Local institutions of various kinds are adapting to the restrictions on live gatherings necessitated by a pandemic. How is life different now, and how will it be different afterwards? These are questions that arise over and over again.
Although coping strategies aren’t identical, certain common themes are beginning to arise. One of the most consistent themes has been that our means of connecting and communicating are evolving fast, and we’re making this transitional period a teachable moment. In some ways, society post-Covid may even work a little better.
“I don’t think we can ever go back. It’s another time,” says Leslie Snow, president of the Ulster County Women’s Network (UCWN). “We have learned how to communicate much better over Zoom. For one thing, we don’t talk over people!”
It’s about making connections
Monthly gatherings in person were the “old normal” for UCWN: meeting for dinner, luncheon or a cocktail hour, at some restaurant or a member’s home, accompanied by some sort of informational presentation. There are business networking opportunities, and it’s tempting to think of the group as a sort of distaff alternative to the old boys’ network long represented by some local chambers of commerce. But by and large UCWN members aren’t agitating to break any glass ceilings.
“It’s just a social network,” Snow says. “It’s about sharing, making connections, being there for each other.” Exploring opportunities for volunteer service is another area of focus.
The organization has been around, in one form or another, since 1994, when a few members of the Catskill Women’s Network got tired of driving over the mountain to Margaretville and broke away to form their own Shandaken Women’s Network. Membership, consisting primarily of women from Highmount, Big Indian, Shandaken, Boiceville and Willow, grew to about 175 members within a year. Leadership cycled through several presidents before settling into the hands of Melody Newcombe for a seven-year stint.
With Newcombe at the helm, promotion of the organization expanded beyond the Shandaken area to greater Ulster County and western Dutchess. Women began to attend from Red Hook, Saugerties, Kingston and Woodstock – even some from as far south as New Paltz. Attendance at events increased from an average of 15 or 20 to as many as 63 for a publishing panel of authors at La Duchesse Anne and 72 at an Alternative Health Fair at River Rock Spa.
At that point, it was decided – not without controversy – to change the group’s name to the Ulster County Women’s Network to reflect its broadening base. According to Snow, a graphic artist who assumed the presidency in 2019, the UCWN has about 60 members at present, with a mailing list of 450 names and about a thousand Facebook followers. Perks of membership include access to the member directory, the right to promote events on the website, and discounts at a number of sponsoring area businesses.
Among the practices instituted by Newcombe was an organizing approach that UCWN dubs Dynamic Duos. Any member can organize one of the monthly events, nominate a speaker and secure a venue, but it must happen in teams of two. “Being a Dynamic Duo helps people get to know others. It makes it more fun, more participatory,” Snow explains.
Team-building gone virtual
With coronavirus restrictions in place, team-building has gone virtual. Although “It has been difficult to get a couple of people to work together,” she says, the actual events are now much less demanding to organize, in terms of both cost and logistics. They can happen more than once a month, and many more people can participate.
There was a learning curve, as UCWN’s advisory committee and active members mastered the technicalities of conducting a Zoom meeting. But this new skillset has made it possible to begin taping, editing and archiving presentations. The group founded a YouTube channel (www.youtube.com/channel/UCGj8paYGYoXs4OFhqSsvZCw) last spring. Zoom “made it possible to improve the quality of our presentations. They’re very professionally done,” says Snow. “It’s a good platform for service. And it’s a creative outlet, too.”
Since the switchover to remote presentations, the group has conducted several successful events, including a virtual studio tour in November, hosted by nine artists, that Snow describes as “really exceptional.” Lest the convivial atmosphere of UCWN’s traditional Happy-Hour gatherings be lost to social distancing, another Dynamic Duo organized a virtual holiday party around a shared recipe for New World Wassail. And last week, Ellen Messer delivered a timely presentation about new ways of doing business from home titled “Working in 2021: What’s the New Normal?” which is still viewable on YouTube.
Snow says that the group is looking forward to resuming face-to-face events by the summer or autumn, but she has also learned to appreciate the advantages of remote gatherings. “With the new platform, we won’t be held to the weather. And we don’t have to worry about a venue.”
Post-Covid, she hopes that the new normal will include more diverse demographics for UCWN membership, especially in terms of younger members. Projects on the radar include establishing an annual scholarship program for a promising female high-school student, and a mentorship program for young interns to learn event-planning and marketing skills. The organization is also actively recruiting new advisory volunteers, with current openings for a treasurer – “preferably with some banking experience” – a secretary and a “social-media maven.”
Basic annual membership in UCWN costs $25, and tickets to live events typically cost $25 each to cover food and beverage costs. To find out how to get involved, e-mail president@ucwn.org or visit https://ucwn.org.
“We don’t want women to feel isolated,” says Snow. “We’re here for them.”
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