Category Archives: Personal Empowerment

12:41 21/05/2020 Keiran Peacock

I know many educators are uncertain and some are making personal sacrifices in order to return to work. Like nurses, doctors, police officers and sanitisation workers and other frontline workers, so much is being asked of them.

After much deliberation and consultation, the decision to get grade 7 and 12 learners back to school was made by the Minister of Basic Education Angie Motshekga this week.

I have had many discussions with ex-colleagues about the prospect of them heading back to school and have received polarised opinions about how and when it should be done.

Whether one agrees with the decision or not, the decision has been made.

From the 1st of June educators should be seen as part of the frontline workers whose actions will be critical in the fight against the pandemic.

Educators need to be mindful that their words carry weight and thus need to ensure that despite their feelings, insecurities, anxieties or anger at returning to school what they impart to learners has to promote the greater good of the child and ultimately South Africa as a whole.

They need to be compassionate and curious about their feelings so that they are in a position to offer support and compassion to those in their care.

I recently listened to Susan David who holds a PhD and is one of the world's leading management thinkers and an award-winning Harvard Medical School psychologist who spoke about the choice we have as to whether we let the narrative coming through the media own us, or whether we let our emotions own us, or whether we are going to exert some kind of empowerment and connection and be in a better space to own it.

She referred to an oft-used phrase by Victor Frankel who survived the Nazi death camps.

He said that between stimulus and response there is a space and in that space is our power to choose and, in that choice, lies our growth and freedom.

You and those you teach did not choose these circumstances and what often happens is that we get hooked into an experience where there is no space between stimulus and response.

We mindlessly busy ourselves by engaging with social media or the news and we begin to catastrophise our experiences. Thus letting our experiences and emotions own us.

Dr David goes further to say that when situations are ambiguous fear is often exacerbated.

The return to school is extremely ambiguous for all parties as no one knows that may happen in the near future.

When one experiences this ambiguity, people often try fill the blanks which results in more anxiety as they catastrophise the possible future.

Dr David refers to emotional contagion whereby people pick up the emotions of other people. Learners returning will pick up on educators' emotions.

What educators need to show is intentionality where they project the ability to not get stuck in their own lived experiences, to not get consumed by news and social media but instead offer an alternative way of engaging with their lived experiences and that of their students.

Educators must not focus their attention on year-end examinations as this is a mountain that may invoke more fear.

Instead they must focus on the daily lived experience of those they teach and make small manageable goals that will empower those in their care.

Educators will be doing what others cannot do at the moment, they are uniquely positioned to build a better tomorrow.

That is so powerful.

I know many educators are uncertain and some are making personal sacrifices in order to return to work.

Like nurses, doctors, police officers and sanitisation workers and other frontline workers, so much is being asked of them.

Educators now fall into the category of frontline fighters and they will need all the support of fellow South Africans if education is to assist our country overcoming this pandemic.

- Keiran Peacock is a former High school educator and was previously in charge of discipline, leadership and pastoral care at Groote Schuur High School in the Western Cape.

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OPINION | Teachers should be seen as frontline workers and will need all our support - News24

Letters

There has been a growing rift between those who support staying with a longer lockdown, and those calling for ending the shutdown and returning to normal life. I believe there is a more balanced, middle way.

Certainly, we want to protect the most vulnerable, and these people would either choose or be urged to stay safe in some degree of quarantine. But for the rest of us, the cure is getting more dangerous than the disease. Ninety percent of people diagnosed with COVID-19 hardly notice any symptoms. There have been 844 deaths from COVID-19 in Washington state through May 1. There have been many more suicides in Washington; more than 1,100 a year. We also know that this number may increase with an extended shutdown, as lower income residents are being squeezed, and fear and financial stress are well known risk factors for disease and death.

Lets focus on personal empowerment and strengthening the immune system rather than putting all our eggs in one basket, waiting for an unproven and possibly unsafe vaccine.

Lastly, Gov. Inslee has stated that we need to follow the data. The question is, which data? Doctors all over the country are speaking out, calling for an end to the lockdown. Lets listen to them. It is time to trust the doctors, genuine science and common sense, put politics aside and do what is best for all.

Roy Holman

Everett

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Find a balance to fighting coronavirus | HeraldNet.com - The Daily Herald

Organisations are systems of interconnected individuals

I come from a software engineering background, and that gives me a certain view of the world. Building good software over the long term requires you to have an understanding of what systems are and how they work.

Nearly everything an engineer does comes down to managing the complexity of a system, making sure different parts communicate properly with each other, that they have a shared understanding of whats going on.

As I moved more and more into people leadership, that perspective carried over with me. An organisation is a system too, and as it gets larger and more interconnected, many of the same challenges arise as for software.

How do you make sure that different parts of the organisation can operate autonomously, yet in concert? How do you make sure all the parts of the system have the same understanding of goals, or how to interact with each other, or even what words mean?

Organisations are systems that are composed of human beings, of course, and that makes them more complicated and more fascinating than any piece of software I can imagine.

Taking an engineering approach to organisations doesnt mean ignoring the personal, human element. On the contrary, a well-designed organisation is one that accommodates the humanityboth collective and individualof the people that make it up.

In fact, like any analogy, the areas where it no longer applies are as instructive as those where it does. People are capable of so much more than machines, and also have a range of needs trust, loyalty, identity, compassion, love that are completely absent from the process of building software.

It is impossible to effectively lead an organisation without caring about and being curious about people. The more you expect from your teams, the less it is possible to separate the personal and the professional. I expect my teams to be creative, determined, autonomous, ethical, accountable. Those expectations can never be met by treating the people in them like machines.

I care about each person as an individual, and am curious about them as a human being. I also take great pride in being authentic. Its pretty easy, actually, once you let go of the need to project a certain image.

Managing appearances is exhausting, so I much prefer to be honest about who I am as well as whats happening within the organisation. Who I am at work is the same as who I am outside of work, and the relationships I build with my team are real human relationships.

People are capable of so much. Many minds can achieve much more than any single mind. The most important part of building a scalable organisation is to have mutual understanding as people. Mutual understanding leads to trust. Trust leads to empowerment. Empowerment is a necessary condition for creativity, determination, accountability. High levels of trust are essential to effective delegation.

Ive always referred to delegation as the management superpower. This fits in well with the engineering approach to leading an organisation. Well-designed organisations become efficient and scalable by virtue of having well-defined interfaces and minimal bottlenecks.

They lend themselves naturally to high-quality delegation, where the function of a leader is to make sure that everybody on their team has the context and direction to know what they should be doing. The more a leader trusts their team and creates a culture of ownership and accountability, the better everybody can get their work done.

Leading a team in the time of COVID-19 brings a number of challenges. First of all, the external environment is changing at an extraordinary rate. It turns out that the fixed points we all thought we could rely on were more fragile than expected, and we are living through this amazing time of uncertainty and acceleration and deceleration all at once.

As a leader, you have to make a lot of decisions very quickly and without the guidance of those old truths. You also have to take your team on a journey of understanding, and keep a high level of cohesion through all this. And of course, youre all probably working remotely, in many cases for the first time.

There has certainly been a silver lining in terms of how old resistances have been swept away. It turns out that employees can largely be trusted to be productive when working from home, for example. Tools available on the cloud make it much easier to recreate the work environment from home. We have made a decades worth of progress in mere weeks.

At the same time, the human factor becomes even more important. People are struggling in all sorts of different ways. Some of them are facing financial pressures, others worry about their elderly parents, or have to deal with school-aged children being kept at home.

Many suffer from social isolation. And thats before we even get to the anxiety and actual risk around the virus itself. Managing the mental health of your team is now a core responsibility.

As an example, we have scheduled a Recharge Day (a company-wide day off) to allow people to decompress and relax. Its the right thing to do, but its also smart business. I expect that net productivity will increase, not decrease, as a result of allowing people the time to tend to themselves and their families

As a leader it is absolutely essential to be compassionate and accommodating during this time. Ask people how they are (and listen to the response), encourage others to do the same. Be proactive in offering flexibility, in offering support. Be kind. This is not a normal time, and pretending that it is will not help anybody. Your team will get through this together, or not at all.

COVID-19 intensifies everything. When I look at the effects of the pandemic on the workplace, the value of a strong organisation stands out more than ever. Strong organisations (well designed, good communications and sense of mission, high trust, deep sense of humanity) will thrive and survive, while poorly-organised, low-trust teams will struggle more than ever.

The key role of leadership is to set context and direction. We have used the planning W framework to work with our Airtasker teammates to develop a shared understanding of what is important to us as a company. This enables quick and coherent decision making across the company, which becomes even more critical through extreme change.

Trusting our teams by default and giving them ownership has been the foundation of how we do things at Airtasker. This culture of trust has allowed us to overcome the challenges of remote work to collaboratively and transparently build a revised strategy.

The sheer variety of cloud-based tools is breathtaking, and creating the toolchain for remote work is easier and more affordable than ever. Understand your needs, and select the right cloud tools. If you can imagine a tool, it probably exists so dont settle for something that doesnt support your workflows.

Dealing with COVID-19 is a marathon, not a sprint and so it is important both at a human level and a business level that our people are able to go the distance. I believe that looking after each other and being kind is the best way to ensure our teams are effective not just this week, but for the difficult months to come.

Yaniv Bernstein is COO at Airtasker a local services marketplace that connects people who need work done with people who want to work. Prior to his appointment as COO, Yaniv was VP Engineering at Airtasker for two years. Before this he held senior engineering roles during his 10 year stint at Google across Search, YouTube, and Google Maps. Yaniv holds a PhD in Computer Science from RMIT University and a Bachelors Degree in Computer Science from the University of Melbourne.

When he wants to seem interesting, Yaniv pretends that his hobbies include skiing, hiking, cooking, and travelling the world. In reality he passes the time by watching Netflix, engaging in grammatical pedantry (Oxford comma coming right up!), and making dad jokes with his five-year-old daughter.

Founded in Sydney in 2012, Airtaskers mission is to empower people to realise the full value of their skills and has established fast growing communities in Australia, UK and Ireland. Airtasker has grown to support more than 3.6 million members across Australia, with 30,000 monthly active Taskers and over $130 million in annualised gross marketplace volume.

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Trust, compassion, clear communication: effective leadership during COVID-19 - Anthill online

In some of these states, they have this evil match law where if they dont think your signature matches, they will not count your vote, said Transformative Justice Coalition Founder and President Barbara R. Arnwine Arnwine. We have to be clear, you have to not only have vote-by-mail options and absentee balloting, but you have to have on-site, distances, and personal protective equipment for workers and voters. (Photo: iStockphoto / NNPA)

Since the onset of COVID-19, voter registration in the United States has decreased by a whopping 90 percent.

Additionally, more than 18 million voters have been purged off the rolls since 2016, and, with the all-important 2020 General Election on the horizon, activists, and others, are working to ensure the registration of millions.

On Monday, May 4, The Transformative Justice Coalition (TJC) and the Voting Rights Alliance held a tele-townhall titled, The Fight for the Vote 2020: Our March to the Ballot Box.

Broadcast over Facebook Live, the presentation featured panelists who agreed that the election process would be severely hindered unless strategies are developed for more robust voter outreach and empowerment.

Panelists included National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA) President and CEO, Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis, Jr., TJC Founder, and President Barbara R. Arnwine, Esq., Moms Rising CEO Kristin Rowe-Finkbeiner, and Vote.org CEO Andrea Hailey.

A person without a vote is a person without protection, stated Attorney Daryl D. Jones, TJCs Board Chair, who served as a moderator.

The panelists tackled robust voter outreach and registration strategies, media, and specialized outreach to purged voters and those on inactive lists, creating voter contact systems, onerous absentee ballot requirements, and voter identification.

The struggle for voting rights continues in America even amidst the pandemic the struggle for the most fundamental right, the right to vote, continues, Chavis stated.

We have to be concerned that while we sit here tonight, there are tactics, strategies, and efforts afloat in too many of these states to suppress the vote and to make people fearful of voting such was the case 50 years ago, Chavis continued.

We had to overcome those tactics of voter suppression, and we have to do it now, he added.

No excuses, and no barriers should be in place for mail-in ballots, Arnwine stated.

Vote by mail works for White people, but it doesnt for a whole lot of people of color, she stated, adding that there were 1.3 million ballots mailed in Wisconsin, but 197,000 were not counted for various reasons, including the lack of postage stamps.

In some of these states, they have this evil match law where if they dont think your signature matches, they will not count your vote, Arnwine said. We have to be clear, you have to not only have vote-by-mail options and absentee balloting, but you have to have on-site, distances, and personal protective equipment for workers and voters.

Rowe-Finkbeiner added that Moms Rising has more than 1 million members spread out across all 50 states.

She said mothers are high targets of voter suppression.

You change your name, and you get pushed off the rolls, Rowe-Finkbeiner stated. You have to check your status and make sure you have at least five friends ready to vote. The situation has never been more urgent.

Hailey stated that Vote.org had team members working as late as 3 a.m. during recent primaries to monitor last-minute rule changes that affected voters.

Confusion itself can be a voter suppression tactic, so were trying to cut through all of that noise to make sure theres no confusion, Hailey noted.

We see it as our job to monitor this and to work with state and local officials to have an understanding of what the voter experience is going to look like. Every state should have no-excuse absentee voting. You should be able to have at least 20 days of early voting so that you dont have these long lines like you saw in Wisconsin. People should not have to choose between their health and their ability to cast a ballot, Hailey said.

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The Fight for the 2020 Vote and the March to the Ballot Box - pridepublishinggroup.com

by Eli Forman

For nearly 10 years, Penobscot resident Joanne Steenberg was fascinated by the symbol of a heart radiating rays of light.

Doodled in the margins of notebooks, written on letters and invitations, the symbol followed her through life, until finally she realized that for her, it formed the visual equivalent of a simple question with huge implications: What is the best way to show people, known or not, that they are loved?

The answer, for Steenberg, turned out to be The Love Card, a small, circular card featuring a radiating heart on a green background. Flipped over, the words you are holding this card because you are loved, beam up from a sunny yellow backdrop.

If that sounds familiar, its probably because youve seen it sitting on a table in a caf, pinned to a poster board, or perhaps even been given one in passing.

And truly, The Love Card is all about giving, Steenberg believes.

After realizing the connection between the radiating heart and her goal to spread love, Steenberg started making cards to give to family and friends. Those initial efforts received so much positive feedback that the phenomenon just kept growing.

Working with a local graphic designer, Steenberg produced the first round of Love Cards about four years ago, and began handing them out to strangers and leaving them in public places. From there, things just snowballed, she said.

By her own estimation, there are now thousands of givers handing out Love Cards across the country and even internationally.

The creativity has gone way beyond where I thought it would be, Steenberg said.

According to Steenberg, giving love, especially to people we may not know, is a powerful act of courage that resounds across society, opening the way for mutual appreciation and compassion.

I think what is most powerful about love is that first, we all need it, and we all have the ability to give it, Steenberg said.

Its also about spreading self love, said Steenberg. So often, we want to love others and spread joy and happiness and then we forget to love ourselves, she wrote in an email.

Since we can never know everyones full story, another goal of The Love Card is to recognize that everyone is doing the best they can with what theyve been given, said Steenberg. When we look at our fellow humans with love in our heartsthe more we can accept our own imperfections, she added.

To date, 150,000 cards have been printed and have traveled, through exchanges, to as far flung places as Ghana and China, providing a positive reminder of self love and love for others on a global scale.

The power of giving them away is an incredible feeling, said Steenberg.

Steenberg has a degree in education and formerly taught at George Stevens Academy where she started an experiential after-school workshop for teenagers focused on self-empowerment.

The concept of The Love Card dovetails with that background by demonstrating the capability of love as a positive, self-affirming force that can be passed on to others.

As the cards continue to circulate, Steenberg often hears stories from people who have been deeply moved by the cards popping up at unexpected but necessary times in their daily lives.

The stories I hear are so beautiful, said Steenberg.

One personal story for Steenberg involves waiting in the re-booking line at John F. Kennedy International Airport. Upon witnessing the man in front of her become extremely irate, Steenberg summed up the courage to tap him on the shoulder and hand him a love card. Immediately he calmed down, thanked her, and apologized for his behavior. The two went on to have a conversation, culminating in everyone in the line receiving a love card.

For Steenberg, the power of that experience signifies one of the purposes of The Love Card.

We all really need to keep reminding ourselves that we are loved, she said.

Steenberg has plans to expand the cards to bumper stickers, magnets and other decals, and hopes to employ local artists to create a video describing the project. As the project continues to grow, Steenberg also hopes to transition The Love Card to a 501(c)(3) nonprofit.

Steenberg has also begun a program called Whos your local hero, which invites members of the public to anonymously nominate those they feel are performing selfless acts of kindness in the community. The nominee then receives a letter from The Love Card and a package of cards.

Recently Steenberg has seen parents, teachers, medical workers and others nominated and has sent out at least 10 packages last week.

Additionally, Steenberg has sent packages of Love Cards to hospitals around the country in COVID-19 hotspots, letting healthcare workers know that their tireless and generous efforts are appreciated.

The cards themselves are free for anyone to order via thelovecard.org. This is a crucial point for Steenberg.

Its really important for me that anyone who wants to give love can, she said.

For those wishing to donate towards printing costs, a PayPal link is also provided on the website. The work is primarily donations based, but Steenberg has been supporting it personally.

The cards are printed in Maine at a fifth-generation printing press in Damariscotta. Even for a project with a universal aim, local love remains important.

I really want everything to be in Maine, said Steenberg, adding, Its been a project from my heart.

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'All you need is love.' Area resident taking the message worldwide - Castine Patriot

This article was originally published by The Conversation. You can read it here.

and was written by Claudia Finkelstein, Jennifer E. Johnson, and Julia Felton.

As millions across the U.S. prepare to return to work and maybe, a level of normalcy the phrase, "We're all in this together," heard constantly in the media, turns out to be both true and untrue. Yes, the pandemic is a global experience. But it's also very much an individual enterprise.

Your race, age, socioeconomic status, where you live and whether or not children are in the house all have a dramatic impact on how you're responding to the pandemic. For many, aside from the isolation, life has changed little. But others have lost family, friends, a paycheck or a business. For some of them, any sense of security has vanished.

Much has been written about the need for personal protective equipment, or PPE. But now, as we face reentry, it's time to develop our EPE emotional protective equipment. And there's no better time than May when the National Alliance on Mental Illness observes Mental Health Awareness Month to begin the conversation.

As health and medical educators at Michigan State University, we research, counsel and teach about wellness, resiliency and support, particularly for vulnerable populations. After a tragedy, whether natural or man-made, we know that an increase in stress, anxiety, depression, substance use or post-traumatic stress disorder often follows. But there are things individuals can do to help themselves, and things organizations can do to help others. Let's look at a few of them.

via Unsplash

We can practice skills rooted in stress management, mindfulness and self-compassion. First, we must recognize the current circumstances are legitimately stressful. Exercising, eating right, regulating sleep and keeping a routine as best you can will strengthen your body and mind to manage these very real stressors.

Next, we must practice self-kindness. If you're an adult, you've already dealt with uncertainty and survived. Perhaps you've even thrived. Thinking "I can't cope" and "This is too much for me" not only makes you feel worse; the thoughts are usually incorrect. Instead, research suggests that talking to yourself the way a friend would talk to you, with accurate and helpful phrases reduces anxiety. Say to yourself: "I've been through scary and uncertain things in the past and made it through." Or "These past few weeks and months have been filled with uncertainty, but I'm still surviving."

Another strategy that works: Find distance between yourself and your thoughts, the essence of mindfulness. For example: When experiencing an anxious thought, notice it, name it, then release it. You don't need to "buy in" to the thought; instead, stay focused on the present moment.

Granted, it's easy to get pulled into worrying about the future, or for that matter, dwelling on the past, particularly while bombarded by anxious thoughts or negative news. Truth is, no one knows what's going to happen over the next few months. Staying in the present helps you detach from depressing or anxiety-provoking thoughts. In turn, you'll feel a greater sense of control over the here and now.

Finally, be mindful of the quality and quantity of information you take in. In uncertain times, we try to calm our fears by gathering as much information as we can. But research has found the more media we consume, the higher the toll on our mental health. Be aware of what's going on, of course but don't let yourself lose hours every day to news or social media.

via Unsplash

Organizations can use well-known principles to help employees and clients heal. First, they have to be physically safe. If you're an employer, follow guidelines to protect them from COVID-19 as they return to work. And tell them what precautions you're taking.

Make sure employees are psychologically safe. Listen to the people who work for you. Don't dismiss their thoughts, concerns, feelings or experiences; ask them what they need. You may not be able to do everything they ask, but do what you can. Be trustworthy, transparent and do what you say you're going to do.

Foster collaboration, mutuality, empowerment, voice and choice. Some decisions, like following safety procedures, are not optional. But provide choices whenever possible and give a voice to everyone. Recognize, particularly during reentry, that not everyone will be "back to normal" at the same time. By sharing decision-making with your employees, an organization can empower its workforce and promote a safe and collaborative environment, even during a pandemic.

Finally, acknowledge cultural, historical and gender issues. Crises such as this are typically hardest on groups already marginalized. Real voice, influence, power and equity for minorities and women are especially critical right now.

The collective trauma of the pandemic is not yet behind us. The messy prospect of reopening and processing is ahead. We can't predict precisely what's next, but we can fortify our collective resilience and mental health. As individuals, we can develop our emotional protective equipment. As institutions, we can support our people. As a society, we can reflect on the gross inequities highlighted by the crisis and rally around the worthy cause of addressing them.

Claudia Finkelstein is Associate Professor of Family Medicine, Michigan State University

Jennifer E. Johnson is Professor of Public Health, Ob/Gyn and Psychiatry, Michigan State University

Julia Felton is Assistant Professor in the Division of Public Health, Michigan State University

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As reopening begins it's time to start talking about the emotional effect COVID-19 has had on us - GOOD Magazine

TGIF, Agents of Impact!

Agents of Impact Call No. 17: 10x Community Capital.Small businesses and nonprofits will need capital, and lots of it, to re-open and recover from the COVID crash. The network of community development financial institutions, or CDFIs, built over decades, is rallying to extend loans where most banks dont reach: in low-income and rural communities, to enterprises led by women and people of color, and the 95% of businesses that have fewer than 20 employees. As a COVID response, impact investors are beginning to rally to help CDFIs fulfill their mission. The Call will feature Calvert Impact CapitalsBeth Baffordand Community Reinvestment FundsPatrick Davis, along with representatives of local CDFIs and other Agents of Impact who are expanding the pipes for community capital to flow. Join The Call nextThursday, May 21at 10am PT / 1pm ET / 6pm London.RSVP today.

Impact Briefing.OnImpactAlphas weekly podcast, hostBrian Walshtalks withDavid Bankabout system-change and withDennis Priceabout Heron FoundationsDana Bezerra, this weeks Agent of Impact, whos working to shift power, a system-change necessity. Listen tothis weeksImpact Briefing, share it with your networks, and follow us onApple,Spotifyor wherever you get your podcasts.

1. Systemic, inclusive, catalytic: Overheard at Mission Investors Exchange.ImpactAlphawas the media sponsor of this weeks virtual gathering of mission-investing foundations.The big theme: systems change. Fighting for it (Andrew Young), empowering communities to drive it (Dana Bezerra), and questioning capitals role in it (Lisa Hall). Foundations that have fought disparities for decades have a lot of lessons on what needs to happen in this moment, said Kellogg FoundationsLa June Montgomery Tabron. Communities of color must participate in the recovery and in reimagining what the economy can be, she said. As this work expands, we can be a part of that expansion.

2. Climate comeback in COVID recovery plans.If the logic of a sustainable recovery is inescapable, so are the politics. In the U.S. at least, attempts to tie COVID recovery plans to climate action hit a wall of partisan opposition. Pragmatists are renewing the push for renewable energy and other climate solutions.The key:call it jobs, call it infrastructure, call it good economics anything but climate action.Get it done.

3. Visa Foundation doubles down on women and small businesses (podcast).Even before the COVID crisis hit, theVisa Foundationwas planning to use investments as well as grants to support small and micro-businesses, with an emphasis on women (Visa Foundation is a sponsor of ImpactAlphas Capital on the Frontierseries). The COVID crisis spurred the three-year-old foundation to redouble its efforts to use all the tools in its toolbox. OnImpactAlphas Returns on Investment podcast, Visa FoundationsGraham Macmillansaid, If we put women at the center of the recovery, the recovery will be more durable and inclusive.Read on and listen in

4. Gender resilience.ImpactAlphas 10x Challenge got Catalyst at LargesSuzanne Biegelthinking: What would it take to 10x gender-lens investing? In a guest post, Biegel lays out four ways to multiply the capital for investments in women, and to be smarter, bolder and more intentional about how we move it.Read on.

5. Vive les startups.France has disbursed 1.5 billion ($1.6 billion) in loans from its 4 billion COVID relief package aimed at tech startups. Portugal, Switzerland and the U.K. are among other countries bailing out startups to preserve innovation and jobs. Aid for social enterprises may be next. We want to make sure that all the work weve done over the last decade will be as much as possible preserved for the future, saysPaul-Franois Fournierof Bpifrance.Plus.

6. Oil industry reckoning.Shellcut its dividend for the first time since World War II. Another tradition executive pay based on ever-more production of oil and gas is under challenge as well.BPdropped direct production growth pay incentives as part of its net-zero emissions pledge; some ofRepsolexecs pay will be linked to decarbonization and sustainability.Dig in.

7. Kenyas creative economy recovery plan.Kenyas DJs, fashion designers and other creatives have lost the majority of their incomes as the pandemic (temporarily) put an end to events, creative spaces and tourism.HEVA Fund, a Nairobi-based creative economy investor, has a five-point plan to boost creatives on the other side of the crisis.Get inspired.

8. Brent Kessel walks the talk.LikeMatthew Weatherley-WhiteandBeth Bafford, I believe in walking my talk, says Kessel, founder and CEO ofAbacus Wealth Partners, who shared withImpactAlphahow hes integrating impact and sustainable investing strategies into his own portfolio. The Kessel familys largest asset is its equity stake in Abacus. Hes pointing much of the rest of his portfolio at climate change, animal welfare, womens rights, financial empowerment and poverty alleviation (hat tip toDana LanzaandConfluence Philanthropiesfor sharing Kessels post).Peek inside.

Dana Bezerra, Heron Foundation. There was a let-down inside the Heron Foundation when it reached its goal, ahead of schedule, of investing 100% of its $300 million endowment for impact. It felt like a boom-splat, Bezerra toldImpactAlpha. That felt like such a low bar. Amid aspirational calls for systems change at this weeksMission Investors Exchangevirtual conference, Bezerra stood out with a plan to shift power as well as assets. What 100% represented in 2016 was that the foundation had fully invested for impact. When she became president two years ago, Bezerra moved to optimize for Herons mission: helping people and communities help themselves. Now Heron is putting investment power over Herons assets into the hands of community partners and grappling with all the complexities that entails. At MIE, Bezerra called out those throwing stones from the cheap seats,meaning critics who are not, as she said, in the arena.Her invitation: Join us.

The power-shift is personal for the farm girl from Fresno, Calif. Growing up on her familys dairy farm in the San Joaquin Valley, Bezerra saw creameries go bankrupt, as well as tax abatements for multinational food companies. After a decade in private banking and investments, she joined Heron and helped place the foundation at the nexus of community and capital markets. As president, she has been rebuilding Herons focus on places demonstrating an agency of their own, where theres something happening, where they appear to be starting to say, We need to change. Already, the foundation maintains sub-accounts for investments in the San Joaquin Valley, Maine and Jackson, Mississippi. Bezerra says Heron will move capital and deployment decision-making to five to 10 geographies over time. Bezerra says the foundations role is to speed that agency and accelerate it and not put our fingerprints all over it.Dennis Price

Frontier finance. Soros Economic Development Fundcommits$15 million to Africa-based gender-lens funds DFCbacksIndias Caspian Debt to fund high-impact businesses Novastar Ventures second fundto investin basic goods and services in Africa.

Inclusive fintech.Indonesian education lender Pintek gets backing from Accion Venture Lab Creditshelfsecures62 million for small business lending in Germany.

New initiatives.Nasdaqlaunchessustainable investment impact tracking service for investors and advisors GIINlaunchesResponse, Recovery and Resilience Investment Coalition.

Education and jobs.Acumen fundre-upsin Peruvian edtech venture Crehana.

Impact tech.Intello Labsraises$5.9 million for quality-control in Indias food system.

Resilient communities.Turner Impact Capitalpoints toCOVID housing crisis with latest apartment acquisition.

Prudential Financialseeksa vice president of impact investing in Newark, N.JOpen Road Allianceisrecruitinga senior risk officer in Seattle, New York or Washington, D.C TheRockefeller Foundationishiringa manager for innovation and a program manager for pandemics in New YorkKivaislookingfor a managing director for its Kiva Invest in Women Fund in San Francisco, New York, Bogot or Nairobi.

Qontigoishiringa head of ESG in New YorkBMGI, which manages the assets of Bill and Melinda Gates and The Gates Foundation Trust, isrecruitingan ESG analystDC Green Bankseeksa chief investment officerWalton Enterprisesislookingfor a senior analyst of investments in Denver TheGates Foundationishiringa program assistant of philanthropic partnership in SeattleBig Society Capitalis on thehuntfor a new CEO in London.

Thank you for reading.

May 15, 2020

Link:

The Week in impact investing: Systemic - ImpactAlpha

Change is going to be required in our new normal. The more time we spend comparing our lives in the past to our lives going forward the more challenging it will become to move forward. So what can we do to adapt to our new normal and embrace change? The good news is there are a growing number of developments in the brain sciences that show your brain has a remarkable capacity to change and improve over time. Joining us to share how change is possible in the brain is psychologist, Senior Fellow at UC Berkeleys Greater Good Science Center and New York Times bestselling author, Rick Hanson.

About The Show

Welcome to The Aware Show Health and Mindset Series, join host Lisa Garr as she talks with experts about what life looks like in our new normal, how to embrace and adapt to change, and how to maintain a healthy mind and body.

Today, The Aware Show has an opportunity to be leaders in their own lives especially when it comes to our health. After suffering a traumatic brain injury during a California State Championship Mountain bike race several years ago, Lisa Garr had a near-death experience that transformed her level of consciousness.

This transformation inspired Lisa to build her own media platform about awareness. The Aware Health & Mindset Series features seasoned host, Lisa Garr, interviewing world-renowned experts in preventative health, cutting-edge science, mindfulness, personal empowerment, resilience, and more.

Watch The Aware Health and Mindset Series every weekday day a

#Mindfulness CoVid19 Good Science Center Health Lisa Garr New Normal Rick Hanson The Aware Health and Mindset Series

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Embracing the New Normal with Rick Hanson, Ph.D. - Free Speech TV

The State Treasurer's Office of Economic Empowerment is offering Empowerment Grants to support Massachusetts small businesses amid this spring's coronavirus outbreak.

Grants will be focused on small business owners located in Massachusetts Gateway Cities, including Barnstable. Businesses that are minority-owned, women-owned, veteran-owned, and/or immigrant-owned and have been in business for at least one year are encouraged to apply.

Preference will given to small businesses in industries especially impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, including home cleaning services, personal training/fitness, brick and mortar establishments (excluding chain stores and marketing franchises), and personal care services, such as hair and nail salons.

The application deadline is May 29, and funding decisions will be made by June 12. Complete details are online at http://www.mass.gov.

Transfer Station hours

The Transfer Station and Recycling Center are temporarily closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays at least through Monday, May 18.

"On the busier days, despite our best attempts, this area does not provide for appropriate social distancing," Supervisor P.J. Kelleher said in a May 4 statement. "These measures are being done to provide a safe environment for our employees and our residents."

These measures create redundancy in staffing and assist in continuing the ability to provide essential services during a time when social and physical distancing are key elements being used to combat COVID-19.

Recycling is not considered an essential service during a State of Emergency; however, the Transfer Station is an essential operation to town residents, Kelleher said. Current sticker holders may continue to utilize the facility to dispose of trash.

Recycling Sticker holders will be limited to disposal of scrap metals, disposal of yard waste, and access to free compost. The acceptance of chargeable recyclable items has been temporarily suspended. These items include but are not limited to mattresses, TVs, white goods, and toilets.

The transfer station office and gate house are closed to the public and all person-to-person transactions suspended. Staff is available to answer phone calls at 508-420-2258.

The Construction & Demolition (C&D) Area will be accepting material with restrictions. All vehicles disposing of C&D material will be required to weigh the material on the scale. The gate attendant will direct the vehicle via intercom on how to proceed.

Payments for C&D material will be accepted by check only. Cash and electronic payments will not be accepted. Check payments may be placed inside a designated box/container at the intercom system. Receipts and weigh slips will not be issued during this time.

The above measures follow the recommended guidance of social and physical distancing and strive to limit the amount of disruption these changes may cause.

Call for public comment

The Town of Barnstable Planning and Development Department is accepting comments on substantial amendments to the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) 2019 Action Plan and Citizen Participation Plan. A summary of the amendments is posted on the town website: http://www.townofbarnstable.us/departments/cdbg/

The purpose of the amendments is to apply for Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act (CARES Act) funding and flexibilities provided to make it easier to use CDBG-CV funds and 2019 and 2020 program year funds for coronavirus response. The town anticipates receiving $168,324 in CDBG Coronavirus (CDBG-CV) funds.

Complying with the flexibilities provided under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Securities (CARES) Act the Town will accept comments for a period of not less than five days from this notice.

Please submit comments by email to kathleen.girouard@town.barnstable.ma.us with CDBG Comments in the subject line please. Comments received by May 12 will be considered and included in submission to HUD.

Kent leaves Lions

Chris Kent coached the St. John Paul II boys hockey team to its two most successful seasons in program history. The Lions won their first-ever playoff game during the 2018-19 school year, and for the 2019-20 season set a number of school records, including most wins (17), best regular-season record (17-2-3), most goals scored (127), fewest goals allowed (33), most shutouts in a season (6), best goals against average by a goalie (Gunnar Stevens, 1.38), first season in which one goalie played the entire season (Stevens), and first appearance in a sectional quarterfinal.

Someone new will have to continue Kents legacy, as the school recently announced a search is underway for a new head coach.

Its probably one of the hardest decisions Ive faced in my life, Kent said. The biggest things Im going to miss are the families, the coaches and the kids.

Kent said hes stepping away to focus on his childrens varsity careers. His son Anthony and daughter Cali will both attend Sandwich High School next year, and Kent said coaching at another school would impede his attendance at their games.

I have an older daughter who I watched play field hockey all through high school, and I never missed a game, Kent said. Times flying, and Im getting old. I just want to sit back as a parent and enjoy watching my two kids play.

A coach at the youth and high school level for 25 years, Kent came to JPII as an assistant when Chuck Jancaterino took over the program in 2015. Jancaterino left after the 2017-18 season, at which point Kent took over.

Human rights nominations

The Barnstable County Human Rights Advisory Commission (HRAC) is accepting applications through May 5, 2020 for the Annual Malcolm McDowell Award, named in honor of the noted human rights activist and former member of the Barnstable County Human Rights Commission.

Two graduating members, who have participated in their schools Human Rights Club and the HRAC Human Rights Academy, who demonstrate initiative, leadership, and dedication to improving the human rights atmosphere of Barnstable County and the wider world, will receive a $250 gift certificate.

Alan Milsted, Chair of the HRAC Board said, I am delighted that, although we have had to cancel the Spring session of the Human Rights Academy, we are still able to offer the McDowell Award to students graduating as seniors from high schools or from the Riverview Schools GROW program.

The recipients will be announced on May 10. Application and further details may be found at https://bit.ly/3cQm61I

Construction in Hyannis

Construction is scheduled to begin the week of May 11 at the intersection of Center Spring Streets in Hyannis and is anticipated to take one week. Normal work hours are 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Work will involve excavating trenches in the roads, installing sanitary sewer pipes and manholes, backfilling, compacting, and paving. During active construction there will be lane closures or temporary detours with signs and police details to direct traffic past or around the work zones.

See original here:

Small business loans, transfer station hours, construction and other Barnstable Town Notes - Barnstable Patriot

May 14, 2020 - The United Way of Westchester and Putnam (UWWP) is working with towns and villages across Putnam County to organize a one-day, drive-thru food drive on Saturday, May 16 to restock hard-hit food pantries.

Residents are urged to drop off non-perishable food items to locations around the county from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

UWWP in partnership with Putnam County has already given out thousands of pounds of food during weekly food drops through the Food Bank of Hudson Valley and other organizations.

"The coronavirus has created great economic hardship for many of our families and our food pantries have been depleted,'' said Tom Gabriel, President and CEO of the United Way of Westchester and Putnam. "We have seen a tremendous outpouring of support and are counting on Putnam County families to continue to step up and help others less fortunate during this crisis.''

Residents can drop off non-perishable food items from 9 a.m. 1 p.m. on Saturday, May 16 at the following locations:

Brewster - Brewster Village Hall, 50 Main Street; (benefitting Putnam CAP and the Brewster Community Food Pantry)

Carmel Putnam County Office Building, 40 Gleneida Ave. (Benefitting Hillside Outreach)

Cold Spring Municipal Parking Lot, Fair St. (benefitting Philipstown Food Pantry)

Kent - Kent Town Hall, 25 Sybils Crossing; (Benefitting Gilead Food Pantry)

Mahopac - Michael Geary Roller Rink, 740 Route 6 (benefitting St. John's Food Pantry)

Patterson - Patterson Town Hall, 1142 Route 311 (benefitting Patterson Presbyterian Food Pantry)

Putnam Valley - PV Senior Center, Town Park Lane (benefitting Putnam Valley Community Food Pantry)

Southeast - Southeast Town Hall, 1360 Route 22 (Benefitting Putnam CAP and Brewster Community Food Pantry)

Some suggested food items include:

Juice (Non-Refrigerated)

Rice

Macaroni & Cheese

Pasta

Spaghetti Sauce

Cereal

Canned Beef Stew

Canned Tuna or Chicken

Diapers (all sizes) / Wipes

Toiletries

Personal Hygiene Products

Paper Products

Cleaning Products

Canned Fruit

Crackers

"By working together we can have a greater impact on the Putnam County residents who need it, but we need the help of the public too," said Gabriel.

Those interested in learning more about the food drive can visit uwwp.org or call 211.

About United Way of Westchester and Putnam

United Way of Westchester and Putnam (UWWP) provides strategic resources and tools to residents in crisis or who are marginalized due to personal or life's circumstances. These include the 2-1-1 helpline, early literacy programming for preschoolers, job skills training and financial empowerment for adults, as well as access to health services.

UWWP is located at 336 Central Park Ave., White Plains, NY 10606. Phone: 914-997-6700 Website: http://www.uwwp.org. Facebook: (www.facebook.com/UnitedWayWP) and Twitter (@UnitedWayWP)

The rest is here:

United Way Organizes Countywide Food Drive in Putnam on Saturday - Patch.com