Lotus Flower Programme Workshop #6: Women’s Empowerment & Knowing Your Rights in the Netherlands

Joining us for our final workshop of the Lotus Flower Programme was Almi Molina-Dávila, legal advisor and business development specialist, to discuss how the knowing of one’s legal rights leads to better, more empowered lives.

What is empowerment? As empowerment – specifically women’s empowerment – becomes more prevalent throughout time we must look internally to address when we feel the most empowered and who around us contributes to this. In hopes of highlighting when and who contributes to the empowerment of ourselves, Molina-Dávila led the women of the programme to reflect upon their network to find women mentors that are continuous sources of inspiration. Citing her grandmother as her own, Molina-Dávila urged the women of the programme to share with one another who in their lives are mentors of inspiration. Most women shared stories of their mothers who continuously have inspired the women to know their own beauty and worth, boosting their confidence and making them feel strong. Meanwhile other women reflected upon all the women in their lives, nothing how any woman they encounter has a voice to bring. By reflecting on these voices, the women of the programme discussed that they are able to gain motivation and inspiration in the long run that can help them succeed.

To further get an in-depth understanding of empowerment and its importance in ultimate success, Molina-Dávila led the women to reflect on what they do in their daily lives that makes them feel empowered. Feeling empowered is not a constant, everyday state of being. Some days it is normal to feel less than stellar. However, Molina-Dávila pushes the women of the programme to make habit of reflecting on their role in something bigger than themselves to help further motivation. By keeping a journal or meditating on their role as a community member, as a family member or as a colleague we are better able to stay empowered through hardship. Molina-Dávila notes the importance of empowerment – for ourselves and those around us – as when we are able to self-reflect and feel empowered we are empowered to search for information and claim our rights. Knowing and claiming their legal rights, the women of the programme are better equipped to know their personal worth and value to their community, family and employers – and own it! As Molina-Dávila states, there can be no greater threat than a woman who is willing to fall because she knows how to rise.

Finally, we would like to express our gratitude to our partner CIC Rotterdam for providing a lovely space in which we can gather to hear Molina-Dávila speak on women’s empowerment and how to best claim one’s rights in the Netherlands.