Category Archives: Personal Empowerment

BROCKTON "Art is our protest" is their motto.

"Unity through art" is their mission.

Brockton is their home.

And their latest project is a collaboration with a company owned by Tom Brady.

Power of Art, a new collective of Brockton creatives, kicked off a series of public projects this June with a mural showing seven fists of different colors raised in unison, painted onto the exterior wall of Champion Ice Cream on Legion Parkway.

Lindsay Loza, a painter and portrait artist, said the group formed less than a month earlier with the goal of creating opportunities for Brockton artists to respond to widespread protests over racism in law enforcement.

"Our job is to reflect the times," Loza said.

The upcoming collaboration with TB12, Brady's sportswear and nutrition brand, offers the collective its broadest platform yet to help Brockton artists share work centered on social justice in the city. TB12 advertises internationally and maintains nearly 400,000 followers on Instagram, using Bradys unparalleled achievements as a quarterback in the National Football League to sell athletic gear, prepared meals and nutritional supplements.

In what company executives called "a chance to take a stand on social justice," TB12 plans to manufacture and sell the Brockton-made designs through its online store, donating the proceeds to nonprofits in the city.

In September, Power of Art and TB12 announced an open call for design submissions. Several local fashion brands have been contacted to participate as well.

"Bigger than just apparel and inspired by Brockton imagery, the contest promotes social justice, determination, empowerment and community pride," Power of Art said in a written statement.

"In an effort to stand against racial injustices afflicting communities of color, Brockton residents are challenged to submit t-shirt designs that embody these values."

A panel of Brockton artists and TB12 executives plans to choose as many as three winning designs in November. Ollie Spears, a former city council candidate whose personal ties to Bradys company made the competition possible, will have a say in the choice as well.

Once the designs from Brockton are screenprinted, the shirts themselves could direct attention from TB12 customers toward a city that was once famous in its own right for manufacturing athletic gear.

Growing up in Brockton, Loza said she rarely saw artists work together on public projects.

Were trying to create a new culture here, she said.

The collaboration breaks new ground for TB12 as well, marking the first time the company has crowdsourced designs from local artists.

This is completely new for us, very much unlike anything weve ever done before, said TB12 marketing specialist Drew Bradley. It really feels like the right time to take this kind of action.

Power of Art has six members, including Loza, the groups founder. Barbatt Jocelyn and Tricia Seda, who run Massive Media, a Brockton brand consultancy, are members. Salena McAlarney, a tattoo artist and illustrator, joined at the outset, as did Jamaal Bonette, a painter, and Roland Gilbert, Lozas boyfriend.

The collective has several public art projects on the horizon, including a mural for Empower Nutrition, a Black-owned smoothie business on Brocktons Crescent Street.

The artists share their work on personal Instagram pages and a separate account for Power of Arts group projects.

For more information on the t-shirt contest, visit tb12sports.com/blog/art-brockton.

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Bigger than just apparel Brockton artists team up with Tom Brady for social justice T-shirt design competition - SouthCoastToday.com

With the Covid-19 crisis into its second wave, and little certainty on when the pandemic can be curbed entirely, organisations and their people are increasingly facing Covid-19 fatigue. Dustin Seale, Managing Partner of Heidrick Consulting in Europe, shares his thought on how leaders can overcome this fatigue, by embracing purpose and empowerment.

In a crisis, our human instincts kick in and we do one of two things: Every Man for Themself or Unify and Fight. The coronavirus pandemic ignited the latter and more positive instinct for the majority of people and organisations. Most leaders who adopted these actions were able to power through the pandemics initial phase.

As we now face the second phase, leaders will need to find creative ways to re energise their organisations and replace fatigue and weariness with a reimagined zealous perseverance. The fact that there is no clear end in sight is something that leaders must take into consideration and navigate accordingly.

The drive and energy that the initial shock gave organisations has been somewhat short-lived, however. Our mutual challenge was fighting the virus, now the challenge is this: the organisations that were once hubs of virus-fighting energy and enthusiasm are now reporting Covid-19 fatigue and lethargy. This shouldnt really come as a surprise. Most of us are good in a sprint, but as they say this is a marathon, not a sprint.

There are things we naturally do to restore our lost physical energy on an individual level. We regain our strength by eating right, drinking less, regularly exercising, sleeping more, taking rest days and other practices such as mindfulness.

When it comes to organisations, solutions lie in employee wellness programmes, recognition for wins and contributions, encouraging mindfulness and reflection and ensuring members of the organisation experience valuable family time and holidays. There are two significant strategies organisations can implement in order to retrieve phase one enthusiasm and reignite their workforces energy:

The energy at the beginning of the crisis can indeed be described as purpose-driven. However, that was purpose with a small p. This version of purpose may work to fight the immediate enemy but it is not sustainable. If we look to history we will see countless examples of leaders, teams, companies and even dictators who have used this purpose to unite and initiate short bursts of energy and achievement. Real Purpose is different.

In 2009, Heidrick Consulting helped a firm that was hit hard by the financial crisis to reevaluate and reinvigorate its leadership approach. Like with the current crisis, this firm mobilised an initial energised response but this was shortly followed by a loss of energy and belief.

The leadership team then doubled down to all the organisations employees to the purpose. The business was led with this purpose as the guiding principle. The result was a re-energised organisation and one that won more work and grew faster than any other time in its history. While the market was still not favourable, there was a belief in the organisation that defied the market trend and grew even whilst others were shrinking.

We focused on defining the Purpose of the organisation. This definition comes from analysing the companys positive contribution to the world. Once this is recognised, everyone should be helped to connect personally to this Purpose. A standard communications programme is not enough. The Purpose must be embedded through experiences be they workshops, conversations, meetings, etc. and must generate positive associative feelings reaching the part of the brain responsible for choice and behavioural change.

The individual must feel connected to the work they do and see its importance within the larger organisation while fulfilling their personal purpose. This is no new idea. Aristotle spoke about it, as did Frankl and others. When we are connected to Purpose, we traverse obstacles differently and the work we do creates energy rather than consumes it.

The second strategy is to empower the workforce and make change. The pandemic has seen leaders simply working harder and longer. A few months in and they are worn out. Re-energising involves implementing an approach to work that enables people to see things from new angles and in new lights while taking back the control needed to achieve results. It is equally important to do this in teams. We need other people as catalysts for inspiration and for helping to generate energy and meaning. The current lack of teams and sense of connection drains energy.

Purpose and Empowerment provide organisations and their people a dynamic with which they can reenergise, reignite and persevere.

When we work with organisations we engage our team-based Acceleration Lab to encourage this empowerment strategy. We recently worked with a real-estate company and got them to try out our Lab dynamic. With this methodology, employees are faced with hypothetical scenarios that mirror their real-life work problems. In solving these, participants found a new wave of energy that was echoed in the resultant upward trajectory of the company.

At the start of this process we stared directly in the mirror and saw ourselves doing things the way we normally do, and realised it would not work. This approach unlocked our thinking and has set a new tone and direction for the firm, the CEO of the company said. Insights born out of team environments generate change and reignite a collective energy for organisations.

Do all of the above in ways that connect people with people. We are social animals and part of the fatigue being felt today is based on the loss of real connection. Underpinning connection to purpose and growing empowerment, is putting in the mechanisms for both formal and informal interactions that accelerate both of the above.

Recent studies show that the Oxytocin levels, generated in our posterior lobe, rise in us when in authentic interactions with other people. Oxytocin is critical in the feelings of well-being and optimism and thus reduces fatigue significantly. If youre not connecting people in authentic and productive interactions, they are spending, not gaining energy.

When we combine these two strategies of Purpose and Empowerment we are creating a link between the present moment and the challenges the future may bring. We are providing organisations with a dynamic with which to reenergise, reignite and persevere. With such strategies we are looking beyond the short-term challenge of the virus and establishing a long-term business strategy, underpinned by sustained behaviour changes.

There is a way out of this period of fatigue. Taking care of employees and prioritising these ideals will establish the mechanism to power you through this period of weariness and beyond this era of pandemic.

Continue reading here:

Purpose and Empowerment key to overcoming Covid-19 fatigue - Consultancy.uk

Over the years, Amber Rose has established herself as an advocate of womens rights and sexual freedom. Her SlutWalk event promotes empowerment and opposes slut-shaming and rape culture, and shes often spoken about how shes raising her sons to be feminists.

Rose appeared on Red Table Talk with hosts Jada Pinkett-Smith, Willow Smith, and Adrienne Banfield-Norris to discuss sexual consent and what shes teaching her kids about women. The episode, taped pre-COVID-19, aired on Facebook Watch on Oct. 20.

In a candid discussion about gray zone sex and consent, all the women talked about uncomfortable situations theyve been in with partners. Both Willis and Rose spoke on feeling compelled to go along with a sexual encounter even if they didnt want to, and how men may interpret the meaning of no.

It was a sensitive conversation where multiple points of view were considered, and Rose opened up about her personal experiences and having agency over her body.

Rose, who has two sonsSebastian, 7 and Slash, 1was asked about what shes teaching Sebastian about boundaries and consent.

RELATED: Amber Rose Opens Up About Getting Plastic Surgery After Giving Birth

Rose shared that her eldest son is aware of the world. She told Smith, He knows everything. Im not hiding nothing from my son. My son knows what a period is. She said he comes and sits in the bathroom with her to talk and will ask, Mommy, do you have your period?

Rose answers him honestly. Im like no, not right now, but I will. And hes like do you need a tampon? Do you need a pad? I say that to say my son is seven, and I dont feel like its too soon. Because once he hits 13 and the girls in his classroom are getting their period, and the boys are like thats disgusting shes bleeding, hell be like, Thats nothing.

Rose added that shes also had to explain inappropriate touching and shared an example about Sebastian playfully shaking her bottom. She reiterated to him its not ok to touch her or any girls he comes across.

At first, Smiths mom reacted with a shocked look about Roses period revelation, but she commended the mom of two for teaching him early.

In a 2018 interview with Teen Vogue, Rose mentioned that parents often make the body out to be a taboo subject. She told the outlet its not like that in her household and shes frank about more than womens periods.

I teach my son that a womans body is not a sexual object. Its human anatomy, she said.

I have feminine paintings all over the walls [and] pictures of naked women. My son is so used to seeing it, so its not weird to him. She added that when adults to do that, it makes things seem like a bigger deal than they are. Rose would rather normalize the female form.

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'Red Table Talk': Amber Rose is Teaching Her 7-Year-Old Son About Women's Periods Now - Showbiz Cheat Sheet

HBOs The Vow is the latest docuseries to sweep the nation so much so that it was just renewed for another season. It tells the story of Keith Raniere and the sex cult tied to NXIVM, his multi-level marketing company that recruited thousands of people over two decades. Among some of the familiar faces involved are Smallville actress Allison Mack and Dynasty star Catherine Oxenberg, as well as Oxenbergs daughter India.

Over the course of nine episodes, The Vow dives in to the systematic brainwashing and gaslighting that its members faced. At the core of NXIVM is its Executive Success Programs, or ESP. Members follow the professional development tracks for each level of ESP, having to shell out lots of money for the different requisite courses at each level.

The more sinister side of NXIVM is DOS, or Dominus Obsequious Sororium a Latin phrase that translates to Master over slave woman. DOS is exactly what it sounds like: many women were groomed and recruited from NXIVMs female empowerment program Jness to join DOS, and agree to be a submissive who obeys everything their master says.

RELATED: The Vow: Catherine Oxenberg Talks Confronting Her Daughter About NXIVMs DOS and Being Branded

One of the stars of The Vow is Catherine Oxenberg, the real-life royalty who was on Dynasty back in the day. She introduced her daughter India to NXIVM in 2011, but soon realized the manipulative ways that Raniere and the higher-up members of NXIVM worked.

India broke her silence in an interview with Good Morning America her first TV appearance since leaving the cult. She said that they tried to break the bond between her and her mother right from the start.

What I thought I was learning was self-help and personal growth. What I was learning was the opposite, she told GMA. It was inhumane.

Oxenberg was a part of NXIVM for seven years, and was asked to join DOS after five years. In that time, her mother tried many times to reach out to her and get through to her, but her daughter dismissed her concerns as misguided.

As a part of DOS, Oxenberg kept a strict diet that was monitored by Raniere and her master and swore an oath to serve him. She was told it was a secret society for women that offered one-on-one coaching, but it soon ended up with her being branded with Ranieres initials.

Oxenberg left NXIVM altogether in 2018, and shes broken her silence in the time since The Vow started airing.

In an interview on The Doctors, she discussed how she was brainwashed into joining DOS from the very beginning when she joined NXIVM. I went into this when I was 19 years old, so very young, and what I didnt realize is that I was being systematically groomed towards something that would happen later on almost five years later, the now 29-year-old said.

Looking back I see the warning signs, she told Elle.

One of the rites of passage in DOS was to get a painful brand with what they were told was a symbol standing for the different elements near their genitals; the brand was actually a design with Keith Ranieres initials. Oxenberg was personally recruited to join DOS by none other than Mack.

Oxenberg recalled the horrific details in an interview with People magazine. It was January 2016. She was instructed to remove her clothes, and along with several other women, she was told to walk into a room that had a table. She was the first one to lay on the table.

I had two women holding my hands and my feet so I wouldnt convulse, she remembered. She was then branded with Ranieres initials. I remember the smell of flesh, she admitted. I remember crying but not with pain. There was no choice to say no.

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'The Vow': India Oxenberg Was the First One to Be Branded in 'Inhumane' NXIVM Sex Cult - Showbiz Cheat Sheet

LONGMONT, Colo., Sept. 21, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- A group of diverse athletes both able-bodied and adaptive from across the United States and Ecuador will join forces on September 25-27 on behalf of the non-profit Range of Motion Project (ROMP) to provide prosthetic care to amputees who do not have access. While the team's original goal was to summit Ecuador's 19,347-foot Cotopaxi volcano, the trip was postponed this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As they await their opportunity to climb Cotopaxi, the group has teamed up to collectively climb a total of 19,347 vertical feet in seven locations during a 48-hour climb-a-thon September 25-27.

"We are in a unique position to leverage our own mobility to help amputees receive prosthetic treatment and technology that they need to redefine their potential," said Founder and Executive Director Dave Krupa. "Even though our Cotopaxi climb is not happening this year, we still climb and will continue to climb for our patients. This is our mission."

Kyoto Botanicals is committed to making an impact and supporting this event to help increase access to devices that enable personal empowerment and hemp-based CBD products that help bring balance and harmony to body and mind. From September 25 to September 27, 2020, Kyoto Botanicals will donate 50% of net proceeds from sales at https://kyotobotanicals.com to ROMP to support their mission during this difficult year. With a goal of raising $19,347 for ROMP over the course of the weekend, Kyoto Botanicals looks to make a big impact in 2020 to help amputees without access to proper medical care unlock their potential.

"We are excited to combine our belief that nature provides us what we need to help live happy, healthy lives with ROMP's mission to increase the mobility, visibility, and dignity of those marginalized by lack of access to rehabilitative technology," said CEO Ron Morrow. "With this event, we will help people confront, cope with, and overcome the physical and mental barriers created by the loss of a limb."

About KYOTO BOTANICALS

KYOTO BOTANICALS delivers high quality CBD products to help bring harmony and balance to people's lives and positively affect the world around them. We believe in giving back to the community and are dedicated to building a brand that can impact local and global needs. Through our line of innovative hemp-based products, KYOTO BOTANICALS thoughtfully combines the finest ingredients in nature to deliver quality, consistency, and results from batch to batch. https://kyotobotanicals.com/

About ROMP

ROMP is a technology-based, nonprofit organization, which provides high quality prosthetic care in underserved populations, thus enhancing mobility and unlocking human potential. ROMP believes that prosthetic limbs are not simply medical devices, but instruments of personal empowerment. ROMP recognizes the dual hardships of living in poverty with a disability and stands in solidarity with those who are made to suffer from an unequal distribution of care. http://www.rompglobal.org

Media contact:Mark GIllilan[emailprotected]720-235-7755

SOURCE Kyoto Botanicals

http://www.kyotobotanicals.com

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We Still Climb - Kyoto Botanicals to Support Range of Motion Project's Adaptive Team as They Climb 19,347 Feet in 48-Hours to Help Patients in Need of...

Lovecraft Country's "Strange Case" title sequence teases the episode's twist about Christina's true nature with its reference to the butterfly.

The title sequence ofLovecraft Countryseason 1, episode 5,"Strange Case", teases the episode's twist about Christina's true nature with its reference to the butterfly. The episode opens with Ruby waking up as a white woman. After she looks in the mirror and tells herself to wake up, a silhouette of her face breaking up into a multitude of butterflies accompanies the show's title. It turns out that William has given her a potion to achieve this metamorphosis into a white woman. While this reference to the butterfly is obviously about Ruby and her transformations in the episode, it is also about Christina's transformation into William, who had originally been introduced as Christina's good friend.

Throughout the episode, Ruby and William's relationship develops in mysterious and tantalizing ways, not only because of their being lovers, but also because William has delivered on his claim that he can dramatically change Ruby's life. Masquerading as a white woman, Ruby is able to get a taste of white privilege, and it gives her a unique perspective about her personal achievements as a Black woman, and those of all Black women.

Related: Lovecraft Country: Episode 5's Clever Candyman Easter Egg Explained

At first, it seems that Ruby is becoming drunk on the power that William's magic potion gives her. However, as she begins to realize that this power can be used for more than her own personal gain, she ultimately uses it to get justice for her Black co-worker, who she witnessed being sexually assaulted by their white boss. Disguised as Hillary Davenport, her white alter ego, she quits her job and tricks her boss into playing a sexual game in which she wins in a very gruesome and well-deserved way.

The title sequence of "Strange Case" teases the episode's twist because of its reference to the butterfly, a beautiful winged creature known for its metamorphic life cycle. However, the reference is not just about transformation. Before a butterfly morphs into its adult form, it is a caterpillar; and while caterpillars are beautiful in their own ways, they are not able to fly. Only when it becomes a butterfly does it have that power. Therefore, the butterfly reference is not only about changing one's shape and color, it is about empowerment.

William's promise was that he could give Ruby the power to do whatever she wanted. At first, Ruby takes this to be about attaining her personal desires. When she has a conversation with Christina (Abbey Lee), whom she still believes to be William's good friend, she realizes that his promise was about obtaining real power, not about the granting of superficial wishes. This butterfly-as-empowerment metaphor teases the twist ending because power is what Christina has been seeking throughout the show.

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Lovecraft Country: How The Title Sequence Teased Episode 5's Twist - Screen Rant

At least 12 of the 77charities and non-profits awarded COVID-19 assistance grants in July by the mayor of the District of Columbia have yet to receive the money. A News-4 I-Team investigation finds some of the $10 million in promised Hope Grants has yet to be delivered, two months after the funding was announced.

The grants were announced in early summer as a program partnering with non-profit organizations to help provide personal protection equipment, social distancing measures and other public health awareness, such as connecting residents to testing sites. But the delays in delivering the grant money to organizations has stalled and imperiled some of the programs, the I-Team found.

This was supposed to be an emergency grant.This is a problem, said Taylar Nuevelle, a spokeswoman and volunteer for Empower DC, a non-profit which provides supplies and education programs for low-income Washington, D.C. residents.

Empower DC applied for the grants in May and was formally awarded $50,000 on July 1 by the office of DC Mayor Muriel Bowser. Nuevelle said the money was earmarked to buy personal protective equipment, including hand sanitizer and masks, for homeless and low-income families.

We would provide thermometers, take temperatures and give them education. We would do things to limit the spread of Covid, Nuevelle said.She and other officials with Empower DC said the money was expected to arrive by mid-July. Two months later, the funding has not yet been provided, according to Empower DC.

Nuevelle said the organization remains in contact with the office of the DC mayor, but have not yet been told why funding is delayed.

A News-4 I-Team review found at least eleven other organizations have not received their Hope Grant funding either as of this past weekend, including Palisades Village, a program supporting seniors in DC. A spokeswoman said the organization was awarded the grant to organize and operate workshops needed to educate seniors about the virus and provide protection.

Palisades Village executive director Andrea Saccoccia said, Its been a little bit of a problem to order some our equipment, because we dont have the money to buy PPE and get the mailings out.Its money we were hoping we were gonna get. Were hopeful this money is coming through very soon. The center was notified on Monday it had received the funding.

Neuvelle and Saccoccia told the I-Team they had completed all necessary application and grant paperwork and had not experienced delays in receiving DC grants in prior years.

The DC Mayors office declined requests for an interview to explain why some organizations have experienced delays in receiving Hope Grant funds. In a written statement, a spokeswoman said, "The Bowser Administration is grateful to our community partners for helping engage our vulnerable populations with resources to address COVID-19, as well as services and guidelines. A total of 77 community partners were selected for the DC Hope grants; of which to date, 65 have been approved for payment. We continue to work with the remaining 12 organizations to ensure their required information is received by the DC Office of Contracting and Procurement.

The $10 million in DC Hope Grants are funded by the $2.2 trillion federal CARES ACT relief program approved by Congress in the Spring. It is administered by the DC Mayors Office of Community Affairs.

While announcing the program in May, Mayor Muriel Bowser said the funding is for community partners to spread the word about testing. The success of all of these programs will help us, Bowser said.

Some of the other organizations awarded grants told the I-Team they have received at least some of the funds.

A spokeswoman for DC Homes for Hope said, We were indeed honored to have been selected by the Mayor's Officefor this opportunity. We have had continuous support from DC Hope since being awarded and look forward to a long relationship with the team.

A spokesman for the Anacostia Coordinating Council said his organization has begun using its grant funding for COVID-19 outreach programs.

The Asian-American Youth Leadership Empowerment and Development group of DC said grant funding has been provided for the program. A spokesperson said the organization will use the grant to serve low-income families.

Reported by Scott MacFarlane, produced by Rick Yarborough, shot by Jeff Piper and edited by Lance Ing.

Link:

DC Charities Say They Have Yet to Receive Promised Coronavirus Assistance Grants - NBC4 Washington

Dior has launched a campaign to promote the education and empowerment of women and youth, in partnership with the Charlize Theron Africa Outreach Project, or CTAOP. The South African actress, producer, Dior muse and face of its Jadore fragrance founded the charity in 2007 to support organizations that work to help the younger generations, many of them women, of sub-Saharan Africa.

Today, Parfums Christian Dior reveals the financial support of one of CTAOPs initiatives, aiding the organizations upcoming 2021 cohort from its youth leaders scholarship program. The project, launched in 2018 with the UCLA Center for World Health, provides university students four years of tuition fees, lodging, books, travel costs, a laptop and mentorship.

What we dream of is to have a generation of young leaders cultivated through the young leaders scholarship program, CTAOPs executive director Ashlee George told WWD. George began working as Therons personal assistant before overseeing the charity in 2009. What would be incredible and what were trying to build isa network of alumni through this program[a] cycle [where] they go through this program, gain skills, continue to build the ability to make the change they want to see and then bring that back to their community and execute.

Dior has simultaneously unveiled a series of promotional videos titled #Diorstandswithwomen featuring interviews with passionate and committed women who make an impact on the world, according to the house.

The group includes Theron, as well as English model, actress and face of Dior beauty Cara Delevingne; Chinese actress Li Bingbing; Iranian actress Golshifteh Farahani; Mexican actress Yalitza Aparicio; New Zealand dancer and choreographer Parris Goebel; American plus-size model Paloma Elsesser; actress, American model, dancer and transgender activist Leyna Bloom; Congolese photographer Pamela Tulizo; French flower producer for Dior Carole Biancalana, and Italian professor Marina Cavazzana, a pioneer in gene therapy.

Story continues

To mark the news, in an exclusive interview with WWD, Theron discusses CTAOPs history, her evolving partnership with Dior, the latest on her upcoming TV and film projects including the Atomic Blonde sequel and her thoughts on COVID-19s impact on Hollywood.

WWD: What made you want to start CTAOP back in 2007 and how has its mission evolved?

Charlize Theron: I grew up in South Africa during a time when the HIV and AIDS crisis was taking over my country, and I was watching people in my community die on a daily basis. It really shook me to my core, so when I got to a place where I could give back in a significant way, I knew I wanted to do something to help in the fight against HIV and AIDS and also invest in the health and empowerment of the next generation. Over the years, we have grown and partnered with grassroots programs that educate, empower and invest in young people in order to keep themselves and their communities safe, and also for these youth to be able to shape the futures they want for themselves and the world. Today we have 13 program partners across three countries in sub-Saharan Africa, and [the] youth leaders scholarship program just selected our third cohort of young students who will start university in 2021.

WWD: What can you share about Christian Dior Parfums support of CTAOP and how it will impact CTAOPs goals?

C.T.: Christian Dior Parfums has been supporting my foundations work for years. When the #Diorstandswithwomen project took shape, its values aligned with CTAOPs mission. The stories of these women who want to use their incredible talents to enhance our world and want to pass on their experience and their passion onto others is exactly what we are trying to do with CTAOP and more specifically with the new, youth leaders scholarship program. This educational program is aimed at helping the budding leaders of tomorrow, who are more often than not young girls. By covering full study costs for the entire 2021 year cohort, Dior Perfumes is walking this journey with CTAOP to invest in a better future. Together, we will be able to help these exceptional young people spread their wings, and I cant wait to see what they do. It is a source of immense pride and great hope for the future that we share, together.

WWD: What has made you want to continue your partnership with Dior, as a face of the house and a collaborator?

C.T.: Being the face of such an iconic perfume as Jadore for more than 15 years has been such an honor, and Dior has been such a collaborative and supportive partner. Its been an ideal match, since so much of what Dior stands for and behind really resonates for me. In particular, the celebration of women and the incredible talent, passion and altruism of women. The empowerment inherent in #Diorstandswithwomen and #Diorchinup [as the project is also known] are the values that I, and all of us at CTAOP, also believe strongly in. And Jadore has also always embodied these same values in a natural way. Im so proud to have collaborated on so many incredible campaigns and looking forward to continuing this beautiful tradition.

WWD: Women and youth empowerment are among the commitments of this project with Dior. What are the biggest challenges youve experienced when it comes to backing and providing aid for these causes?

C.T.: One of the biggest challenges is that women and youth both still face so much inequity and discrimination, and so, [they] are particularly vulnerable. When we started CTAOP, for example, we saw that so many of the areas we were working in werent providing young people with accurate or comprehensive sexual and reproductive health information. They also had limited access to health services, compared to adult members of their community. Globally, we need to do a better job at inclusivity, that goes for more than just access to health services, and knowledge. We need to make more room at the table to hear the voices of young people, particularly young women and to make sure we are helping to provide them the tools and skills they are telling us they need and want.

WWD: Ashlee George said youve always had a vision for helping and investing in others. How can we all work to come together for social causes, stay optimistic for ourselves and future generations, particularly given the state of the world today, with COVID-19, the impacts of climate change, seemingly rising political tensions? How have you stayed positive yourself?

C.T.: Im not going to lie, its tough to stay positive right now. But the second we lose hope, we lose the fight. It does no one any good to give up and give in. What has kept me optimistic during this time is seeing how fired up and committed the younger generation is right now. Seeing their response to things like climate change or political causes is actually making me excited for the future for once. Say what you want about young people, but I truly have a feeling we have an incredible generation of voters, activists and changemakers rising up right now. And because of that, it makes me ever more committed to support causes that invest in young people, and I encourage everyone whos feeling down about the future to do the same.

WWD: What are some of your current and upcoming projects in the works as a producer and actress what excites you?

C.T.: Well, weve had a lot of time during this pandemic to line up some projects and bulk up our development slate, so theres actually quite a few things Im itching to get going post-COVID-19. At my production company, we have the Atomic Blonde sequel in development, which I am incredibly excited for, along with a few other film projects. On the TV side, we have an awesome mix of projects coming down the pipeline. [I] cant really talk about anything quite yet, but just know weve got everything from drama, comedy, sequels, reality. 2021 is hopefully going to be a fantastic year for us, if we can get our st together with COVID-19.

WWD: How has it been seeing COVID-19s impact on Hollywood and how do you see it affecting the industry of filmmaking moving forward?

C.T.: Its been heartbreaking seeing the amount of jobs and livelihoods lost during this pandemic, and I am really hoping that we can rebuild from this quickly and get all of these people back to work. Obviously things are going to change and have changed, going back into production. I think one good thing that will come from this is making people a bit more conscientious about health and safety on film sets. And in terms of the industry as a whole, you know, obviously the past few months everyone has been streaming things at home exclusively, and yes people will continue to stream content in huge amounts post-COVID-19. I mean, I love watching movies from my bed, dont get me wrong. But I really dont think traditional moviegoing or theaters are dead. I think a lot of people really crave community experiences right now, and I think when it can be done in a safe way, people will return to those communal entertainment spaces again. Well just have to figure out the best way from streaming and theaters to coexist in a healthy way, which a lot of companies are working toward anyway.

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Opinion

Mabingue Ngom, Regional Director, West and Central Africa Region, UNFPA and Shoko Arakaki, Director of Humanitarian Office, UNFPA

NEW YORK, Sep 21 2020 (IPS) - The countries of Central SahelBurkina Faso, Mali, and Nigerface an unprecedented crisis, marked by violent extremism, forced displacement, and rising insecurity. The sharp increase in armed attacks on communities, health centres, schools and other public institutions and infrastructure has disrupted livelihoods and access to social services. The impact on affected people is devastating.

As the international community responds to the crisis, we must meet immediate needs, and invest in long-term development. We must also work on shaping peace together, the theme of this years International Peace Day.

In Central Sahel, shaping peace together requires the full participation of women and young people. Engaging, employing, and empowering women and young people offers the best hope for peace, stability and recovery.

While the responses to address this complex crisis to date have centred on humanitarian and military interventions, collective investments are required simultaneously in all sectors including humanitarian response, economic and social development, and peacebuilding to foster a sustainable and resilient society.

As a priority, governments and partners must take action to reduce massive human suffering. It is important not to lose sight of the centrality of protection in our collective response to this crisis. Of 63 million people, more than 13 million, about 1 of 5, need humanitarian assistance. More than 1.5 million people are displaced, fleeing from non-state armed groups in the Central Sahel region and from neighboring countries, and violence is taking a massive toll.

Assistance is needed to address gender-based violence, lack of basic health services, growing food insecurity, rising poverty, and COVID-19. In Central Sahel, as in countries around the world, women and girls bear a disproportionate impact during crises, and face increased risks of sexual exploitation and abuse. During COVID-19, reports of violence against women are rising.

Given overstretched health systems and health worker capacity, it is vital that frontline responders are equipped with personal protective equipment to prevent the spread of COVID-19, respond to the needs of survivors, and provide much needed services.

An estimated 12 million girls in the Sahel are out of school due to the pandemic, which puts them at greater risk of sexual assault, child marriage, and early pregnancy, according to the Sahel Womens Empowerment and Demographic Dividend (SWEDD) programme.

Launched by the United Nations and the World Back Group in response to a call made by Sahel governments, the ambitious SWEDD programme, led by UNFPA with the West Africa Health Association and partners, is a benchmark initiative to reduce gender inequality and convert population growth into an economic dividend.

To move forward, the vulnerabilities and violations of women, adolescents and youth affected by the crisis must be addressed to avoid a disaffected and dependent generation, from which to draw young people (and young men in particular) to armed groups and extremism.

It is time for collective action to put women and young people at the center of efforts, support social reform, and invest in social services while responding to the pandemic. Dynamic partnerships between governments and humanitarian agencies could provide women and young people with opportunities and support protection, health including sexual and reproductive health, and education.

Enabling women and youth to develop their skills, receive training, and earn an income would foster social cohesion, reduce economic dependency and extreme poverty, and promote peace, resilience and recovery in a more sustainable manner. Building more inclusive and healthy communities diminishes risks such as early marriage and early and unintended pregnancy.

Enabling women and young people to become self-sufficient creates an atmosphere of ownership and empowerment.

To drive progress, there is a need to develop economic incentives for private sector companies to employ young people, including young women. A strong partnership with the private sector will allow governments to spur innovation, progress, and a more diverse funding base supporting longer-term youth employment strategies. A win-win with young people is one where companies can find a balance between philanthropy and business, and young people can achieve financial goals and independence as they transition into adulthood.

To succeed, the governments of Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger should lay the institutional and structural foundation for youth employment by promoting programmes and partnerships for skills training and establishing small and medium-sized enterprises. This is especially important in remote communities to benefit young people and the communities in which they live.

Efforts should reflect the rights, and drive to self-determination and economic prosperity, of young women and men, and promote gender equality, social cohesion, and access to quality health services and care, including psychosocial support and family planning.

Given growing funding constraints, the UN system must demonstrate new and innovative ways of working and efficiency in doing more with less. A complementary humanitarian, development and peacebuilding approach is the only way to address the complexities of the Central Sahel crisis. Investments across these three pillars can address immediate needs, root causes, and fund efforts to build back better with women and young people at the centre.

Read the original:

Central Sahel - Shaping peace together with women and young people Statement for International Peace Day - Inter Press Service

On Thursday, Sept. 17, Kean's Pan-African Student Union (P.A.S.U.), along with the National Pan-Hellenic Council and National Council of Negro Women, Inc., held a virtual student panel, where participants had personal conversations about racial identities from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. on Zoom.

Diversity Speaks: The Black and Brown Experience provided students a way to have their voices heard on issues pertaining to ethnic disparities.

This open forum gave students the confidence to speak their hearts in a comfortable space where courage was welcomed and support was given. The Diversity Speaks platform has a goal of educating the community on diversity through a series of student-led discussions.

"We want to change Kean University for the better," said Malcom Moreira, president of P.A.S.U. "This event was needed to express our thoughts and feelings."

When asked about the event's turnout, Moreira was confident of the outcome.

"It turned out well. During this event, we made all the problems on campus well known. Our organization went through the problems, spoke about them with everyone giving their opinions," continued Moreira. "Our moderator mediated the discussion correctly by letting all participants express themselves freely."

Malcom gave a bit of insight on how the forum was put together.

"The Black and Brown Experience had so much planning. Taylor Williams came up with the idea," Moreira continued. "She helped us so much. Taylor is a professional and understands the experience that comes with being a person of color in her field. It gets difficult."

Moreira mentioned that President Lamont Repollet, Ed. D., the 18th leader of the university, stopped by.

"He spoke at the event by saying that he is doing his best to make the university as great as it was," said Moreira.

Kean P.A.S.U. is doing its due diligence by fortifying the university's title of the most diverse campus in the nation.

"Our organization is working to assist students of color on campus along with showcasing black excellence," Moreira mentioned. "Exposing the student body to our history, consisting of various cultures, lets them know that we are all connected."

Moreira feels such events such as The Black and Brown Experience is crucial to student development.

"Having these events that are based on our culture and history will help students of color understand where they're going," said Moreira.

The Pan-African Student Union is a cultural organization at Kean that unites all students of African descent with the knowledge of self by providing empowerment through its programs and events.

More information about P.A.S.U. can be found on Cougar Link. For any questions, comments or concerns, P.A.S.U. can be emailed at pasu@kean.edu.

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A Discussion About the Black and Brown Experience - The Cougar's Byte