Celebrating women’s past + empowering our future

Spring Forward Festival® is a celebration of the role of women in digital culture for International Women’s Day and runs throughout March in parallel with Women’s History Month.

Our mission

To encourage women to take a greater role in digital by creating a platform that promotes digital community events organised by women for women.

Events

Our first Brighton & Hove pod of 2023 is on Entrepreneurship and Freelancing – building your business, growing it soundly and finding funding to build it into your dream enterprise. The world of Entrepreneurship and Freelancing can be daunting and full of pitfalls and hurdles. So knowledge is power and if you are pre-warned and pre-armed then hopefully many of the scary issues, can be overcome.

Are you a woman working in digital, tech or creative industries? Come and join us for a whole day with our fantastic speakers, talking about their extraordinary journeys in work, business and life. We are celebrating International Women’s Day 2023!Come and be inspired, make connections and learn something new. Speakers include Natasha Hampshire, service designer, UX researcher and co-author of ‘Mastering Collaboration in a Product Team’ and Reshma Sapre, strategist, content director, voice over actor, children’s author and screen writer.

Reigning Women is an annual genre-spanning mini-season of shows and events that are all about celebrating the kick-ass women that are strutting their stuff on the scene at the moment. We offer a platform for both established artists and rising stars to showcase their amazing talents. Not only that, we’ve managed to raise thousands of pounds for local charities and good causes, including Brighton Women’s Centre, RISE and Lewes FC.

Have you ever felt like you don’t belong? Like your friends or colleagues are going to discover you’re a fraud, and you don’t actually deserve your job and accomplishments? These feelings are known as Imposter Syndrome and up to 70% of us will struggle with it at some point in our lives. Led by Sarah Scarratt and Rachel Gilmore from We Are Clean, both experienced facilitators. This 60 minute session is open to anyone who is interested. This is a participatory workshop so we ask that people come willing to learn, share and have their cameras on (where possible).

Hear what matters most to girls, based on the landmark Girls’ Futures Report – a survey of 5,000 girls in the state and independent schools and academies across the UK. Find out how girls feel about what lies ahead – in both their personal and professional lives. With Dr Kevin Stannard, Director of Innovation and Learning GDST, Rosie McColl, Brighton Girls Head, and Rifa Thorpe-Tracey of SheSays Brighton and Spring Forward Festival.

Our aim is to illuminate the overlap between user research, content design, user experience design, and web development. All of these aspects are important when creating a truly great online form.This workshop includes a mixture of paper-based group activities, discussions, and guided activities with input from experts. You’ll be asked to use your observational skills to help develop or refine your practices with accessibility. We would like a mix of levels of expertise, so no matter your prior experience with building forms, you are very welcome to attend. We are delighted to be co-presenting this event with codebar Brighton.

Join us on 15 March for a Xero Training Workshop with Emma Hardwick, Head of Plus Advisory, as part of the Spring Forward Festival. This event is aimed at entrepreneurs, freelancers and business owners, however, anyone is welcome to come along.If you’re moving to digital software or already using it, and want to get the most from this financial investment, you can do so in this Workshop;

Did you miss our last Creative production event for women of colour? We’re doing it again with BAFTA-nominated immersive storyteller Myra Appannah of BRiGHTBLACK fame! Come along to a FREE workshop. Come with an open mind and spirit, if you’re interested or just curious in film, tv, theatre, or gaming… representation matters! FOR WOMEN OF COLOUR ONLY. Many thanks to Balsamiq, Refigure Ltd, and Brighton and Hove Council for making this event possible.

Join Nancy Maher from Kinkajou Limited for a free #IamRemarkable workshop. #IamRemarkable is a Google initiative empowering women and underrepresented groups to speak openly about their workplace accomplishments and breaking modesty norms and glass ceilings. Enjoy group discussions and exercises to develop the confidence and skills to promote yourself. Everyone is welcome. Learn more at g.co/IamRemarkable. Nancy founded Kinkajou Limited to support individuals & organisations in making positive change and is a gold-level #IamRemarkable facilitator.

Making your own website?

 Whether you’re creating an online CV, a place to showcase your art, or talking about your coaching or consulting services. 

A website gives you creative freedom, an opportunity to make a connection with people, and can place you above the crowd. Rebecca Kimber of Create.net will share what makes a successful website, how to look critically at what you have, and how to understand what needs to change. You’ll learn how you can improve the number of visitors who complete your objectives and how to ensure your website reflects you and much more!

Sponsors

Spring Forward wouldn’t be possible without the generosity of our sponsors:

  • DabApps - Design and Build Applications | App Developers UK | Leading Software Development Agency

    DabApps - Design and Build Applications | App Developers UK | Leading Software Development Agency
  • Rifa Thorpe-Tracey - mentor and diversity champion

    Rifa Thorpe-Tracey - mentor and diversity champion