Program Overview: What are the Squad meetings?
Each Ellevate Squad meets for 12 meetings (30 minutes each week), always on the same day and at the same time. All Squad members will connect for the meeting virtually via Zoom, a video conferencing tool. If you're placed in a Local Squad, you're welcome to hold meetings in-person, but it's not required to do so.
The Squad Curriculum is structured around four types of meetings:
1. The Kick-Off Meeting
Purpose: For members introduce themselves to the group, including their Top 3 goals for the program. The meeting should conclude with the group agreeing upon next week's Hot Topic discussion.
2. Hot Topic Discussion
Purpose: Each Squad will select 1-2 meetings during the program for a group discussion on professional development topic. The first Hot Topic usually takes place the second week of the program to give everyone a chance to know each other before diving into more personal, Hot Seat discussions. We've already curated a list of Hot Topic discussion (such as Personal Branding 101,Honing your Mentorship Skills, Getting on a Corporate Board), but your Squad is welcome to create your own Hot Topic.
3. Hot Seats
Purpose: Each member of the Squad has at least 1 call fully dedicated to discussing her career goals. The Hot Seats are an opportunity for each member to provide advice and to share ideas for achieving career success.
4. Retrospective Meeting
Purpose: To wrap-up the program, the last week is dedicated to reflecting on what you've learned from your Squads experience. Each member comes to the call outlining next steps for working toward the goals they set for themselves during the course of the program. After the official program ends, each Squad can opt to continue to meet for catch-up chats. We recommend meeting either once a month or once a quarter to maintain the relationships you build with other Ellevate members, and to share your future wins and successes with the rest of the group.