International Conference on Systems Thinking & Women's Empowerment (AWESOME Conference)

The “International Conference on Advancing Women’s Empowerment through Systems Model Expansion” (AWESOME), took place on March 3rd-5th, 2022 as a virtual event. It was organized by Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham’s Center for Women’s Empowerment and Gender Equality (CWEGE) in collaboration with Systems Innovation (Mumbai Hub) and ESRI India, with support from the Indian Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR). The conference featured academics, policymakers, and practitioners who shared expertise on multidisciplinary and holistic approaches to women’s empowerment, from both theoretical and applied points of view. Thematic workshops, panel discussions, research paper presentations, fireside chats, and tutorials also took place as a way to present effective tools for women’s empowerment.

AWESOME: At A Glance

500+ Participants | 12 Countries | 12 Keynote Speakers | 15 Accepted Papers | 15 Partner Institutions

Event highlights included:

3 days of sessions between 15:30 – 21:30 IST with keynote addresses, 6 workshops, presentations, & 2 fireside chats
Top speakers including renowned scientists, activists and changemakers:
- Fritjof Capra, Ph.D., World-renowned scientist, educator, activist & author of “Tao of Physics”
- Vandana Shiva, Ph.D., Indian scholar, environmental activist, ecofeminist and author
- Deepa Narayan, Ph.D., World-renowned author & speaker. author of “Chup: Breaking the Silence about India’s Women”, former advisor at the World Bank
- Charu Sinha, IG, Central Reserve Police Force, Srinagar Sector
- Sarthak Das, Chief Executive Officer of the Asia Pacific Leaders Malaria Alliance
- Sairee Chahal, Founder and CEO of SHEROES & Mahila Money
- Losang Ragbey, Ph.D., Co-founder of Machik
- Agendra Kumar, President of ESRI
- Naila Chowdhury, CEO of Pillars 4 Dignity
Human rights-based and evidence-informed interventions tailored to girls’ and women’s needs, particularly in vulnerable communities
6 Workshops and 2 Fireside chats on the following themes:
- Evidence on Impact, Cost Effectiveness & Implementation from the Evidence Consortium on Women’s Groups
- Geographic Information System Technologies Related to Gender & Development
- Invisible: How Systems Thinking Contributes to the Marginalisation of Global Majority Women
- Game-based workshop for Women’s Empowerment
- Using Dialogue as a Process Tool towards Capacity Building and Women’s Empowerment
- Understanding Women’s Empowerment and Gender Equality Using a Systems Innovation Approach
- Fireside Chat: Designing for Women
- Fireside Chat: The Systems Sanctuary