On February 12, the Women’s Business Connection (WBC) and GoldJam Creative hosted a Men Practicing Allyship Workshop. A small women-led enterprise, GoldJam Creative has organized interactive communication skills workshops for clients including Spotify, Deloitte, Adidas and Twitter. With a curriculum tailored for UCLA Anderson, the workshop blended research-backed discussion and engaging breakout activities for 40 male allies across the Full-Time and Fully Employed MBA programs. GoldJam Creative co-founders Allie Goldberg and Jen Jamula were joined by David Friedlander to facilitate the workshop and introduce both female and male perspectives on allyship.

Facilitator David Friedlander defining allyship based on actions

Throughout the workshop, allyship was framed and defined as an action-oriented role rather than a passive identity. The event kicked off with an overview of how different types of unconscious gender biases manifest, demonstrated through both personal experiences and academic studies. Role-playing engaged attendees with best practices for active listening, and breakout rooms facilitated smaller group discussions about confronting microaggressions in both academic learning and professional project scenarios. The workshop concluded with a conversation about owning mistakes and intentionally advocating for female colleagues through vouching and development opportunities.

Co-founder and facilitator Jen Jamula introducing a scenario for confronting microaggressions

Following the workshop, GoldJam Creative shared takeaways and additional research to supplement the curriculum, and the WBC raffled off copies of Good Guys: How Men Can Be Better Allies for Women in the Workplace to help attendees continue their allyship journeys well beyond this workshop.