Category Archives: Personal Empowerment

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Toronto, Ontario, Jan. 24, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- MiniLuxe, Inc. (MiniLuxe) a wholly-owned subsidiary of MiniLuxe Holding Corp (TSXV: MNLX), is pleased to announce the start of an ongoing partnership with leading Canadian beauty professional and influencer Veronica Chu.

We first met Veronica as we were preparing for our listing on the TSXV, and our launch in the Canadian market in 2022. We were immediately struck by the commonality of our purpose and values, said Tony Tjan, co-founder and Executive Chairman of MiniLuxe. Veronica has become a powerful advocate for a largely overlooked group of vocational workers in the beauty industry, and we are thrilled to be working with her to share the stories of the diverse women who build meaningful careers in the nail industry.

Ms. Chu has a family history of working in the nail salon industry, which she acknowledges gave her the foundation she needed to build her dynamic career. The recent events surrounding the pandemic and a rise in Anti-Asian racism provided a catalyst for Ms. Chu to be more open in sharing her personal story with her audience. At this point in my life and in the world, I feel as though I need to be a voice for a very under-spoken subculture of Asian people that tend to be quieter about things. When I met the MiniLuxe team and learned more about how they are looking to elevate the working conditions and safety standards in the nail industry and celebrate the artistry and creativity of the designers working in their studios, it felt like a natural fit.

About MiniLuxe

MiniLuxe, a Delaware corporation based in Boston, Massachusetts is a digital-first, socially-responsible lifestyle brand and talent empowerment platform for the nail and waxing industry. For over a decade, MiniLuxe has been setting industry standards for health, hygiene, and fair labour practices in its efforts to transform the most used, but highly under-regulated nail care industry. MiniLuxe looks to become one of the largest inclusionary educators and employers of vocational women workers by empowering Asian-American, Asian-Canadian, and other diverse members on its talent empowerment platform.

Today, MiniLuxe derives its revenue streams across talent services (nail care and waxing services) and product revenue (through its own proprietary clean nail care products). MiniLuxe is driven by a fully integrated digital-first platform that manages all client bookings, preferences and payments and provides designers with the ability to manage scheduling, clientele preferences, performance and compensation tracking, and training content. Since its founding, MiniLuxe has performed over 2 million services.

For further information

Anthony TjanExecutive Chairman, MiniLuxe Holding Corp.atjan@miniluxe.com

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Read more from the original source:

MINILUXE ANNOUNCES PARTNERSHIP WITH CANADIAN BEAUTY INFLUENCER VERONICA CHU - StreetInsider.com

Within highly religious and normative societies such as Indonesia, the notion of sexual violence seems to be something that is absurd and beyond belief.

Many people still believe the occurrence of sexual violence is simply out of the question in a pious society or a country with Eastern values.

Our research highlights a unique reality in Indonesia.

Drawing on academic views that paint the internet as a world of its own, or a heterotopia, our study argues that social media platforms provide a space for contesting realities to counter dominant beliefs and norms including those related to sexual violence.

We found sexual violence occurs regardless of religion, class, social relations, or clothing. Perpetrators of sexual violence ranging from rape to sexual torture include husbands, boyfriends, relatives or other acquaintances known to the victim.

Our results are also in line with the rising number of sexual violence survivors in Indonesia who have publicly exposed their experiences. They do so not through mainstream news outlets, but instead through personal accounts on social media.

Unlike previous studies that argue the internet invites forms of sexual violence, it is evident in this study that female survivors of sexual violence in Indonesia tell stories of their experience on Twitter and Facebook to share fears, grievances, despair and anger.

Data from this research also show these survivors find support in social media as a safe space that resists stigmas and stereotypes about victims of sexual violence.

Our team conducted online observations on Facebook and Twitter to collect data. We also held in-depth interviews with female survivors of sexual violence.

Although they acknowledge that social media do not constantly support and empower, female survivors believe social media offer a counterpublic a space accepting of alternative realities that dominant society has often rejected.

Social scientists have argued that female survivors disclose their experience of sexual violence through online platforms as a way to fight and respond to sexual violence.

Nancy Fracer, a professor of philosophy and politics, introduces the notion of a subaltern counterpublic. It describes a place for marginalised communities to circulate counter discourses and exercise autonomy, free from the dominant society.

One of our research subjects, DH, shared her experience as a survivor of sexual violence, pleading with readers to help:

[..] Ive been dating him for years, so he despised my decision to break up with him. He raped me, beat me. It was the first time he ever abused me. A few weeks later he did it again when he found out that I planned to return to my parents house as I had felt like a terrible and dirty woman. [..] Im scared, and I feel really haunted by guilt, regret, and shame. Please give me a solution and please dont bully me.

DHs post received 27 positive reactions and 23 likes. Out of 31 comments, 17 offered solutions, aid regarding their situation, support and encouragement.

Another survivor, NN, shared her story of being sexually harassed by her stepfather. The post received 256 positive reactions and 151 supportive comments.

When I was in the ninth grade, my stepfather fondled my breasts. When I confronted him, he denied it by saying that I faked the whole thing and was delusional. The next time, he said that it must have been a djinn. I told my mother about what he did, but at the end my mother chose that bastards side.

The supportive reactions that DH and NN received show how social media can create a space for everyone to have a voice, increase awareness of sexual violence, as well as provide a safe space for female victims.

It is evident in this study that female survivors perceive social media as providing a place of refuge from threats and abuse.

By telling their stories, survivors found emotional and psychological empowerment. At the same time, they avoid stigma, pressure and marginalisation from the dominant society.

Although results show female survivors still are still subjected to a punitive gaze from society (through negative responses on their posts), at the same they receive generous public encouragement ranging from legal aid and psychological support to digital security.

Why do female victims of sexual violence consider social media a safe space?

The survivors we talked to in our study are well aware of stigmas within dominant society that are rooted in harmful myths about women and sexuality. These survivors end up seeking other safe spaces.

A woman in our study, for instance, believes sexuality and womens rights relating to sexuality remain taboo topics within the dominant society.

If I share my experiences, people would blame me for wearing tight clothes and leading people to the wrong idea.

Survivors in our study mentioned at least two myths on sexuality.

The first is the purity myth. It argues that sexuality is a sacred and private matter.

The second myth says sexuality is a taboo topic, which should be avoided and not discussed outside of marriage.

These myths then perpetuate benevolent sexism through the glorification of mothers and wives. They emphasise a discourse that honourable women are those who remain virgins until marriage.

As a result, mainstream society demands that women only engage in sexual activities and procreate within the institution of marriage. The same logic of domination assigns men as breadwinners to lead and protect wives and childrens purity.

People may think I deserve to be sexually violated by my husband for not being a good wife. (RA, survivor)

In most cases, sexual violence eludes recognition, prosecution and punishment. The dominant society employs moral standards that assign good women to be guardians of virtues and honour, and good men as their protectors.

As a consequence, female survivors are outright marginalised and often blamed for inciting sexual violence.

This situation then suppresses female survivors from exposing and reporting sexual violence as they will not feel safe or comfortable coming forward and sharing the experience.

Findings in this study emphasise how female survivors face many barriers to finding refuge and support within the dominant society.

Limited support and a lack of relevant legal provisions that protect survivors of sexual violence force them to seek refuge in alternative public spaces, like social media.

Although female survivors in this study take shelter in the online sphere, victims of sexual violence still desperately need support from the dominant structure.

Out study calls for the state to pass Indonesias proposed sexual violence bill as soon as possible.

Weve seen before the rise of movements that publicly oppose this bill. They contend that such a law violates Muslim values, promotes sexual promiscuity and causes people to deviate from religious norms and Eastern values.

These movements amplify stigmas and myths that prevent female survivors of sexual violence from finding refuge and justice.

See the article here:

Refuge and justice online: how sexual violence survivors seek safe haven on social media - The Conversation Indonesia

From personal tragedies and struggles to chance encounters that changed their lives, these inspiringyoung Australians are using their livedexperiences to helpothers.

They are youth leaders, podcasters, business owners, dentists and doctors who are making a difference every day.

One of these eight finalists will become the Young Australian of the Year for 2022.

Sizolwenkosi Fuyana said she spent more time suspended from school than she did learning.

"I was a very disengaged young person at school," she said.

"Coming out of high school I got Ds for all my year 12 exams."

Despite the results, Ms Fuyana managed to land herself a job at a law firm due to her ability to connect and talk to people.

But only months into the job she lost a friend to suicide and her mental health rapidly declined.

"I landed myself in hospital on my first suicide attempt," she said.

After being discharged, she was back in hospital only two weeks later after her second suicide attempt.

"I sat there and the nurse looking after me said to me, 'One day you're going to change the world'," she said.

From there, the Northern Territory Young Australian of the Year embarked on a journey of self care and has become a businesswoman, youth advocate and podcaster.

"I realised if I was still alive for the second time, I had to be here for a reason," she said.

"I didn't know what that purpose was at the time, but I realised I had a purpose."

She started her own business,Fuyana Support, which she uses to engage young people and provide them with the skills they need to succeed.

"Young people are our future leaders, our future politicians," she said.

"We need to empower young people to take on those roles that they have the potential to do.

"By supporting our young people I've seen how they become great leaders and great people who go on to serve their communities."

WA Young Australian of the Year Kendall Whyte has ended up on a veryunexpected journey after a personal tragedy.

In 2008 she lost her 29-year-old brother Jayden to suicide.

"Sadly, like many Australians Jayden struggled with his mental health yet didn't share this with his nearest and dearest," she said.

She believes he kept quiet due to the stigma around mental health that still exists.

Ms Whyte created the Blue TreeProject, inspired by a story shared at her brother's funeral.

"It's a story of him sneaking out one night with a friend to paint a tree blue," she said.

"It was painted out of love and mischief," she said.

What started as a practical joke has flourished into a charity that makes an impact Australia-wide.

Within just two years, the Blue Tree Project has helped facilitate a better understanding of mental health, while providing free education seminars and creating engaging community events within regional Western Australia.

"I share my story, not to share the pain, but to share hope for anyone that is struggling," Ms Whyte said.

"I just want them to know that there is always help out there and there is always someone who wants to be there for you."

When Daniel Nour was in his final year of medicine in London he came across a man having a seizure at a train station.

He stopped to help the man and later learned he was homeless.

Dr Nour spoke to other people around the man, many who were also homeless.

"They had a real sense that their health needs and the healthcare system cared less for them than any other average person in society," he said.

"I couldn't sleep after that."

Dr Nour said he couldn't stop thinking about it, and wanted to do something to help.

Back in New South Wales, he discovered that even with a world-class health systemthere were still barriers limiting access.

The New South WalesYoung Australian of the Yearcreated Street Side Medics, a mobile medical service dedicated to those experiencing homelessness.

"We started in July 2020 with two volunteers, and we've grown the team now to 220 volunteers with two vans and have served over 500 patients," he said.

The two vans areset up as a medical clinic and visitshelters across New South Wales for free and with no need for a Medicare card.

"I don't want to leave a single person unable to access healthcare."

Growing upin Melbourne's northern suburbs,Ahmed Hassan attended one of themost culturally diverse schools in Victoria.

"It was a real privilege. It taught me a lot personally, not about myself but aboutother people and their backgrounds," he said.

Buthe saw some of his peers living with major disadvantage.

"Young people who had no-one in their household employed, no form of transportation at home," he said.

"They had little to no food at times in their households."

When he was in year 10, Mr Hassan noticed a gapin services for young people.

"Many of the services that were meant to assist vulnerable young people weren't really connecting with the young people they were meant for," he said.

"A lot of those young people kept falling through the cracks."

Straight out of school, the Victorian Young Australian of the Yearset up not-for-profit organisation Youth Activating Youth with fellow community leader and chief executive Ali Ahmed.

It assistsdisadvantaged multiculturalyouth.

"It's a platform for these young people to really express themselves, and a platform that is for youth by youth."

Kaytlyn Johnson saw only three of her regional Tasmanian high school peers go on to university.

She wants that to changeand doesn't want a postcode to determine someone's future.

"Growing up in an isolated community like Wynyard presents disadvantages in the form of financial disadvantage, educational disadvantage and a lack of opportunity for young people," she said.

The youth leader said it was driven home when a school-organised work experience program placed students with businesses within one kilometreof the school.

"This experience highlighted the notion that young people in these rural areas are not being supported to dream and to have aspirations beyond a one-kilometre radius of their high school," she said.

"That also allowed me to realise that I need to advocate for young people and young Indigenous people who have the potential to create change not just on a local level but a national level and a global scale.

"I have been able to advocate for youth empowerment, Indigenous empowerment, social justice and climate change."

Ms Johnson said she experienced cultural struggles as a Palawa woman with pale skin growing up in a conservative rural community where Aboriginal history was barely taught in school.

"I didn't get to connect to culture as much as I would have liked to," she said.

Ms Johnson is Tasmania's Young Australian of the Year and is also a talented singer-song writer and has had her music featured on triple j Unearthed.

When Sean Dondas was just a teenager he lost his mother to cancer and became a ward of the state.

"We were a tight-knit family. It was mum, my two younger brothers and myself," he said.

When he was 14, his mother informed the family that her cancer had returned.

"There was massive uncertainty in our lives. We didn't know if mum would survive, we didn't know how long she'd have the treatment for and what this meant for the rest of our childhood, our schooling and our lives," he said.

"There weren't really people in my life who understood what I was going through."

A social worker at the hospital passed on information about cancer support organisation CanTeen, a simple gesture that would change his life.

The ACT Young Australian of the Year joined CanTeen in 2008 and has spent the past 13 years supporting others going through similar situations through his work in various leadership roles.

"I could always count on CanTeen to provide me with the appropriate support and services I needed to deal with the cancer experience I'd gone through," he said.

"I realised I could also make an impact, and young people in CanTeen had inspired me to give back."

His input has helped shape decisions on a range of vital strategies, including clinical trials, youth cancer services, community-based support, and an online support community and counselling services.

"I want young people who are going through a similar experience [to know] that it isn't the end;you can rebuild from this and there is a future for you."

When Tahnee Bridson was in her final year of medical school she lost a dear friend to suicide, a well-known doctor who was her community's general practitioner.

Faced with grief and the pressures of finishing her studies, Bridson was diagnosed with anorexia nervosa.

"At this point in my life I felt incredibly alone and like I was the only person in medicine that could possibly be going through this," she said.

It wasn't until later that she released she wasn't alone, and that healthcare workers all over Australia and the world were also facing issues such asdepression, anxiety, burnout and eating disorders.

"Unfortunately there's so much stigma attached to this, and old-school mentality that for some reason as healthcare workers we're meant to be heroes and can't ask for help or tell people we're struggling," she said.

Dr Bridson, who is the Queensland Young Australian of the Year, decided to take action and came up with the idea for Hand-n-Hand Peer Support.

It provides free confidential peer-to-peer support for all health workers across Australia and New Zealand.

While it started off as a small group chat, even after 24 hours of its inception 400 healthcare workers had reached out for support.

"This grew exponentially over the next few months as COVID came into Australia and had an impact on our health system," she said.

"Our jobs are so stressful and they demand so much of people. If we don't look after our healthcare workers we won't have them there to look after us."

Trudy Lin knows the power of a smile.

The SA Young Australian of the Year is a special needs dentistry consultant at Adelaide Dental Hospital.

Dr Lin provides oral healthcare to people with disability, psychiatric illness, and complex medical issues such as cancer.

She also treats people experiencing homelessness and domestic violence.

Her passion grew from her own family's experience with the health system.

"My youngest brother was diagnosed with autism, and my grandmother was diagnosed with cancer, and I saw that oral health had an even bigger impact on their lives," she said.

"They were finding it difficult to find a dentist that understood those issues and had the skills to help them with it.

"That's how I ended up wanting to specialisein special needs dentistry, to help other people who were facing similar challenges."

Growing up, her father struggled with oral health and had a condition that made his teeth look black.

"He didn't even like to go outside or go out for a meal and smile at other people," she said.

"He felt really isolated because wasn't able to connect with others through the simple gesture of smiling at someone else," she said.

"This really led me to want to help others to have their smile and to be able to eat properly and integrate themselves into society."

Dr Lin has completed a research thesis on implementing a triaging tool to improve oral healthcare access for people with disability, and this work has received multiple accolades, including the 2020 Australian and New Zealand division winner of the International Association of Dental Research Poster Competition.

Read more:

Meet the 2022 Young Australian of the Year finalists dedicating their lives to helping others - ABC News

College athletics, beyond just the NCAA, has been backed into a corner surrounded by barbed wire. There are few paths out. At this point, seemingly no amount of litigation or committees or legislation can deny what is inevitably coming down the tracks like a runaway train.

In some way, shape or form, athletes in the revenue-producing sports will have to be paid. Not just name, image and likeness rights or cost of attendance money, we're talking some sort of partnership with the schools for which they put their bodies on the line.

Short of Congressional intervention -- a Hail Mary at this point -- that's the only tenet remaining from a collegiate model that has melted away over the years like a Life Saver left out in the rain.

For many, there is little left of the innocence that drew a certain generation to the games in the first place. What has been positioned as a decisive moment this week at the NCAA Convention really serves only as background music.

What matters more are the parallel tracks carrying NIL, the transfer portal, player empowerment, a multibillion-dollar entertainment/athletic complex and a yawning lack of leadership at the top.

No rewriting of the NCAA Constitution is going to change that narrative in the short term. College athletics has not only lost a large part of whatever legal leverage it might hold to stave off pay-for-play, it has lost its way entirely.

"I do think we're probably 2-3 years away from having a different relationship with our student-athletes," said respected North Carolina athletic director Bubba Cunningham, who is entering his 27th year in athletic administration. "It won't necessarily be the student and the university. It may be employee-employer."

That means a fundamental shift in how the games are administered and consumed.

If players are paid by their schools, will that turn off fans? It hasn't so far.

Alabama quarterback Bryce Young's NIL valuation is currently third nationally at $1.8 million per year. While he's not paid directly by the school, he's still capable of becoming a multimillionaire while in college. Young won the Heisman Trophy in 2021 and is generally viewed as a football and personal success story. In other words, his earnings haven't made a difference in his on-field success. He's a winner.

"If he made $2 million, everybody in that locker room would be incredibly happy knowing he deserves everything," Cincinnati coach Luke Fickell said of his star quarterback, Desmond Ridder. "Teammates would not bat an eyelash. They respect guys who put in the work."

College athletics is coming around to the concept because, increasingly, there is nowhere left to go. The NCAA could have begun loosening its view of compensation the moment Ed O'Bannon protested about having his image on a video game without pay. In September 2019, NCAA president Mark Emmert was still calling NIL "an existential threat".

"It would not surprise me if, 18 months from now, being employees is the only way to save this thing," said one FBS AD intimately involved in the ongoing deregulation of the NCAA.

DeMaurice Smith, executive director of the NFL Players Association, crystalized the issues last month during the Learfield Intercollegiate Athletics Forum in Las Vegas.

"Colleges and universities deciding to set up [a labor relationship with players], there's nothing at all that prevents anybody from doing it," he said. " Why wouldn't we want to be in a world where we're dictating our own destiny?"

Veteran Oklahoma professor and reform activist Gerald Gurney just retired from a 41-year career in teaching and athletics administration. "Compensating players is not going to stop whether it's over the table or under the table," he told CBS Sports. "We're going to move forward in some fashion or another of paying players."

Bottom line in this third decade of the 21st century: Those who spent their careers building and nurturing college athletics no longer control it. That was assured in a dizzying series of developments in 2021 that forced college athletics into a corner and strung it with that barbed wire.

There is no going back to what the NCAA used to be. The association was forced to allow NIL to move forward in its current form because, in the end, it was too slow to evolve. It is now relying on -- actually, it's begging -- Congress for a national law regulating NIL. In the current political climate, that's unlikely to come anytime soon.

"We're going to end up with something that's a whole lot worse than a blanket set of NIL," Tulane AD Troy Dannen told CBS Sports.

The transfer portal was adopted because the NCAA couldn't defend how undergraduate athletes in 14 sports could transfer without restriction while those in so-called revenue-generating sports (football, men's and women's basketball, baseball, hockey) and had to sit out a year in waiting. That was a lawsuit waiting to come down, especially with the average non-athletic student able to transfer at will.

"You hear a lot now about, 'Hey, we've got to back off. We've got to put some windows in the [transfer] portal. It's not going backwards," Dannen said. "The transfer environment is not going to become less restrictive. We missed an opportunity to evolve."

You want to claw back some of that lost leverage? Experts suggest that next step could come as a partnership of sorts between the athletes and their schools. Collective bargaining -- whether athletes are paid or not -- may be the first step.

"We have graduate assistants, we have teaching assistants, we have [teaching] fellows," Cunningham said. "Universities have positions that are quasi-employees. Maybe the student-athlete will be considered something short of a full employee [with a] term sheet and benefits."

Example: Let's say players as a group -- through negotiation via representation -- agree to stay at school for a two-year minimum. In return, they could receive better long-term healthcare. There is already speculation that, if and when the College Football Playoff expands, there will be pressure on the CFP to fund post-eligibility health insurance from the windfall of a new media rights deal.

"We're going to unionize football," a dour Pittsburgh coach Pat Narduzzi predicted this week. "Take 20 guys [in recruiting] out of high school. Only 10 are any good. We're going to cut the other 10? If you want to start talking money, we're going to start cutting players. It's going to become a business."

A large swath of coaches, administrators and fans would suggest college athletics at its highest level has long been a business. Players are already cut -- just not in the NFL way -- when schools change coaches who "run off" players they don't want.

That's one reason the transfer portal evolved. Four years ago, coaches were able to dictate where a player could transfer. Now, the clout has shifted almost totally in favor of the athlete who, once in the portal, can entertain offers.

Casey Schwab, CEO of Altius Sports Partners, helps develop NIL opportunities for college athletes. He told Sportico last month that athletes will gain employee status this year in at least one of three ways: federal or state law, litigation, or through the National Labor Relations Board ruling.

"I do agree that controlling your own destiny [is preferred to] not allowing legislators, judges or lawyers [to] dictate where this lands," Schwab said. "At the very least, if it's not the right option now, ADs need to be thinking about it. Commissioners need to be thinking about it."

Unionization and the collective bargaining that would go with it has already been tested. The concept was rejected by the NLRB at Northwestern in 2015. However, a former University of Minnesota regent last year filed an unfair labor practice to the NLRB in support of reclassifying athletes as employees.

That came after NLRB general counsel Jennifer Abruzzo issued a guidance memo that could eventually lead to unionization by college athletes. Abruzzo's is a political appointment, meaning the case might have a better chance of leading to unionization backed by a pro-labor administration in Washington, D.C.

Those who counter with the reminder of a free education in the form of a scholarship have allowed the narrative to escape them. Gurney has long said there is difference between getting a degree and getting an education.

"I think, at one point, the athlete is going to have to be given a choice between going to school and getting a real education or don't bother them with this eligibility nonsense," said Michael Hsu, that Minnesota regent. "To pretend they are really students is flagrant. It's a fraud."

The lasting impression -- at least for some lawyers -- is that athlete income is still being capped by NCAA restrictions. Perhaps the only way out is for the schools to become partners with the athletes.

"You know what this is coming down to, don't you?" one college athletics consultant asked. "It's coming down to two things: collective bargaining or Congress."

Partnering with players may be the best option available as the corner college athletics has backed itself into looks more like a strait jacket. An NIL bill isn't likely to emerge from a divided Congress representing a divided country anytime soon. Unions won't work in some states because of right-to-work laws.

So, why not explore revenue-sharing and group licensing agreements? Those are currently against NCAA rules, but a meaningful version of the NCAA may not exist in a few months. Now that a new constitution is set to be ratified, there is a significant business of deregulation.

To rely on Congress to oversee and regulate athletics seems lazy. Several sources shared a be-careful-what-you-wish-for warning regarding potential federal intervention.

"If Congress is going to get involved, they're going to take away nonprofit status from [schools] that are giving $10 million salaries," one FBS AD said. "There is no nonprofit in the world that would be allowed to be a nonprofit with $10 million at the top of their food chain."

Basically, get ready for "anything goes".

The NCAA Transition Committee will manage the details. It is chaired by SEC commissioner Greg Sankey and Ohio AD Julie Cromer. Scholarship limits could go up if only because the Power Five can afford it. The influence of NCAA enforcement could fade as conferences take more control.

FBS membership is up for discussion. By Aug. 1 when the new constitution is supposed to take effect, there might not be 130 schools at the top level. ACC commissioner Jim Phillips pointed last week to this as one reason his conference is presently opposed to expanding the CFP to 12 teams.

The transition committee's responsibility is significant. College athletics will continue to deregulate. NIL and the transfer portal came about precisely because the NCAA was too restrictive.

"The transfer portal is clich," Sankey said. "The transfer portal is raising your hand and saying, 'I'm over here.' There's a lot of people that never come out. There are a lot of people looking for the next opportunity that doesn't materialize."

And that's perhaps not going to change without mediation, a partnership, collective bargaining and/or a union. Maybe a combination of them all.

If football and basketball players are paid directly, that will run straight into Title IX concerns. Title IX is the 1973 federal law that mandates equal opportunities for an underrepresented gender at institutions that receive federal money. That discriminated gender has mostly referred to women. Simply put, the market value of Young and a women's cross-country athlete are different.

By the letter of the law, each should get an equal salary.

The Knight Commission suggested solution in December 2020: The FBS would break away as a separate entity and be funded by the CFP. The NCAA would be left with what it does best, running a heck of a basketball tournament each March.

That would address a long-standing frustration among other divisions that the FBS -- especially the Power Five conferences -- has a weighted NCAA voting advantage, particularly on revenue distribution. That despite the NCAA not sponsoring a championship at the FBS level.

"If you pull football out and govern it separately, basketball will be right behind it in 15 seconds and the NCAA will go away," Dannen said. "I'm scared to death of that particular model."

Whatever happens, some thin thread that links the entire enterprise to education must be maintained. College athletics can't be just one giant Disney corporate investment.

One concept being floated is allowing athletes to get academic credit for playing their sports. Why not? Regular students get credit for studying abroad in their chosen major.

Once again, the NCAA has lost the moral high ground. It thumbed its nose at academic integrity four years ago in the North Carolina case. The NCAA has watched standardized test scores previously needed for admission fade away. Penalties for underachieving in the Academic Progress Rate have unfairly targeted historically Black colleges and universities.

"The young kids taking your tickets are sports administration majors," Cunningham said. "They're getting credit for working the game. The athletic trainer down on the field, they're getting credit because they're an athletic trainer. The band is getting credit because they're in music and on the field at halftime. The video people are getting credit because they're working for the ACC Network. The only person not getting credit is the kid playing the game."

A lot of this would be an admission that the traditional collegiate model doesn't work in an era of litigation and common sense.

NIL benefits have gotten so unregulated that many of the outlandish benefits provided to SMU players 45 years ago in the death penalty case would be allowed in 2021. Slush fund? Allowed if you consider current "collectives" of donors pooling their NIL money to lure players. Free cars? Quarterback Spencer Rattler had two of them last season at Oklahoma.

"The Spencer Rattlers always had two cars [in the past]. It was in a different way," Dannen said.

That different way was described recently by College Football Hall of Fame running back Eric Dickerson, an SMU superstar in the 1980s.

"You're a youth athlete, 19-years-old, and a guy comes to you and says, 'Here's $20,000.' You don't say, 'Oh no, I can't take that money,'" Dickerson told CBS Sports.

"What they did to my school is bullshit. They would never have done that to Alabama. They would never have done that Texas. They would have never done that to Oklahoma."

Many would argue the business side has been growing for decades. The amount of unregulated money that bubbled up after conference rights fees increased dramatically following the landmark NCAA v. Board of Regents case in 1984.

That decision deregulated college football, creating a pot of previously unavailable money resulting from monster media rights agreements. In turn, that caused realignment as conferences scrambled to get the best brands (schools) under their tent. It was no shock that high-powered lawyers and their accompanying 30% fees began to shape the new landscape.

That uneven terrain has been used by the ACC as a reason to stall College Football Playoff expansion. The 69-year-old league isn't a standalone in defending the academic component as athletic departments more closely resemble Fortune 500 businesses. But it's worth noting the reaction by critics when the ACC stood its ground for foundational concepts such at player safety and academics.

The new NCAA Constitution to be ratified this week is another example of the association being backed into that corner. The same document that was once used to effectively shutter Penn State football amid the Jerry Sandusky scandal promises to become a much sleeker, less-intrusive document.

With sleeker comes its own set of problems. The current environment cannot endure. Perhaps a new landscape where the sun never sets on the paid athlete is the future.

If the NCAA is the membership, as Emmert continues to remind us, then the membership is pissed. The transfer portal has been described over and over as the Wild, Wild West. NIL took effect without much oversight. Healthcare is lagging considering the NCAA is on record as saying it has "no legal duty to protect student-athletes".

There's a way to regulate it: Form a partnership with the players who fill the stadiums and generate the revenue.

"We just have to figure it out," Cunningham said. " How do you stop it? We're not going to stop it. All we have to do is figure out how to finance it."

More:

With the NCAA backed into a corner, the age of paying college athletes is officially upon us - CBS Sports

MOSCOW The Latah County Human Rights Commissions annual Martin Luther King Human Rights Community Breakfast will be held virtually at 9:30 a.m. today with guest speaker Phillip J. Roundtree.

Roundtree is a mental health advocate with a specialization in mental health within Black and other marginalized and underrepresented communities.

The founder of Quadefy LLC, a nonprofit dedicated to physical and personal empowerment, Roundtree was recognized in 2018 in Black Enterprise Magazine in the Be a Modern Man program and spoke for TEDx in Black Mental Health Matters in 2019.

Joann Muneta, chairwomen of the Latah County Human Rights Task Force, said Roundtree was chosen based on feedback from collaborators at the University of Idaho, as well as local high school students.

As it turned out, we also have a high school representative on our task force, Muneta said. He said, yes, high school students are also very concerned with mental health issues.

Following Roundtrees address, there will be a period for a question-and-answer session in which guests are invited to participate. The breakfast will also feature music and the presentation of the Rosa Parks Human Rights Achievement Award.

In addition to the community breakfast, Roundtree will meet with local high school students and give the University of Idaho Martin Luther King keynote address.

Read more from the original source:

MLK Human Rights Community Breakfast to be held virtually today - Lewiston Morning Tribune

Athletes to Athletes is an all-in-one advising service built by former athletes passionate about helping prospective student-athletes find the right fit college program, on and off the field.

Founded by friends and former college athletes Reid Meyer, Nikki Perez, and Justin Ullestad Athletes to Athletes is all about disrupting the college recruiting and selection process through education and empowerment.

As former student-athletes, we understand how difficult the recruiting journey can be and how important your sport is to your college decision. It was a huge part of our decisions too. But the reality is that your sport doesnt define your college experience by itself, explains company founder, Reid Meyer.

Athletes to Athletes was created to help the next generation of student-athletes pursue the collegiate program that best fits their long-term career and life goals.

College athletics can be a gateway to massive opportunities. For the very select few, it can be an opportunity to play professional sports. For everyone else, it means a solid educational and networking foundation that will provide for you the rest of your life. We know its tough to look beyond your sport when considering college programs, but we also know its just as important for you to find satisfaction academically, personally, and financially.

A holistic program that truly encompasses the recruiting experience

The overall college admissions experience is different for everyone. Unlike other advising programs, we reject the idea of a one size fits all approach.

We educate you about the universal rules and requirements of college recruiting for all associations, including the NCAA, NJCAA, and NAIA, and then focus on your personal situation to both empower you and maximize your recruiting opportunities, continues Reid.

Athletes to Athletes leverages the first-hand experience of former college athletes to offer one-on-one advising to high school athletes who have interest in playing sports at the next level.

Our advisors help future student-athletes navigate the college application and recruitment process, arming them with the tools to grab the attention of college coaches, while providing a holistic method to evaluate schools.

Selecting the right college program is about more than just athletic talent. Its about considering your academics, finances, and mental health. After all, its potentially a four-year decision, so you want to do it right, adds Reid.

Athletes to Athletes encourages all prospective student-athletes to sign up for a free one-on-one introductory session with an advisor to see if this program is right for them no commitment, fees, pressure, or obligation.

We know that being an athlete is only one aspect of what makes you, you. Thats why our advisors work hard to help you find a college where you can succeed both on and off the field. No matter how far your athletic career takes you, there will be an ending to that story. We want to ensure youre prepared to dive into the next chapter with excitement and confidence.

In the words of program graduate Cale P, If you really want to be a college athlete and be confident when you commit to a college program, then Athletes to Athletes is the place for you., concludes Reid.

Conclusion

Athletes to Athletes is a holistic program advisory service founded by friends and former college athletes Reid Meyer, Nikki Perez, and Justin Ullestad to empower the next generation of student-athletes. Athletes to Athletes is passionate about disrupting the college recruiting and selection process and helping high school student-athletes and their parents to research, identify, and apply to college programs that best fit their needs, on and off the field.

Media ContactCompany Name: Athletes to AthletesContact Person: Reid MeyerEmail: Send EmailCountry: United StatesWebsite: https://www.athletestoathletes.com/

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Athletes to Athletes is empowering the next generation of student-athletes - Digital Journal

SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Prosper Marketplace, a fintech pioneer providing affordable financial solutions to consumers across the credit spectrum, today announced the launch of the Prosper Card. The new credit card helps people take control of their finances with access to affordable rates and attractive terms, automatic reviews for credit line increases1, no annual fee for the first year with autopay2, no-fee ATM cash advances3, no security deposit, and free access to financial education content and resources (see additional rates, fees, and terms here). Consumers can apply for the card by visiting http://www.prosper.com/credit-card.

Consumers working to build their credit profile have historically found it difficult to find an attractive entry point and are often forced to rely on costly alternatives. With the Prosper Card, people get access to the affordable credit they need when they need it, as well as tools and resources to help them stay on track with their personal finances, said David Kimball, CEO, Prosper Marketplace. Since launching in 2006, our platform has facilitated $20 billion of affordable credit solutions for more than a million consumers across personal loans and home equity lines of credit, and we are excited to reach even more people with our credit card product.

The Prosper Card was designed with simplicity and personal empowerment in mind. Starting with a simple online application, consumers can apply for the Prosper Card in minutes with the option to select their own due date and no annual fee for the first year by signing up for autopay2. This creates the best opportunity for making on-time payments on a regular basis, which is an important element of maintaining a healthy credit profile.

Prosper Card members also gain access to exclusive benefits designed to improve their financial well-being, including customizable financial education classes which can be personalized to meet their goals. The Prosper Card also gives cardholders access to the My Prosper Card App, which helps them monitor their spending, safeguard against fraud, and manage payments.

About Prosper Marketplace

Prospers vision is to transform lives by providing affordable financial solutions through the simplest and most trusted platform. The company's platform has facilitated $20 billion of affordable credit solutions by leveraging our highly engaged workforce, trusted brand, artificial intelligence, and advanced technology. The Prosper Card is an unsecured credit card issued by Coastal Community Bank, Member FDIC pursuant to a license by Mastercard International. Prosper Marketplace, Inc. was founded in 2005, and is headquartered in San Francisco. Visit http://www.prosper.com and follow Prosper on Twitter or Instagram to learn more. Prosper notes are offered by Prospectus.

1. The cardholders account will be reviewed automatically for credit line adjustments. The cardholders credit line can increase or decrease, or not change at all, depending on their payment history and eligibility.2. The annual fee for the Prosper Card is $39, which is waived for the first year if the cardholder signs up for autopay before their first statement is issued.3. Third party fees may apply.

Excerpt from:

Prosper Introduces the Prosper Card to Help Consumers Take Control of Their Credit - Business Wire

"'Wont Stand Down is a song about standing your ground against bullies, whether that be on the playground, at work or anywhere." -- Matt Bellamy

By Scott Bernstein Jan 13, 2022 7:03 am PST

Muse returns with the new single Wont Stand Down for Warner Records. The song marks the English rock bands first new music since the release of their 2018 studio album, Simulation Theory.

Produced by Muse, Wont Stand Down arrives with an accompanying video directed by Jared Hogan shot in Kyiv, Ukraine. The anthemic, arena-ready song combines Matt Bellamys poignant words regarding personal empowerment with powerful and distorted guitars.

Wont Stand Down is a song about standing your ground against bullies, whether that be on the playground, at work or anywhere, said Bellamy in a press release. Protecting yourself from coercion and sociopathic manipulation and to face adversity with strength, confidence and aggression.

Watch the video for Muses Wont Stand Down below:

Read more:

Muse Releases 'Won't Stand Down,' 1st New Music In 4 Years - JamBase

Skateboarding can help middle-aged people feel a sense of empowerment as well as boosting happiness and wellbeing, according to research.

The study, by Dr Paul O'Connor, suggests skateboarding can help those in middle age navigate depression, bonds with their children, and personal trials and tribulations.

It also suggests skateboarding opens up access to a new community, in turn helping people experience an identity separate from other parts of life.

Esther Sayers began skateboarding at the age of 47 - now in her early 50s, she says it's a decision she hasn't looked back on.

She told Sky News: "I had a couple of years of feeling a bit purposeless in terms of big life goals being completed.

"Adulthood can be quite constricting, you have to look after the home, the family, the job and be this professional expert.

"Skateboarding just fitted in my life at that time because it offered me something else, it offered me a new challenge, it offered me a new chance to learn again."

She added: "There's a stereotype that skateboarding is about freedom.

"It is about freedom for me, but it's also about a load of other things - it's about pushing myself, challenging myself, taking risks, building my strength emotionally and physically."

Ms Sayers says the sense of achievement that comes with mastering a new trick is "out of this world".

At Hop King, a skate park in south London, there is a big focus on making the activity as inclusive as possible for age groups.

Ben Hopkinson, co-founder of Hop King, told Sky News their beginner classes are designed to make people of all ages feel welcome.

They've seen a significant increase in the number of older people attending which has resulted in "little communities" within the skatepark being created.

Dr O'Connor said there are several reasons why older people are taking up skateboarding.

He told said for many people, it's because "they feel like they had missed out" if it's something they never did when they were younger.

"Fundamentally you've got something that's new, engaging, gives you some exercise, and can plug you into a community.

"It doesn't solve all your problems that's for sure but a lot of people find that it's quite inspiring, that it's motivational, that it's a creative outlet."

Dr O'Connor says the fact you don't have to score points or win in skateboarding makes it "very open, and people feel that they can progress in their own ability in their own time".

He added: "There's a big identity component about skateboarding as well - a lot of people I speak to are accomplished in their career.

"They want to push their identities, they don't want to be considered just as a colleague or a parent.

"They want to break free of some of the constraints of having to have a routine or a mortgage."

Read more:

Skateboarding in middle age 'helps empowerment and boosts wellbeing' - Sky News

Credit card debt cited five times more than other types of problem debt; using credit for essential costs of living the main cause of debt reported by 18% of insolvent consumers, and more than 3 in 4 respondents say being in debt affected their mental health.

VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Jan. 17, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- BC Licensed Insolvency Trustees Sands & Associates today released complete findings from the 2021 BC Consumer Debt Study. This unique annual study polled over 1,700 consumers from across the province who declared personal bankruptcy or legally consolidated debt with a Consumer Proposal and provides an opportunity to better understand some of the many aspects of financial challenges faced by British Columbians.

According to Sands & Associates President and Licensed Insolvency Trustee Blair Mantin, Consumers may often be lulled into thinking their debt isnt 'too much', not realizing how easily problem debt gets out of control, or how common life challenges can leave people facing unimaginable financial difficulties and overwhelming stress.

As well as highlighting the causes of problem debt and its impact on individuals, the 2021 BC Consumer Debt Study identified notable trends in consumer debt habits:

Click here to read the full 2021 BC Consumer Debt Study report in PDF format.

More than 56% of all consumers polled said credit card debt was the main type of debt they had when they began a formal debt solution, far surpassing other types of debt reported tax debt (11%) and lines of credit (10%).

Participants reported that being in debt affected their wellbeing in many ways, including:

When asked how they knew their debts were becoming a problem:

Only 5% of consumers said they sought professional debt help right away, with majority being stopped by rationale such as:

Click here to read the full 2021 BC Consumer Debt Study report in PDF format.

About Sands & Associates and BC Consumer Debt Studies

Founded in 1990, Sands & Associates has grown to become an industry leader, now BCs largest firm of Licensed Insolvency Trustees focused exclusively on debt management aid for consumers and small businesses. A multi-year Consumer Choice Award winner, Sands & Associates aims to integrate consumer empowerment, personal financial literacy and Canadian legislation, providing an overall supportive and effective approach to debt help solutions.

On Sands & Associates annual BC Consumer Debt Study, Sands & Associates President and Licensed Insolvency Trustee Blair Mantin notes, Through these annual studies were able to gain and share invaluable insights into the challenges being faced by people in virtually every community. As a Licensed Insolvency Trustee serving residents across BC Im aware of the difficult situations people are working through, the heavy toll of their debt-stress and being able to share in this knowledge helps others to empathize, increasing awareness that is so needed in order to step up and help people get the resources and solutions they need to regain their lives and move forward without the overwhelming burden of a debt problem.

Blair Mantin, Licensed Insolvency Trustee778-735-0498bmantin@sands-trustee.com

Original post:

Costs of Living, Credit Cards & COVID-19 Latest BC - GlobeNewswire