Images: Janna Hayes, Dr Rebecca Spence and Dr. Philip Harrell. Dr Mary McMillan experiencing a taste of Antarctica.

On Wednesday, 26 November, GEAReD presented a screening of Director Ili Bare’s The Leadership in Armidale.

The documentary charts the very first Homeward Bound expedition to Antarctica. Homeward Bound is the brainchild of Fabian Dattner, a social entrepreneur and leadership activist with a pirate-sized ego and an in-your-face dynamism that ruffles more feathers than it inspires. The program takes groups of 100 women in STEMM to Antarctica where they undergo leadership capacity development training. The expedition is plagued by controversy and drama.

Models of leadership and facilitation are examined alongside a no holds barred presentation of the systemic barriers that women in STEMM face, from sexist attitudes to the prevalence of sexual assault and harassment in the workplace. There is a lot to take in and a lot to think about. Here, the GEAReD team and Dr Mary McMillan, who participated in the 3rd Homeward Bound journey in 2018/19,  share their reactions.

Dr Rebecca Spence – GEAReD Lead Trainer

The section(s) of The Leadership that for me were most disturbing and confrontational were the ones where the participants discussed their experiences of sexual harassment and sexual assault; not because they were discussing it, because the statistics prove that it is commonplace, but the fact that they were not given any professional support during or after they had opened up about it. This lack of support was compounded by Dattner’s quizzical expression and outright scepticism about the revelation that crew members on the ship had forced themselves upon one of the participants, and had approached other participants for sex during the first program.

The fact that she was sceptical negated any respect I had for her and her program. The first rule of receiving disclosure is ALWAYS BELIEVE THE WOMAN because we do not tell this stuff willingly. 

As the survivor of work based sexual harassment and sexual assault (not here thank god but when I was much younger in South Africa and Italy) I know how hard it is to talk about it; I know that I had no power or agency to discuss my experience with the bosses; I only learnt to talk about it after a lot of counselling support. 

 At GEAReD we have appropriate safety protocols in place. We do not seek or expect disclosure of any issues which may “trigger” trauma and as lead trainer I check in with each participants on a daily basis as to their emotional safety and comfort. I stay at the same place as the women and this makes conversations much easier. If I am alerted to or notice any distress. We have safety procedures in place whereby the women are offered and taken to counselling and or medical appointments, if warranted.

Janna Hayes – GEAReD Communications Lead & Facilitator

I was both fascinated and horrified. The methods of facilitation used on that first trip were so affronting that it was hard at times to comprehend how Dattner’s team continued to support her – such is the power of her charisma. I admired the women in the film who were able to hold their own and challenge aspects of the program (its whiteness, Dattner’s bullying) and found their strength of character inspiring. The film was a lesson in what not to do when facilitating!

Despite the efforts of the director, the human dramas that played out on the ship overshadowed the more important message of the film – the urgent need for more women to be given access to leadership roles in STEMM to ensure the best possible outcomes in our response to climate change.

It meant a lot to me when one of the women on board recognised that issues of sexism and sexual assault and harassment in the workplace were issues for every sector, not just science. I’ve worked in the music, law and education industries and have come up against those same issues time and time again. It provokes a kind of tired outrage to see the extent of it.

Despite all its flaws, the Homeward Bound expedition did show that there is power in uniting women together in a safe space and supporting them to develop networks and leadership skills. That’s what GEAReD does – and after watching The Leadership I can say with the utmost confidence that we do it very well!

 Dr Philip Harrell – GEAReD Facilitator

I don’t feel I am qualified to comment about the more disturbing experiences of some of the women. Although, I found it extremely upsetting that the lead facilitator did seem to dismiss accusations from women of sexual harassment and assault during the cruise.

My concerns:

I found the style of the facilitation particularly frustrating. Some of the training instruments used such as the Kolb Learning Cycle model did not appear to resonate with participants; nor did many of the exercises. I don’t believe enough thought went into the appropriate level of leadership training provided. Particularly given the groups scientific background. Furthermore, I could not really glean a coherent structure or process to the training. Multiple interviews from participants indicated their frustration with this.

Comments made by the lead facilitator suggested a level of arrogance in her own level of knowledge and ability that was inappropriate and unwarranted. In some instances, there appeared to be a level of disregard for the participant experience. In one incident, a number of participants arrived late to a session and were publicly humiliated. While it was meant to be humorous, there was no andragogical reason for it, and it hardly contributed to building trust between the Faculty and the Participants.

I would like to have seen a greater connection between the environment and the outdoors activities and debriefing sessions. In one incidence people were told not to look at the whales and stay engaged with the indoor training! I could not understand what could possibly be gained from stopping people engaging with the natural environment. There were many interactions with the Antarctic environment – both at a human level and with nature. I can only assume that after visits ashore to experience different aspects of the environment – these experiences were debriefed in a caring and supportive way.

The positives:

The trip was obviously a once in a lifetime experience. This by itself created a shared bond between participants that obviously lasted and grew long after the program was over. The location resonated with the scientists. Also, probably an unintended consequence was that as there appeared to be a disconnect (or even conflict at times) between the Faculty and the participants – the bond between the group was possibly stronger because of it.

The program has obviously provided an amazing support network and contributed to growing confidence and success amongst the participants. Finally, the Faculty group did seem to learn from the mistakes of the first cruise and subsequent trips had a different lead facilitator and a greater level of diversity was evident.

Dr Mary McMillan – Homeward Bound Participant

My experience in watching The Leadership film is quite different to everyone else, having been a part of the same program (albeit a later cohort). It was amazing to see the ship, the scenery and the familiar faces, but at the same time confronting to hear the stories of the women featured in the film, and the conflict that arose on the ship. So often I found myself wanting to pause the film to be able to explain further what was happening – a film like this can only capture such a small portion of the experience and can’t do justice to the depth of the program.

I can confidently say the Homeward Bound program has evolved a lot since this first voyage, due in no small part to some of that first cohort stepping up into leadership roles and addressing many of the issues raised in the film. While it’s still not a perfect program, it continues to change based on participant feedback and alumni discussions – and I think that reflects the power that the program has to bring women together.