Category Archives: Personal Empowerment

"I feel like its okay for me to be more vulnerable in my lyrics and allow them to expose how I really feel."

Like many turning points in life, Hartleys powerful new single, Own, started with an emotional shower moment.

Determined to capture her journey to self-acceptance in a song, the Brisbane-based producer and singer seized on that emotion and started writing. Soon she was pouring herself into the verses and tinkering with production ideas. Two years later, Hartleys in-shower inspiration has bloomed into her self-empowerment anthem.

Own is the kind of song Hartley always imagined herself making, pairing a strong message with highly-polished production. Hartleys own mental health struggles guided her to the theme of loving yourself above all else. As she sings with passion in the first verse, Did you think I need another body/ To make me feel like Im somebody?

With her hard-won affirmation of self-worth, Hartley joins an accomplished field of women currently redefining pop music. With OWN, shes following in the example of empowerment advocates like Lizzo, Charli XCX, Lorde and BANKS. Its BANKS in particular who inspired Hartley to be fearless: She makes it look so effortless to talk deeply about herself.

Hartleys evolution to this moment began with a period of stubborn doubt. After self-producing an original song called Used To in her Brisbane bedroom, she very nearly didnt upload it to triple j Unearthed. Finally, after a whole lot of painful second-guessing, Hartley took the plunge. That drum & bass-inflected indie-pop tune caught the ear of Warner Musics A&R, and before long the neon-haired newcomer had a record label behind her.

After working in the studio with in-demand producer and mixer Cassian, Hartley re-released Used To on Warner Music. She followed it quickly with the fizzing, heartfelt Mind, before stepping into a new phase with Own.

Junkee catches up with Hartley from the labels Sydney office. Its release day for Own, and the usual nerves are this time outweighed by excitement. I havent really celebrated yet, she admits. This morning Ive been in a hotel room by myself, and its been surreal.

Speaking with infectious enthusiasm about her newly-widened horizons, Hartley has a lot to share about finding self-love through music.

How did Own first start out?

I started writing Own a couple of years ago, actually. I started discovering my self-worth and the ways I deserved to be treated. So it was a really significant change for me and my mental health.

I was also finding my place in the music industry and its social circles, so writing those lyrics was all about forcing myself to have my own back and believe that I didnt need anyone elses approval.

Now that its two years later, I truly believe those lyrics. There has been a huge change in me since that time, so its a cool time to release it.

Did the lyrics change at all in those two years, or once you had them down they were set?

I wrote the chorus two years ago. And then probably a year later, I revisited the song to write the verses. And the verses are more detailed and more specific, so I really believed what I was singing then.

Whats your process with songwriting? Do you start with a very raw and personal version, then make it more universal?

The chorus definitely felt more general. I was like, Yes, people will relate to this! Its a self-empowerment anthem! But then I realised that for me personally it was important to make the verses really detailed.

I knew it would be nerve-wracking but I had to get personal on it. My past two songs [Used To and Mind] are a bit more lighthearted, so I havent had to get so deep.

Even on your first two songs, theres a fun vibe but the lyrics have depth. Has that always been important to you in songwriting?

Being able to relate to the song personally is definitely important. Id feel like a sham if I couldnt relate to it. With those songs, I made it a universal message that other people could relate to as well. They didnt dive as deep though, so I felt Own was the right time to do that.

Used To and Mind both have quite similar subject matter theyre both about the same person. I went through the love thing, and Own is when the self-discovery came.

How did you want the production on Own to match the message?

The production idea came with the chorus in my shower clarity moment. I wanted those three driving kicks that come in each bar. I just felt that was a powerful rhythm. Then I just laid synth and bass over the top of those kicks, and between the kicks theres this kind of eerie silence. I filled that space with the lyrics. That was the vision right from the start.

Were there particular artists whose music you really connected to over that period?

At the time I was definitely listening to a lot of BANKS. I listened to a lot of alternative pop, which was more lighthearted. And then BANKS was this dark, honest influence.

I really like what Wafia is doing at the moment. Shes so luxurious and exclusive, and her songwriting is beautiful. Im also really inspired by King Princess, just because of her entire attitude. She inspires me to care less about what people think and just have a good time.

Did you struggle a lot with confidence before sharing Used To?

It took a lot of convincing myself just to release that song. Because no one else was forcing me to do it either it was just me, myself and I. I had to hold myself accountable for what happened when it was out in the world.

It took a lot of convincing myself just to release that song. Because no one else was forcing me to do it either it was just me, myself and I

Now on a release day, theres a huge difference in how I feel. I feel so much more supported, which I think is so important in the music industry. I really hope that all artists have a support system, because I cant believe how much it helps.

How else has being with a label changed things for you?

Well, its changed basically everything. I go through life without many expectations and then I get really excited about everything.

I released Used To independently before I was signed, and I think it got to about 20,000 streams on Spotify. And I really hoped my re-release with Warner would get to that many streams. Thats all I wanted. But at the moment I think its sitting around 250,000 streams.

Everything else that comes after that is just, like, a present. Its Christmas Day every day, because I dont expect anything.

It must feel great to hear that a song has helped someone through a tough time or given them new perspective. Can you recall a time when someones music did that for you?

When I was going through a really tough time, when I was down and didnt know what I was doing, I discovered The 1975s music.

It was before they released their first album and it was just so happy. Even if it wasnt necessarily the most meaningful music to me, it opened up this world of indie/pop/rock, which to me is just one of the happiest genres. That was a really significant discovery.

Theyre inspiring lyrically as well if you dig deeper into the lyrics, its like, woah. Its crazy what Matty Healy writes. His life is so wacky and interesting, I think Id have to have some weirder experiences to be writing like him. Ive got to get onto that!

Whats next for you then? I imagine theres a lot of music waiting on your hard drive.

I have a lot more songs I want to share. Im getting my live show ready too I feel like its the right time. I cant wait to get in front of audiences who know the songs.

Since writing Own, songwriting has become easier for me. I feel like its okay for me to be more vulnerable in my lyrics and allow them to expose how I really feel.

Hartleys single Own is out now on Warner Music Australia.

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Hartley Gets Candid About Her Incredible New Single 'Own' - Junkee

We are all born with a natural drive inside us to create something. This is the motivational message Rochelle Zonnenberg, a startup entrepreneur and founder of Hobby House Qatar, shares with all those who carry some kind of creative strain and want to follow their passion.Rochelle, an Indian expatriate living in Qatar for 14 years, started her own company in 2017 as she wanted to do something of her own. I have a degree in Mass Communications with major in advertising. I have earlier worked in the hospitality sector in Qatar. I got married and had a baby. That was the switch. I wanted to start something of my own. That was the trigger, Rochelle said in an interview with Community.Hobby House Qatar is a community-driven project. The business model is bringing people together in an artistic way. It is a creative and community event company.Our workshops provide the tools and knowledge to do art. We offer a unique environment that gives art space to breathe, flourish, and grow. Our mentors help the participants learn, enhance and excel at a skill while engaging with other talented artists and craft enthusiasts. The participants can choose to express themselves through different mediums, including water colours, calligraphy, macram, embroidery, punch needle, cake decoration, gardening, mandala art and many more.We genuinely believe we do not create for others. We do not create to impress. We create, because we can. What if you do not know what you are supposed to create? The answer is quite simple. Just try something, the art enthusiast said.Rochelle, who comes from a family of artists and designers, believes art has been deep rooted in her since childhood. I personally like to design by myself. There has always been a need in Doha to do something like this. I, however, did not have enough time to do this. With art and business activity, it is also a bit of women empowerment along with sustainability. People come to Doha and they do not know where to start from. We try to give them a common ground of interest. You could be a great computer engineer but you can also have good artistic skills. You can do both at one time. There is no need to excel in just one thing.Hobby House Qatar came into being because of Rochelles own needs. I have been in Doha for a long time and did not find a good place where I could brush up my own artistic skills. There were courses for four to five weeks but it was difficult for me with children to go around the city. As a mother, I also need some time for myself. So, I started doing workshops with friends and people from the community. Everybody was so excited about it. The demand started increasing. I realised that it was a need of many people who wanted to express themselves artistically. The company is also a kind of community venture as well. We also support small startups.The entrepreneur thinks that for a woman to be an entrepreneur, it depends on different dynamics. As a mother, it depends on the dynamics that you have at your home such as how much support you have and how much time you can manage. If you are willing to do it, there is nothing that can stop you. It depends on what works for you as a mother and as a family. There is no easy way out anyway [smiles]. It is hard to be an entrepreneur and a mother.The expatriate entrepreneur lauds the country and the local community for being so accommodative. There is demand. There is support. There is participation. People show up and they are very interested.There is respect for the kind of work I do in the community. It is a safe and secure atmosphere. You are just seen as someone bringing more to the country. You are accepted very well. This is in the DNA of some sort in Qatar.When asked how the startup helps her irrespective of financial gains, Rochelle said, I have always been proactive for women empowerment. At a personal level, it is very motivational satisfaction that no finances can give you. Our activities inculcate a sense of community among people. We make them sit with each other and share the experience of something that they love. Our mentors at the workshops are from all over the world. We are a melting pot at Hobby House Qatar.People from different countries and culture live in Qatar. In our workshops when a diverse gathering is involved in a creative activity, the participants are able to break down all the barriers. They share their different experiences with each other. The sharing also becomes a very unique experience. They just love commonness of art.The entrepreneur is upbeat about the feedback she gets from the participants. We have been receiving very positive feedback. They love the idea to take some time off from their daily mundane work and indulge in creative activities.In our future works, we plan to focus more on women empowerment. We are also planning to make arrangements for the sale of the creative works. We want to give these women a chance to earn through their creativity. We are going to introduce Do It Yourself projects.When it comes to women empowerment, Rochelle sees it as a part of the vision of Qatar. All local Qatar women who come to our workshops are actually working women. There is a certain kind of encouragement for them to go out and work.For me, women empowerment is being able to make choices for yourself and not be defined by anybody else that what you need to be. It is to be able to choose for yourself the life you want to live.

Continued here:

Supporting art and women empowerment READ MORE - Gulf Times

Image:Institut fr Zeitgeschichte/Alexander Markus Klotz

Far-right leaders often call for one nation united under one language. At the same time, they have always been good at using translation to spread their politics.

A widespread misconception, exacerbated by the English-only bigotry of Make America Great Again and Brexit, is that xenophobic, racist, or oppressive ideologies are always doggedly monolingualand, conversely, that multilingualism exclusively serves the goals of democracy, pluralism, and open-mindedness. However, the ability to communicate across languages is disappointingly nonpartisan, and history teems with accounts of overtly despotic polyglottery. Legendary is the ancient Graeco-Persian king Mithridates VI, who ruled twenty-two nations with laws in as many tongues, only to harangue each [people] without employing an interpreter, as Pliny the Elder recorded. Multilingualism does not come hallmarked with tolerance or righteous dissent.

Far-right language politicshas long been alanguagespolitics, and thus a politics of translation.

Related is the misapprehension that the entirety of the far right lives by the rules of mother-tongue fascism, equating one nation with one language. Surely this belief has its acolytes, such as the white nationalist U.S. congressman Steve King, who has spent a lifetime promulgating monolingual policies, or the German politician Stephan Brandner, who has waged purist campaigns to extirpate loanwords. But amidst the panoply of present-day right-wing worldviews, mother-tongue fascism is unlikely to ever carry the day, as its parochialism makes it far less transportable than the sprawling, internationalist agendas of neo-Nazism or White Power.

Linguistic diversity was not at all antithetical to classic European fascism, eitherquite the contrary. Under Hitler and Mussolini, linguist Christopher Hutton explains, endorsements of multilingualism helped both with lobbying for the Volks minority rights abroad and with persuading others to join the cause. An arm of the Foreign Office in Nazi Germany, the German Office of Information, even networked clandestinely through independent publishers to translate and disseminate propaganda against the Allies, while Nazi fiction and nonfiction alike would continue to be printed for export in languages other than German despite the direst of paper shortages. As late as fall 1941, notes the preeminent scholar of Nazi translation Kate Sturge, the Reich Chamber of Writers founded the European Writers Association to replace the ousted PEN Club and oversee international promotions of translated books. In Mussolinis Italy, similarly, translation gained traction as a vaunted instrument of penetration into cultures, markets, and minds, according to Sturge and colleague Christopher Rundle. Transnational fascism was by necessity translational.

Far-right language politics, in other words, has long been a languages politics, a politics of translation. And in recent years, right-wing politicians have demonstrated increasing savvy with using translation to spread their messages. This spring, when Italys notorious Eurosceptic and xenophobe Matteo Salvini (then deputy prime minister) announced a European right-wing parliamentary alliance, the event was simultaneously interpreted into three languages, with slogans in several more flashing in the background. Germanys far-right party Alternative for Germany (AfD)despite rallying to enshrine German as the Federal Republics official language and lobbying against teaching English in primary schoolshas publicized its platform in English, Spanish, French, Hungarian, and Czech. The choice of languages suggests not only an overture to global readers and western neighbors, but also an attempt to court allies in countries where right-wing parties have been gaining clout and where centuries of Germanophone dominance left messy, unprocessed, and disparate legacies. Neither are the Conservative Peoples Party of Estonia, Hungarys Jobbik, and the Finns Party quite as monolingual as some might picture.

The stance has been a boon for far-right Internet users. In late March, translations of the Christchurch shooters manifesto from English into other languages appeared on the anonymous board 8chan/pol, a site popular with white supremacists. And on the neo-Nazi website Stormfront, participants have for years convened to debate the relative merits of different translations of Hitlers Mein Kampf. A conversation from April 2012, for example, opened with the declaration that in a recent translation by Michael Ford, Hitlers true message comes thru. But not everyone agreed. Some wondered if Ford was ideologically reliable, grumbling to never trust a new translation. Others rambled semi-coherently about translation methods. And one user concluded that learning German may be best, after all. It is an unsettling image of neo-Nazis giving translation more thought than most of their opponents.

The far rights instrumentalization of languages in the plural points to a flaw in current discourse: journalists and scholars often speak of a shared or common fascist language, but rarely offer much in the way of detail about what that means. If there is a fascist language, who makes it, how, where, and with what ingredients? It is a catchy term, no doubt, but references to it rarely do more than conjure up a slippery abstraction of uncertain origins and proportions, vested with agency, as though speaker-less. The public is left with an image of a common fascist language as a difficult-to-counter, monolithic, monolingual, unfathomable tool that gives the far right a ready and unfair advantage. Only there is nothing monolithic, monolingual, unfathomable, abstract, or even unpreventable about it. There is no secret fascist-language manufacturing plant where brownshirts sweat over assembly lines in the depths of Mississippi, Southern California, or Oregon. So what, then, is fascist language, and how does it emerge in translation?

Mother-tongue fascismis unlikely to carry the day, as it isfar less transportable than the sprawling, internationalist agendas of neo-Nazism or White Power.

The story of former German skinhead and white supremacist Achim Schmidwho is now an anti-racist activist and goes by TM Garretillustrates the workings of translational fascism vividly, as languages were his gateways into neo-Nazism from the start. Born in 1975, Schmid was a bullied child, asserting himself at school by telling Hitler jokes when laughing about Hitler was still taboo in West Germany. Among his peers, he alone took the risk, and it paid off by earning his peers attention, if not their esteem. Meanwhile, English provided an escape. Schmid recalls spending his fifth-grade summer poring over textbooks, in avoidance of bullies and excited to learn his favorite song lyrics properly, instead of mumbling gibberish.

By 1999 he had discovered that singing white-supremacist rock in nearly fluent English was a reliable path to becoming not only respected but also popular, at least in certain circles. He began collaborating with the neo-Nazi record label NSM-88 and playing at right-wing music festivals across Europe. One night, a gig in Sweden concluded with an unexpected invitation to meet Erik Blcher, a mouthpiece of late twentieth-century Scandinavian neo-Nazism and author (under the aliases Erik Nilsen and Max Hammer) of incendiary propaganda. The two sat down in a tavern in the Danish coastal town Helsingr, and Schmid walked away with a commission to translate Blchers English-language screeds and his organizations website into German.

Banging out the lines by dark, family asleep, Schmid had an unforeseen revelation. The neo-Nazi songs, he came to realize, were little more than piles of disjointed slogans. Attention-hungry youth screamed them without necessarily feeling a deep connection to the words meanings. Or they were, in many cases, blather with no real meaning to speak of. By contrast, Blchers textsactionable how-toscoldly dished out the pros and cons of racist, antisemitic, and xenophobic terrorism.

Translating Blchers writings changed Schmids relationship to language and jolted him into an awareness of his agency. When I spoke to him recently, he pointed out how translation requires activating ones own idiom for a radicalizing act of coauthorshiptranslation scholars Christopher Rundle and Kate Sturge speak of the active intervention of translation. No doubt, Schmid had thought of himself as a radical: just months earlier, he had left Germanys well-established National Democratic Party in repudiation of its too-civil self-grooming and joined the skinheads. But was he radical enough to translate an entire manual for violence? He hesitated, in fearof a police raid, an arrest, a life in prison. Not hesitation borne out of responsibilitynot yet. Fear won, and in September 2000 he quietly parted ways with the skinheads and allegedly never contacted Blcher again, although some of his translations were already out there. How many and where exactly, he was not sure, nor did he care to learn.

Schmid may have left the skinheads, but racism and xenophobia did not leave him. If anything, they intensified as Schmid lost patience with nativisms circumscribed orbit. In early November 2000, he boarded a flight to Mississippi to be inducted into the Ku Klux Klan (KKK). While the KKK had had several active branches in Germany, its propaganda, Schmid says, had not yet made the crossing. Handbooks, including the so-called Kloran, or the white book of rules, remained untranslated into German, and many German members and potential recruits lacked the English skills to comprehend the abundant ritual convolutions. Fresh from his Mississippi ceremony, Schmid, a newly minted Grand Dragon, vowed to change that in his Realm of Germany.

Schmid did not kill, this much is truebut what if the words that he translated into German did?

Between 2000 and 2002, the year when Schmid left the far right for good, he did more than mechanically swap English words for their German equivalents. What translator does that, anyway? His new assignment called for elaborate exegetic acrobatics to adapt the KKKs Christian fundamentalism to the German neo-Nazis entrenched paganism. Dictionaries and imagination were not enough, so Schmid embraced online Bible translation tools, tracing the KKKs favored biblical terms and quotations to their Hebrew and Greek origins, then bending what he found to fit his goal. The result was an inebriating feeling of personal empowerment. True, Schmid was no Mithridates VI, but he had performed quite the somersault for a man who had never gone to university.

In retrospect, his sophomoric linguistics seem risible. Yet at stake, he understands, is tremendous harm: in 2012 Schmid learned that his KKK cell had been traced to the German neo-Nazi group the National Socialist Underground (NSU), which murdered nearly a dozen immigrants and carried out fourteen armed bank robberies. This revelation started him on the journey to penance. Schmid did not kill, this much is truebut what if the words that he translated into German did? He may never know for sure, but he knows he cannot take them back.

Todays Schmids face a changing reality. While many operations of translational fascism remain spontaneous, the scrappy DIY method that Schmid exemplified increasingly exists alongside structured, centralized approaches plugged into global e-commerce via behemoths such as Amazon and Barnes & Nobleso far, with impunity. These technological advances have allowed fascism in translation to have a wider reach and the veneer of an internationally successful business venture.

A case in point is the Budapest-based publisher Arktos Media, which sells its books through Amazon and Barnes & Noble. On its YouTube channel (Arktos also oversees a website, newsletter, podcast, and a journal with faux-academic flair) the house prides itself on being the leading English-language publisher of the European New Right with more than 150 titles in fourteen different languages. Its online portal offers one-stop shopping for speakers not only of French, English, Spanish, German, and Portuguese, but also of smaller languages such as Dutch, Greek, Italian, Polish, Croatian, and Czech. Some bestsellers, such as the Austrian-born identitarian Markus Willingers Generation Identity, are available in most of these, usually introduced by the translator or staff editor with a semblance of neutrality: their readers arent sheeple, so shouldnt they make up their own minds? The price points also tell a story about the publishers eagerness to unlock markets with fewer moneyed readers: while the English-language edition of Willinger, for example, costs as much as $17.50, translations come in at under $12 and, in the case of some Eastern European languages, even under $5. Arktoss grasp of market forces may rival some giants of the trade.

Global e-commerce behemoths Amazon and Barnes & Noble haveallowed fascism in translation to have a wider reach and the veneer of an internationally successful business venture.

Arktos can be coy about its translators. A few are undoubtedly in house, including CEO and founder Daniel Friberg, another influential Swedish neo-Nazi. Others, in contrast to Achim Schmid, show a penchant for genteel intellectual self-aggrandizement that reeks as much of yesteryears mothballed academic tweed as of groomed alt-right posturing. For example, Arktoss editor-in-chief and YouTube channel host, John Bruce Leonard, who translates the para-fascist Italian thinker Julius Evola, is unironically introduced as a onetime student of philosophy, letters, and languages in a university curriculum based exclusively on the great books of the Western Tradition. According to the website, he resides in Italy to nouris[h] his ever-living preoccupation with the heritage and the future of Europe. Meanwhile, chief translator and editor Roger Adwans biographical notesmultilingual since early childhood, fortunate enough to live in various countries across several continents, university-educated with a focus on translationcould apply to a great many language professionals.

But most Arktos translators are not full-time staff, nor are they even clearly identifiable far-right sympathizers. Some may have stumbled into the enterprise for lack of other publishing options rather than out of conviction. They can be difficult to tell apart from an average academic relativist on university payroll. A wise man learns from everyone, Michael Millerman, an Arktos translator with a doctoral degree in political theory from the University of Toronto, told me via email. I see it as the reception of a guest into ones home for conversation, he went on, [but] I do not think that the intimate reception of ideas is equivalent to uncritical belief in those ideas. Millermans early experience with translating one of Heideggers most influential modern-day admirers, chief ideologue of Russian Neo-Eurasianism and critic of Western (neo)liberalism Aleksandr Dugin, was pertinent to his research. Allegedly, a mentor encouraged Millerman to publish his translations, but the relationship with Arktos materialized only because Dugin already had a contract with the press.

What if, one wonders, a mainstream publisher had come along, one unwilling to pretend that far-right literature is like every other sortor that all potential readers possess equal desire and capacity for discernment? What if its editors had asked for a soberly critical framing, complete with detailed footnotes, contextual commentary, or other forms of annotation? What if this publishers marketing experts had linked the resulting translations to books with substantive analysisrather than to a slew of other innocently presented ring-wing screeds? Would this shrink fascism in translation to a smaller size?

Antifascists have frequently carried out translations of fascist textsNot to learn from everyone,but to know whom to fight and why.

It mightand it has. Translation, depending on context, can bolster ideas, but it can just as easily discredit them. And indeed, antifascists have frequently carried out translations of fascist texts. Not to learn from everyone, but to know whom to fight and why. German resistance fighter Greta Kuckhoff collaborated with the UKs first Mein Kampf translator, James Murphy, and opposed Murphys attempts to improve Hitlers prose. I wanted the book to retain its shameless stirring up of the masses, she later recalled. In the United States, journalist Dorothy Thompson, fiercely critical of Hitler, blurbed the 1937 U.S. reissue of the book, endearing the author to few readers and provoking the Nazi governments formal complaints. And when the New York Times reviewed Mein Kampfs most widely read English translation, it thanked the translator, Ralph Manheim, for serving the country well by producing the first English Hitler translation which does justice to the author. Here, for the first time, you get Hitlers prose almost as unreadable in English as it is in German, the paper wrote.

While such efforts must be part of the campaign to combat international fascism, they are inseparable from the work of deradicalization, which requires much more robust and extensive financial and logistical support from authorities at every level, as well as from those who have experienced it firsthand and then turned away. In addition, online retailers such as Amazon and Barnes & Noble must be pressured to ban uncritical editions of far-right texts and to de-platform neo-Nazi distributors; similar restrictions on YouTube have set a notable if imperfect precedent. While context and critical reframing are important, we must not delude ourselves into believing that fascism in translation will dissipate without such direct interventions.

Read more from the original source:

Fascism in Translation - Boston Review

As an undergraduate in July 2015, Polanco created a social justice food truck business called So Good Pupusas, through which she sells traditional pupusas to raise funds for scholarships given to undocumented college students.

Polanco created the company because she recognized the privilege she had as a documented citizen of the U.S. who received scholarships for her college education. She wanted to help students with undocumented status attend college so that they could experience the same liberation from education that she herself had experienced.

Logistics

In December 2016, Polanco created a non-profit organizationassociated with her business So Good Pupusascalled Pupusas for Education. Polanco manages the business while a team of students at UNC run Pupusas for Education.

The business strives to be a force for good, and the non-profit works to close the opportunity gap for undocumented students, Polanco said in an email interview.

A key component of the non-profit organization is the work it does for its scholars who, to be eligible for consideration, must be high school seniors with either undocumented or DACA legal status who have applied or been accepted to a two- or four-year higher education institution.

Many undocumented Pupusa scholars would be expected to pay out-of-state tuition at schools like UNC, whether or not they reside in the state of their university.

We want to help them overcome the systemic barriers they encounter so that they can reach their full potential and give back to their community, said Marcella Pansini, a junior majoring in business administration and public policy currently serves as the executive director of Pupusas for Education.

The non-profit organization provides various resources for its scholars, including financial aid, personal guidance and professional workshops.

In early November, the organization hosted the Undocumented Youth Empowerment Summit in the Campus Y, where they helped high school juniors and seniors discover what college is like, what challenges they should expect while pursuing higher education and how to best stay true to their culture and heritage.

Assistant Executive Director Vivian Karamitros is a sophomore majoring in statistics and analytics and computer science. Karamitros said the organization's events are meant to provide students with resources about how to do well in higher education.

We are hoping to give them the resources and the connections that they need to succeed, Karamitros said. ... Its also about helping them find their identity and making sure that the Imposter Syndrome doesnt become something that they experience when they go to college.

Karamitros also said that a scholarship retreat is hosted for all Pupusa scholars so that they have an opportunity to bond, interact and network with each other once selected.

Scholarships

To help these students afford their education, the organization offers three scholarships that students can apply for during their senior year of high school. These include the Pupusas for Education scholarship, a renewable $1,000 scholarship available to two students, and gap year grants. So Good Pupusas has committed $14,000 toward this scholarship, which is currently in its pilot year.

We are a last dollar scholarship, Pansini said about the Pupusas for Education scholarship. We are a gap scholarship. We dont provide a lot of money in terms of finances, but we provide them with as many resources as we can. We are hoping to help them to close the gap. For example, if someone submits an application, saying they need about $5,000 in order to attend the University, we will provide them with $1,000 of that $5,000.

In partnership with Scholars Latino Initiative Virginia, the organization also offers a new scholarship to four students who participated in the SLI VA program in high school. This scholarship offers amounts ranging from $1,000 to $6,000 and is possible thanks to a donation from former UNC professor Peter Kaufman.

Because of the association with So Good Pupusas, many people have mistakenly assumed that the scholarships offered are only available to those who identify as Hispanic and LatinX, but Pansini emphasized that the only requirement for students applying is that they be undocumented or DACAmented.

The scholarships are currently only available to high school seniors residing in Orange, Durham and Wake county, but Pansini said one of her personal goals is to expand the target audience of potential scholars beyond the Triangle region. She is also hoping to establish an emergency fund for scholars who may need help paying for legal counsel if they feared deportation or for home reparation costs after storms.

Social impact

Once selected, scholars can attend any institution theyd like. Two Pupusa Scholars are currently at UNC.

Jatzyri Perez Garcia is one such first-year scholar majoring in neuroscience. With DACAmented legal status, Perez Garcia said she would not be able to attend UNC let alone any other college without the scholarship.

Not only did they allow me to go to one of my dream schools, but they allowed me to continue my education like I wanted to, Perez Garcia said.

She mentioned that the opportunity to be a Pupusa Scholar offers more than just financial support, but also support and guidance from the organizations team.

At the beginning, coming to UNC was kind of hectic, especially as a first-year. I had a lot of questions, so I quickly texted Marcella and asked her if there was anyone who could help me out or who I could ask questions to, Perez Garcia said. She responded like Oh, you can just ask me. I can help you directly. She was able to answer my questions and that helped me a lot.

Karamitros said that while working in Pupusas for Education she has learned that focusing on its target audience is the most important aspect of the organizations work.

We are trying to specifically target this group that has a lot of times been overlooked or pushed to the wayside, Pansini said. We want to make sure that they are seen, accounted for and feel as though they have someone who is on their side.

@evelyaforte

university@dailytarheel.com

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Here's how a UNC alumna is using pupusas to tackle education inequity - The Daily Tar Heel

The Southeast is the battleground in the latest wave of radical attacks on abortion access. From Georgia to Alabama, and now to South Carolina and Tennessee, we are confronting increasing threats to our safety, bodily autonomy and human rights.

But the Southeast is also home to a diverse, vibrant and growing movement of people and organizations who are coming together to ensure that our society protects and respects the dignity, health and human rights of all peoplein every community across our region.

The stakes couldnt be higher. As it stands, South Carolinaranks43rd in maternal mortality and 46th in health outcomes for women. Next door, Georgia has even worse outcomes,rankinglast in maternal mortality with 46 deaths per 100,000 live births. In Tennessee, 85 percent of recent maternal deaths were found to bepreventable; black women in the state are more than three times more likely to die from pregnancy complications than white women.

All across the Southeast, people are suffering, and even dying, because they lack access to reproductive care. Restricting access to abortion only puts more peoples lives at riskespecially folks who already face barriers to healthcare, including young people; people of color; people with disabilities; lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and queer people; and people living in rural areas. But in each state where abortion threats loom, coalitions are gathering forces and fighting back.

The Southeastern Alliance for Reproductive Equity (SEARE) is a new regional coalition of reproductive health, rights and justice organizations anchored by Healthy & Free Tennessee, SPARK Reproductive Justice NOW!, SisterSong Women of Color Reproductive Justice Collective and the Womens Rights and Empowerment Network (WREN). In collaboration with many other organizations and other state-based and regional coalitions across the region, we are aligning our efforts to strengthen our work across reproductive health, rights and justice. As a multi-racial alliance, we have intentionally rooted our alliance in thereproductive justiceframework, which was created by Black women 25 years ago and demands that all people have the human right to maintain personal bodily autonomy, have children or not have children and parent children in safe and sustainable communities.

We know that to make this vision into a reality in our region, we must work together more collaboratively across geographic and movement boundaries. Crucially, we must diagnose and dismantle systems of white supremacy that perpetuate harm to communities of color and other marginalized people. Through SEARE, we will more deeply reflect on how white privilege affects our organizations, our movements and our communities. We will share our resources and expertise with one another, and we will facilitate closer connections and coordination. We must uplift and invest in innovative grassroots work, particularly work that is being led by people of color, young people, gender-marginalized and other people most affected.

Despite the vocal opposition to abortion bans being voiced across the country, and the majority of Americanssupportingthe right to abortion, legislators across the South are moving quickly to deny people the autonomy to make personal healthcare decisions and access to the resources and services needed to thrive. With the current make-up of the United States Supreme Court, we know that these state-level bills could escalate and set in motion sweeping and severe consequences across the country.

Now is not the time for fear or complacency. Now is not the time for us to retreat to our silos. Instead, it is the time for organized resistance and collective action. With access to abortion under attack like never before, we must come together to speak up.

The South has always had something to say. As a united movement, SEARE will ensure we are heard.

Originally posted here:

Inside the New Coalition Fighting for Reproductive Justice in the Southeast - Ms. Magazine

Africa, Conferences, Crime & Justice, Development & Aid, Education, Featured, Gender, Gender Violence, Global, Headlines, Health, Labour, Population, TerraViva United Nations, Women's Health

Opinion

Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta hailed the strong partnership between his government and UNFPA during a meeting with UNFPAs Executive Director, Dr. Natalia Kanem in March 2019, which will jointly convene the ICPD 25 from 12 to 14 November 2019 along with the Government of Denmark. Credit: PSCU

NAIROBI, Kenya, Nov 8 2019 (IPS) - As we count down the remaining days to the opening of the Nairobi Summit or the International Conference for Population and Development(ICPD), I am confounded by how much humanity has managed to simultaneously empower more women than at any other time in history, while at the same time failing to see that womens issues are actually everyones issues.

That countdown evokes memories of my own grandmother, who followed a common trend in India at the time, dropping out of school to get married and give birth to her first child at age 11. In many parts of the world, girls have over the years faced unthinkable obstacles while trying just to get an education, often jeopardizing their personal safety and risking being ostracized by their families and communities.

It wasnt until a mere 25 years ago at the ICPD in Cairo that the world agreed that population and economic development issues must go hand in hand, and that women must be at the heart of our efforts for development.

Back then, governments, donors, civil society, and other partners made commitments to reduce infant and child mortality, reduce maternal mortality, ensure universal education, and increase access to sexual and reproductive health and rights, amongst many others. These commitments were a massive step forward for the rights of women and girls.

At the Conference in Nairobi, we all have an opportunity to repeat the message that womens empowerment will move at snail-pace unless we bolster reproductive health and rights across the world. This is no longer a fleeting concern, but a 21st century socio-economic reality.

We can choose to take a range of actions, such as empowering women and girls by providing access to good health, education and job training. Or we can choose paths such as domestic abuse, female genital mutilation and child marriages, which, according to a 2016 Africa Human Development Report by UNDP, costs sub-Saharan Africa $95 billion per year on average due to gender inequality and lack of womens empowerment.

Fortunately, the world has made real progress in the fight to take the right path. There is no lack of women trailblazers in all aspects of human endeavour. It has taken courage to make those choices, with current milestones being the result of decades of often frustrating work by unheralded people, politics and agencies.

Leaders like the indefatigable Dr. Natalia Kanem the Executive Director of UNFPA and her predecessors, supported especially by the Nordic countries, are pushing the global change of paradigm to ensure we demolish the silo of womens issues and begin to see the linkages between reproductive rights and human prosperity.

Numerous studies have shown the multi-generation impact of the formative years of women. A womans reproductive years directly overlap with her time in school and the workforce, she must be able to prevent unintended pregnancy in order to complete her education, maintain employment, and achieve economic security.

Denial of reproductive health information and services places a women at risk of an unintended pregnancy, which in turn is one of the most likely routes for upending the financial security of a woman and her family.

A lot has been achieved since the years of my grandmother, when girls were expected to be demure and remain in the background. In many places the current teenage girl believes that every door is open to them; they can rise to any heights.

Yet in a lot of other countries, girls are up against a system that seems rigged against them for the long-term. These are countries where greater leadership and the right policies are sorely missing; where women and girls are robbed of the education they deserve and the jobs they need to lift themselves and their families out of poverty; where they are victims of sexual and physical abuse in their own homes or sold into child marriage.

As the UN Resident Coordinator to Kenya, I am privileged to serve in a country, which is hosting this very important conference. It has shown leadership to advance the cause of womens right-from criminalizing female genital mutilation to stepping up the fight to end child marriage and pushing hard on improving reproductive, maternal and child health.

When the ICPD opens in Nairobi on 12 November 2019, I wonder how my grandmothers life might have been different if she had been able to learn how to read and write and achieve her full human potential, but also appealing to all Governments to work towards giving half the world population the final and absolute control over their own bodies.

Siddharth Chatterjee is the United Nations resident coordinator to Kenya.

Read the original here:

The Nairobi Summit Is about the Future of Humanity and Human Prosperity - Inter Press Service

Every year, hundreds of sneakers, hiking boots, socks, sports bras, leggings, crops, tank tops, T-shirts, jackets, windbreakers, sunglasses, headphones, gym bags, foam rollers, and more fitness gear and apparel cross our desks at SELF. We do our best to try them all out. (Its a tough job, people.)

Then, every fall, we take a step back to identify the very best of these new releases, the results of which culminate in our annual awards. All the winners of SELFs Fitness Awards are our picks for the greatest new apparel, shoes, tools, and gear released each year.

Heres how we chose the winners.

First, we determined which categories we wanted to testthis year we kept it fairly simple, focusing on workout shoes, leggings, sports bras, tops, and assorted gear and accessories (think trackers, socks, bags, headphones, and the like). Then we used our extensive editorial knowledge of the market to narrow the field to a set of finalists for each category, based on criteria for what fitness enthusiasts and athletes care about for each specific type of product, from functionality to style to size inclusivity.

A note about size inclusivity as a requirement: Its no secret that fashion in generaland the fitness apparel market in particulardoesnt create sufficient options for people who wear plus sizes. In far too many cases, brands will neglect to include plus-size options at all. So in the interest of selecting the best options for as many people as possible, we had a few rules around size inclusivity: If the brand offers straight sizes, their sizing must go up to at least an XL to be considered. Every roundup of winners must have multiple options that go up to at least a size 3X. The apparel must be tested by a variety of reviewers who wear plus sizes. And finally, we must list the size ranges offered for each winner, as well as the size worn by the quoted reviewer. Its not a perfect system, but we hope that it helps to make our fitness awards more useful to more people than before.

Once we had settled on the finalists, we began testing. As with every year, most SELF editors tested products. But for this years judging, we also enlisted a group of 23 fitness professionals and enthusiasts from across the country to assist us in road testing all the finalists. We made sure our judges were experts in the areas they were testing (for instance, yoga teachers tested yoga sports bras, while runners tested running tights). Each product was tested by multiple people in a range of sizes, to accommodate for varied tastes and fits and needs.

In the end, our judges tested more than 250 distinct products. Judges were required to test each item at least twice using the product in the way it was advertised. That meant lifting in weight lifting shoes, jumping in high-impact sports bras, and even lounging in joggers (like we said, tough job). After testing, judges ranked their items on a scale of zero (awful) to five (amazing). Then they answered an extensive questionnaire that asked about things like comfort, durability, performance, and design, depending on the product and what matters most to the people using it in action.

Finally, we picked 87 winners. Our awards this year reflect the bestbut as that number indicates, we were also highly selective. (Roughly one third of the finalists tested made the cut.) So rest assured that whether youre a seasoned athlete looking for your next pair of racing sneakers or just thinking about trying your first studio class, theres something on this list for you. These items are practical, functional, chic, and, above all, proven to stand up to your sweatiest workouts.

Keep scrolling to get to know our guest judges, and check out our complete list of 2019 Fitness Awards winners here.

We hand-picked 23 top fitness enthusiasts and trainers from across the country to help road test our winning gear. Heres a bit more about the folks who helped to judge our winning items.

Growing up in Nebraska, Amanda has always been drawn to an active lifestyle. When she wasnt running hurdles for her schools track team, she was choreographing dances with her friends in the studio. Since then, Amanda has toured the world on Royal Caribbean cruise line as a principal dancer and become a leading trainer in the New York fitness scene. In 2016, when Amanda found out she was pregnant with her son Parker, she knew that she wanted to prepare her body for the demands of motherhood. Since then, Amanda has seen the power that fitness has on her day-to-day life and is dedicated to helping other moms prepare for this extraordinary journey. Amanda is NASM CPT, PROnatal, AFAA Perinatal, AFAA Group Fitness, Kettle Bell Concepts, CPR/AED, and Nutritious Life Nutrition Certified. Follow her at @amandabutlernyc.

As a group fitness professional, health and life coach, educator, and licensed social worker, Amanda channels her energy into helping others achieve their wellness goals. She previously held the position of manager of group fitness talent development for Equinox and until recently spent two decades in the group fitness studio teaching multiple formats. Currently, Amanda is a school social worker for the NYC Department of Education. Her current certifications include ACE certified group fitness instructor, ACE health coach, Zumba, Schwinn Indoor Cycling, Kettlebell Concepts, TRX Training, and kickboxing. Amanda has starred in Acacia TVs digital fitness videos and functioned as camera coach and fitness tech for companies like Reebok. Her media credits include Time, Refinery29, Daily News, NY1, Good Housekeeping, Marie Claire, and MSNBC. She is also the founder of Face the Change, a campaign to increase awareness and education of Trigeminal Neuralgia, a rare and debilitating chronic illness with which she was diagnosed in 2008. Follow her at @ayoungwayoflife.

Amy is a writer, editor, and certified personal trainer. She covers a wide variety of health and fitness topics, from exercise science to practical workout tips, and has tested more fitness apparel and gear than she could ever remember. Her go-to workouts include hiking, running, boxing, and strength-focused group fitness classes. She lives in black leggings and never travels anywhere without a set of mini resistance bands and a pair of running sneakers. Follow her at @amymart.

Bianca is a personal trainer, group fitness instructor, and Wilhelmina fitness model. Originally from Ohio, Bianca moved to New York City to pursue a career in music. She is holds certifications as a NASM certified personal trainer, AFAA group fitness instructor, TRX, and kettlebell basics. She has been featured in Cosmopolitan, and created the 2018 New Years Challenge for SELF Magazine. Follow her at @biancapaigefit.

Bree Koegel is a highly sought-after personal trainer and Wilhelmina fitness model living in NYC. She is the face of the free at-home fitness app FitOn, and enjoys working regularly with top brands such as Athleta, Bowflex, Zappos, and more. Follow her at @breekoegel.

Chasi Jernigan is a certified fitness instructor, body-positive motivator, and all-around creative with a passion for womens empowerment. After losing more than 100 pounds herself, Chasi created the first body-positive space in Tupelo, Mississippi, for women struggling with gym intimidation. She stands by the mantra Fitness Has No Size and continues to break fitness stereotypes by being fit and over 200 pounds. Chasis blog Sweat in Mascara was created as a source of inspiration and to remind plus-size women that they can accomplish anything. Follow her at @chasijernigan

Cindy been a certified personal trainer and group exercise fitness instructor for 20 years. She strives to provide high-quality fitness instruction through her love of being active and knowledge of fitness and health. Cindy enjoys a variety of indoor and outdoor activities such as hiking, skiing, skating, cycling, and distance running. She has completed a series of 10K and half- to full-marathon races. Married and a mom of three boys, Cindy focuses most of her time on pre- and postnatal clients and stay-at-home and working moms, helping them achieve their fitness goals. Follow her at @cindyyufitness.

Jess Sims is a NASM certified personal trainer and One Peloton tread instructor. She also created the Ready, Set, Sweat Challenge for SELF Magazine. Follow her at @jsimsfit.

Jessamyn Stanley is a yoga teacher, body-positivity advocate, and writer based in Durham, North Carolina. Jessamyn uses high-energy vinyasa flow as a way to move past mental and emotional barriers. Her classes provide a body-positive approach to yoga that celebrates students bodies and encourages them to ask How do I feel? rather than How do I look? when practicing yoga. Follow her at @mynameisjessamyn.

Jessica Rihal decided to become a yoga teacher herself after noticing a lack of diversity among yoga instructors. Now a certified 200-hour instructor, Jessica regularly teaches classes in southern California. Follow her at @jessicajadeyoga.

Kathryn Budig is an internationally celebrated yoga teacher and author known for her accessibility, humor, and ability to empower her students through her message Aim true. With over a decade of experience, Budig has served as a yoga editor, contributed recipes and sat on the Yahoo Health Advisory Board, and regularly contributes to Yoga Journal and MindBodyGreen. She was an athlete in Under Armours I WILL WHAT I WANT campaign, cohosted of the podcast Free Cookies, teaches regular online classes on Yogaglo.com, and is the founder of her animal project, Poses for Paws. She is the creator of the Aim True Yoga DVD produced by Gaiam, author of The Womens Health Big Book of Yoga and Aim True. Follow her at @kathrynbudig.

The way Lewis sees it, fitness isnt about being skinny or curvyits about being the best version of yourself. That means standing by yourself through lifes challenges just as much as it means celebrating your physical abilities. As a motivational speaker and life coach, Lita is all about building strong minds and bodies while sharing her positive messaging via social media. Lita has been featured in numerous publications and starred in the Stronger With SELF fitness challenge. Follow her at @followthelita.

Louise has been changing the narrative and idealistic standards of our fitness culture since 2007. Originally a personal trainer, Green has banked over 10,000 hours physically training women who are considered outside the cultural norm. Louise has refined a unique intelligence into how this group is motivated and responds to fitness practices and messaging. Through brand partnerships, size-inclusive fitness apps, and ground-breaking education for fitness leaders, Louise has mobilized a global movement of change. Louise is the first plus-size athlete to be featured in elite magazines such as Triathlete, Bicycling, IMPACT, and Runners World. Green is the celebrated author of Big Fit Girl, a sought-after speaker, and a columnist at SELF magazine. Follow her at @louisegreen_bigfitgirl.

Maria is a NASM-certified personal trainer, plus she holds a bachelors degree in sports and exercise science and a masters in exercise physiology. She found her passion for fitness and yoga in late 2014. She believes that any- and everybody can create their own fitness journey and that an individuals capabilities are not measured by stereotypes or social norms. She has a passion to help other people reach their goals. Follow her at @asap.yogi.

Morit Summers is an NSCA-CPT-certified trainer. She also holds RKC level 2 and Crossfit Level 1, and is a USAW Level 2 coach. She has been defying industry standards since 2007 with her all-inclusive fitness approach. Morit believes in fitness for everyone and wants all peopleregardless of their ethnicity, size, or skill levelto feel welcome in any fitness environment. This belief and determination led to her opening her own all-inclusive gym, Form Fitness, home of Morit Summers Personal Training. Follow her at @moritsummers.

Rachel is a powerlifter who competes with USA Powerlifting and holds multiple New York State powerlifting records. Follow her at @rachbarnard.

Rosimer Suarez is a special-education teacher currently living in Oklahoma City. She loves starting her mornings with high-intensity interval training or strength training because it sets her up for the day and keeps her energized. During her spare time, she like to cozy up with a good book with her cat curled up by her side.

NASM-certified Roz The Diva Mays has dedicated many late nights at the gym to becoming a stronger and healthier athlete. Pole dancing is her movement of choice, followed by TRX, strength and conditioning, and flexibility. Among her finest contributions to the pole world has been creating Dangerous Curves: A Celebration of Plus Size Pole Dancers. Her talents have been featured in the New York Times, Buzzfeed, Huffington Post, ESPN, and other publications. She loves to teach obnoxiously loud classes at Body & Pole and IncrediPole in New York City. Shes also the subject of Dangerous Curves, an award-winning documentary. Follow her at @rozthediva.

In 2016, at the age of 37, Sarah was in physical pain all the time, but even more importantly, Sarah felt like her own life was passing her by. Sarah wanted to find a way to get healthier without spinning on what she calls the Diet Culture Wheel of Shame. Unable to find what she was looking for, Sarah decided to become the person she needed to see. For the past three years she has been sharing her journey of fitness and strength training, Kundalini yoga and meditation, nutrition and food, but most importantly, what she called soul archaeology. Follow her at @sarahsapora.

Sarah Taylor is the owner of Fitness by Sarah Taylor, and is a certified personal trainer, former Miss Plus Canada, plus-size model, blogger, and motivational speaker. Having been a plus-size woman for most of her life, she knows what its like to walk into a gym, feel intimidated, and not know what to do. Sarah wanted to make a safe space for women to feel comfortable while working out, build their strength, and their confidencein and outside of the gym. She owns a boutique studio in downtown Toronto and offers online video-based programs. Follow her at @fitnessbysarahtaylor.

Selena Watkins is a renowned fitness trainer, instructor, world-touring professional dancer, founder of Socanomics and Miss Black USA 2012. She is a NASM-certified Personal Trainer, alumni SoulCycle instructor, founding instructor of the Studio Live Fitness app, founding instructor of Rise by We at WeWork, an alumni NBA dancer for the Brooklyn Nets, and spent several years as an assistant producer for the legendary radio station 98.7 KissFM. As a performing artist, Selena has performed on world tour with Nicki Minaj and has taken the stage alongside Da Baby, Alison Hinds, Rihanna, Janelle Mone, Pharrell Williams, and more. She is known to break the rules to empower others to take charge of their wellness and happiness. Follow her at @selenawatkins.

Shauna is a self-proclaimed nerd, hip-hop head, jock, and yogi. A graduate of Stanford, UCLA, and Johns Hopkins, she simultaneously pursued academics and fitness, obtaining her PhD in Public Health and teaching fitness classes across the country. Not only is Shauna the creator of Muscle + Flow, she is an adjunct associate at Johns Hopkins and served as a panelist for multiple universities and organizations covering the subject of fitness, yoga, wellness, and public health. She runs the #SWEATADAY challenge and set up a SWEATADAY scholarship to encourage people of all ages and backgrounds to get out and move. Shauna is also a member of the MindBodyGreen Collective and a contributing writer for Yoga Digest. Follow her at @shaunaharrison.

Tai is a certified personal trainer who currently offers personal training services in Houston, Texas. Her training methods include weight training, HIIT (high--intensity interval training), and endurance training. Follow her at @taimcqueen.

Related Content:

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How We Chose the 2019 SELF Fitness Award Winners - Self

The Duchess of Sussex has said that a conversation about gender equality and female empowerment "can't happen without men".

Meghan met with youth ambassadors from One Young World at Windsor Castle on Friday morning for a roundtable discussion on initiatives to improve gender equality.

She was joined by her husband, the Duke of Sussex, who arrived as a surprise to the delegates alongside Meghan in a grey electric Audi.

The participants - who represented organisations from countries including South Africa, Nigeria, Iraq, Malawi and Bangladesh - also shared their personal achievements and the best practices that had helped them overcome complex challenges and significant obstacles.

Beginning the discussion, Meghan, seated next to her husband, told the group: "I think we're all aware that One Young World has been very important to me for several years and now being vice president of QCT (Queen's Commonwealth Trust), it just felt like the perfect medley.

READ MORE: Why Harry and Meghan are right to take on the media Joyce McMillan"What you're all capable of doing independently is incredible but then when you work collectively, our intention today is to try to create somewhat of a task force to see what we can do within our communities and then use that knowledge to apply it to whatever is happening in all these other communities.

"In terms of gender equality, which is something I have championed for a long time, I think that conversation can't happen without men being a part of it.

"So for this reason it made complete sense to let him (Harry) join today. So thank you for letting him crash the party."

Emotional TV documentary

The roundtable was led by QCT chief executive Nicola Brentnall and moderated by One Young World counsellors, social media influencer Rossana Bee and Canada's first openly gay Olympic gold medallist Mark Tewksbury.

Their use of the electric vehicle comes after the couple have been accused of hypocrisy for using private jets while supporting environmental campaigns.

READ MORE: James Blunt says 'vitriolic' press coverage of Harry and Meghan is 'bullying'Harry and Meghan heard from the founder of the south African organisation Motholung Network Against Women and Child Abuse, Lebogang Bogopane, about her personal experiences of familial domestic violence.

Ms Bogopane said: "I got married very young and experienced domestic violence. My mother is a survivor and I'm also a survivor. One day I said 'I'm tired, this needs to stop'."

She told the duchess about her project Bake for Hope, which provides locally baked bread - something that she said is still a luxury in certain parts of South Africa.

The roundtable is the couple's first public engagement since an emotional television documentary in which they described the struggles of the past year.

In the programme, Harry & Meghan: An African Journey, Meghan admitted feeling vulnerable and spoke of the difficulty in coping with intense tabloid interest, saying: "It's not enough to just survive something, that's not the point of life. You have got to thrive."

Media attention

The duke also told of the pressure he felt trying to protect his family from unwanted media attention.

Harry and Meghan are president and vice president of The Queen's Commonwealth Trust respectively.

Meghan is a long-standing supporter of One Young World, which she called "the best think tank imaginable".

The One Young World Summit is a four-day global forum for young leaders, which aims to bring together 2,000 young people from more than 190 countries to accelerate social impact.

On Tuesday, Meghan attended the summit's opening ceremony at the Royal Albert Hall in London.

Read more from the original source:

Female empowerment 'can't happen without men', says Duchess of Sussex - The Scotsman

TheDuchess of Sussex has said a conversation about gender equality and female empowerment cant happen without men.

She met youth ambassadors from One Young World at Windsor Castle yesterday for a discussion on initiatives to improve gender equality.

She was joined by her husband, the Duke of Sussex, who arrived as a surprise to the delegates alongside his wife in a grey electric Audi. Their use of the electric vehicle comes after the couple were accused of hypocrisy for using private jets while supporting environmental campaigns.

The Duchess, 38, was originally meant to attend by herself, but Prince Harry, 35, appeared to show a united front.

The participants, who represented organisations from countries including South Africa, Nigeria, Iraq, Malawi and Bangladesh, also shared their personal achievements and the best practices that had helped them overcome complex challenges and significant obstacles.

Beginning the discussion, the Duchess, seated next to her husband, told the group: I think were all aware One Young World has been very important to me for several years and now being vice president of QCT (Queens Commonwealth Trust), it just felt like the perfect medley.

What youre all capable of doing independently is incredible but then when you work collectively...

Our intention today is to try to create somewhat of a task force to see what we can do within our communities and then use that knowledge to apply it to whatever is happening in all these other communities.

In terms of gender equality, which is something I have championed for a long time, I think that conversation cant happen without men being a part of it.

So for this reason it made complete sense to let him [Harry] join today. So thank you for letting him crash the party.

The discussion was led by QCT chief executive Nicola Brentnall and moderated by One Young World counsellors, social media influencer Rossana Bee and Canadas first openly gay Olympic gold medallist Mark Tewksbury.

Lebogang Bogopane, the founder of the South African organisation Motholung Network Against Women and Child Abuse, spoke about her personal experiences of familial domestic violence.

Ms Bogopane said: I got married very young and experienced domestic violence. My mother is a survivor and Im also a survivor. One day I said Im tired, this needs to stop.

She told the Duchess about her project Bake For Hope, which provides locally baked bread, something she said is still a luxury in certain parts of South Africa.

The event was the Royal couples first public engagement since an emotional television documentary broadcast last weekend in which they described the struggles of the past year.

In the programme, Harry & Meghan: An African Journey, the Duchess admitted feeling vulnerable and spoke of the difficulty in coping with intense tabloid interest, saying: Its not enough to just survive something, thats not the point of life. You have got to thrive.

The Duke also told of the pressure he felt trying to protect his family from unwanted media attention.

The couple are president and vice president of The Queens Commonwealth Trust respectively.

The Duchess is a long-standing supporter of One Young World, which she called the best think-tank imaginable. The One Young World Summit is a four-day global forum for young leaders, which aims to bring together 2,000 young people from more than 190 countries to accelerate social impact.

On Tuesday, the Duchess attended the summits opening ceremony at the Royal Albert Hall in London.

Read the rest here:

Duchess of Sussex: Equality can't happen without men being a part of it - HeraldScotland

Women today are being urged to keep pushing the boundaries and keep making our voices heard. The latest percentage of women on ASX 200 boards is29.7% as of 31 July 2019, consequently. In a male-dominated business society, women must work together to stand out as leaders.

That mean we need to empower women to see them thrive. Empowerment of women isnt just good for women but for everyone. A report by McKinsey & Co shows women on the board leads to better decision made. Women often face great challenges when building networks and embracing traditional leadership qualities, mentoring has proven even more important.

Its never too early to start planning how to achieve your goals. Whether you are to become an expert in your field, a CEO of a large organisation, or start your own business, every day you can be getting one step closer so long as you have the right skills.

Coming up in March 2020, we will be hostingThe Empowered Woman, a one-day experience to ignite your passion for business in all its forms so you have the skills to achieve your dream career. Be inspired by personal stories of success, learn from intimate tales of failure, harness your ambition to make it happen. Our headline speakers confirmed include Sarah-Jane Clarke, Justine Troy, Suzy Nicoletti and Van Le.

Regardless of their backgrounds, these women are defying stereotypes and changing the way business is played. Get in early and book your ticketsnow!

See more here:

Empower women to thrive in business - The Mandarin