Theresa Fruth joins the leadership initiative for women in STEMM ‘Homeward Bound’

Each year there's a cohort of approximately 100 women participating in Homeward Bound, a global leadership initiative for women in STEMM subjects. Based online with a final part of the program conducted in person in Antarctica, Homeward Bound empowers women in STEMM with leadership, visibility and strategic skills to prepare them for roles in leadership and fortitude in decision-making.

By 2036 they aim to have 10,000 women who are a part of this community and have undergone this leadership training, believing that by increasing the visibility of women in STEMM and enhancing their science communication skills, the resolution of the planet's most significant problems can be one step closer.

Moving to Australia in October 2022, Experimental Astroparticle Physicist, lecturer at the University of Sydney and Dark Matter Centre Member Theresa Fruth is one woman a part of this year's community and was called to engage with this program because of its timely appearance.

"I was a postdoc before and now a faculty member, so I need to learn how to teach, how to build my own group, and so this was the right time to think about how I want to lead and how I want to do all of that."

Being in a new role and country, Homeward Bound has also allowed Theresa to network and meet collaborators through the program, learning and working with ninety-nine other women from twenty countries from different disciplines and stages of their careers.

"It's really nice to meet them and connect and to hear their different stories and to hear their different expertise because ideally, what comes out of this is some cross-disciplinary projects we can do together and connect in that way."

With the program taking place via Zoom till the final stage, Theresa and the cohort partake in sessions with program members and leaders through four steps known as 'streams.' These four Streams are Leadership, Strategy, Visibility and Science. The Science Stream being an exploration of purpose within the member's STEMM field and its motivation to communicate this purpose and motivation with others.

Homeward Bound doesn't teach members to be solo leaders but how to build a team and lead with empathy, awareness and a collaborative approach. Theresa, only one month into the program at the time of interviewing, is already seeing the streams come to life.

"What I like about the program is that it's not just about you to grow and learn individually, but it's very much about building that community and learning from each other."

At the time of speaking, only one month into the experience, Theresa has already taken away a key lesson and actionable step that she will use in all her future endeavours.

"I like that at the very start, we were setting our culture within this group. Which doesn't happen in the daily lives we lead. We only decide to talk about culture when we encounter a problem. So I enjoyed that we put that first and set the stage for what is to come."

The final part of the program takes place next year, in 2024, in Antarctica, and for the first time, all leaders and members get to meet in person.

"[Antarctica is] the eye-catching part of the program, but that's not the main thing. It's about being in a vulnerable place where you can see the climate change drastically."

Not deterred by the remote space and the length of the journey to get to the Earth's southernmost and least-populated continent, Theresa views each phase as an opportunity to learn.

"I think being on a ship for two weeks will be challenging. This gives you another place to take the time to be introspective and work with the other team members."

While Homeward Bound aims to have 10,000 women empowered and in more leadership roles by 2036, we can do other things to support this initiative and other underrepresented groups of STEMM, not just women, right now, and Theresa described it perfectly.

"Having an open mind and having open discussions. We've gotten so far already; the more diverse our field gets, the easier it will get to accept different people and not have stereotypes of what a physicist needs to look like. Engaging with other processes and initiatives is a perfect way to support."

Homeward Bound begins a new program each year, beginning in May. Running since 2016, and this being their 8th cohort, there are already 800 women who've been or are a part of the program, but a long way to go. Theresa has some advice for those who are interested.

"What holds many people back is fear, [but] if you believe that you are the right person to do this and you can learn something from it and that the other people will benefit from you being there, then there's a very good chance of getting it, so just go for it."

This article will be a running story as we hear from Theresa Fruth for regular check-ins and updates on the experience of the program. Stay tuned for more.

Check out their Homeward Bound - STEMM Women in Leadership website for more information on Homeward Bound.