sounds like a place you’d like to be don’t hesitate to make an application.