Women in Power Spaces (WiPS) Initiative
The North Orange County Community College’s Women in Power Spaces (WiPS) Initiative strives to advance social justice and gender equity through an agenda that addresses the systemic and persistent barriers that female-identifying people face.
The WiPS Mission
To foster a safe learning, research, and leadership community which will leverage intersectional power spaces to advance gender equity and social justice at the local, state, and national levels.
The WiPS Initiative is part of the North Orange County Community College District and is open to all, regardless of sex, race, color, national origin, or any other protected identity.
The members of WiPS recognize that women’s rights are interdependent and intersectional. To influence national and global affairs there should be cohesiveness and intersectionality in our strategy across power sectors: politics, education, healthcare, finance, law, and technology.
Current activity and events can be found on the official WiPS website, www.womeninpowerspaces.com.
Goals of WiPS
To develop and connect a statewide WiPS member community with the purpose of promoting and advocating for gender equity education, legislation, and investments.
To develop and connect a statewide WiPS member community with the purpose of promoting and advocating for gender equity education, legislation, and investments.
Provide purposeful research and transformative education that facilitates the implementation of evidence-based approaches to advancing gender equity.
Events
The Annual Convening
Every fall, the WiPS Annual Convening gathers women and their allies from all sectors of the industry to connect with each other. Topics following developments in women's rights, healthcare, and professional advancements are explored. Participants are encouraged to reflect on the power spaces they occupy in life and how women's roles and expectations can alter the dynamics in these spaces.
The convening consists of featured speakers, panels of experts in designated fields that impact women, and valuable networking opportunities between ambitious and motivated women who might otherwise not have had a chance to cross paths.
The theme for the 2026 Convening is "Mind the Gaps!" and interrogates a multitude of gaps women are confronted with, like wealth, political representation, empowerment, and creative gaps, while focusing on practical ways to move forward.
