Travel Support Bubble

As part of the outreach to women in need across the industry, AWTE and Advantage will host a Weekly Open Forum starting on Friday 16th October at 1pm, where participants can share their issues in a supportive open forum hosted by Claire and Julia. The leaders are also asking fellow industry professionals to offer their services to women in need and urging everyone to get in touch if they feel they would benefit from a friendly ear from an industry peer.

To become a volunteer supporter or to ask for help from the bubble email admin@awte.org.uk

Who can attend? Is it only for women? It is open to anyone in Travel – although created with women in mind, this event is inclusive and open to all. Although created by Advantage and AWTE, the forum is open to everyone – not just members and partners.

Will there be a specific subject covered in each forum? We will let those participating drive the subject matter – it will be informal, friendly and an open space – with no formal agenda, no prescriptive topics. All we ask is we are respectful and kind to all. We will have a moderator for each session who will help raise questions and get a wide range of ideas from the participants.

How can I ask a question in the forum? Once registered to the forum, you will be able to ask questions to the audience live, or you can use the chat panel and the moderator will put your question  out to those on the call. If you would rather ask something in confidence, you can email admin@awte.org.uk ahead of the call.

Can you register for the forum anonymously? You are given the opportunity to enter you name on entry to the call (please note if you are already registered with Zoom, it will default to your existing settings) and can hide video, but we encourage everyone to be involved and as open as possible. Everything said on the call will be treated as confidential unless otherwise agreed.

Will I be able to seek support for a specific subject (i.e. operational – finance, marketing, redundancies etc. or mental health/wellbeing focused – lack of sleep, stress etc.)? Yes, we will point you in the right direction if it is beyond what we as a team can support. We are a group of industry peers, wishing to help others through conversation. We are not trained counsellors and may not have expertise required in some areas; in which case we will find appropriate contacts to assist.

I would like to volunteer to help, what does that involve? We will put you in contact with someone who has asked for 1-2-1 contact. You will be a friend, a peer, to listen to them and allow them to talk freely. You’ll put them in touch with associations who may be able to help on a more formal level (MIND, Law company advisors, ACAS etc.) where the topics are more complex. Everything you talk about will be in the strictest confidence.

I would like to talk 1-2-1 – how will that work? We will put you in touch with one of the team of volunteers who will act as a friend, a peer, a shoulder to lean on. We will ask each volunteer to tell us a little about themselves, so you can feel comfortable chatting to them. They are not trained counsellors but are there to help where they can. Should you need professional or more formal support they will put you in touch with people who can help. Everything you say to them will be treated in the strictest confidence. Will what I say be treated as confidential? Yes, everything said either in conversation or on one of our forums stays within that arena, unless of course you wish it to be shared more widely so others can benefit. Nothing will be made public within prior agreement and consent.

I would like to help support; how do I get involved? Simply email admin@awte.org.uk – it will be helpful if you can let us know what areas you specialise in or are passionate about