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A new research study by Typing.com a company that teaches keyboarding, digital literacy, and coding explored the estimated monthly search volumes on Google and Amazon for the 50 most well-known self-help books. The aim was to determine which self-help titles were the most popular, and the results showcase a wide range of interests within the broad self-help category.

The most popular self-help books, as assessed by monthly search traffic, is a mix of some expected titles, some perennial bestsellers, and some titles that have gained notoriety within various circles (The Secret and The Four Agreements, for example, land on lists for those with an interest in spirituality; Who Moved My Cheese and 7 Habits of Highly Effective People are classics in the business world and readily accessible at airports; Jordan Peterson remains a staple among mens rights activists).

Of the ten books, only two are by women. Few are by authors of color.

Itd be easy to criticize the most searched books on these criteria alone. Instead, its also worth considering the content within these books.

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In July 2020, writer Devi Abraham shared her experiences reading two popular self-help titles. The first, Atomic Habits, is included in the above list. The second, Cal Newports Deep Work, is not on the most popular list above but is a title cited regularly as a must-read for better productivity.

Not only are men the most popular writers of self-help books, but they are their own subjects as well. Self-help is not an all-white category, and it continues to grow more diverse annually; this is positive not only because self-help books are big business and have their own New York Times Best Seller List but its positive because the white male subject is not, nor should it be, the standard way of operating.

Unfortunately, it is built into the very bones of helping itself.

Self-help books have been around for centuries, but it wasnt until the 1960s where they became a popular genre within the reading public. This was, in addition to a time where capitalism grew and afforded (white, middle class) individuals the time and money to buy, read, and write such books, when helping professions became more common and legitimized. This was also the era when the psychology professions such as counseling and social work became more accessible. The 1950s and 60s in particular brought about the development of early cognitive behavioral therapy (thanks to Albert Ellis) and the person-centered therapy of Carl Rogers.

Rogers is widely regarded as a groundbreaker in the field of therapy. His work, which centered on people as unique and capable individuals, moved helping away from Freudian psychoanalysis and the sometimes-problematic fixations of that theory (n.b., psychoanalysis has contemporary uses still!). Rogers was a humanist who saw people in an optimistic light and believed every individual had the capacity to grow, change, and develop into who it is they want to be. He believed every individual could self-actualize.

But as much as Rogers did for the helping fields, he followed in the steps of his predecessors: white men. He worked in an area of rigid gender stereotypes and though empathy, unconditional positive regard, and presence with clients were key to his theory of helping, his own thinking was still inspired by his lived experience in a patriarchal society. It was Rogerss daughter, Natalie, who challenged her father to think bigger and consider the perspective from which his helping came. Natalie expanded upon her fathers work, growing an entire field of person-centered therapy of her own with expressive arts, and her first book, Emerging Women, was one that highlighted how much of the roles women traditionally took were no longer the roles women were taking.

Her work, and the work of dozens of other women in the helping field, have had no less impact than their male forerunners and contemporaries. But as is the case today, womens voices and womens lives are curiously absent from most popular and most sought self-help books.

Self-help/self-improvement books have always had their fans and their critics and rightly so. But they came of age in a rapidly moving world grounded in capitalism, and the promise of a fix packaged into a neat, easy-to-read book made them prime for sales and big ones. These books are broadly defined, and they shift in their tone, their content, and their approach in much the same way therapy does. If one book doesnt work, maybe the next one will. Unlike therapy, though, there is no end goal for no longer needing the next self-help book; the more, the better, the closer to actualization.

With a foundation created by white men, no matter how groundbreaking their work and no matter how inclusive it may strive be, it should come as no surprise that self-help continues to be an arena for, by, and centering men. Five pages of addressing womens issues in two of the top books is, frankly, surprising in scope. Men have had and continue to have a day that requires less unpaid labor than female counterparts.*

Because men do not need to think about the hours of unpaid labor, the invisible work, the countless time spent making grocery-meal-schoolbag checklists, they do not have the lived experience of needing to use these realities for fodder. They have the privilege of writing for an uninterrupted hour and not answering their phone or email.^ They do not need to schedule their days around school pickups or drop offs, playdates or trips to the post office. They are not often tasked with finding caregivers, being primary caregiver, or doing both; this task is especially burdensome to women of color, particularly if they themselves work as caregivers, as Angela Garbes explores in Essential Labor.

Men do not think about it because they dont see it, and they dont see it because they do not have to see it. Taken as a collective, our dedication to self-help books and the popularity of those by men, once again reiterate the role self-help books play for us. Where these men say we can pull up our bootstraps and solve our problems, they miss the bigger picture. There are not individual solutions to collective problems and worse, by framing problems in the context of male-driven solutions, we grow a market for more self-help books to solve the same problems that will not be solved away through self-help books penned by men.

Over decades of reading self-help books, both for fun and for my own growth, Ive learned the true value of this category isnt in what you find tucked between the pages. Its instead precisely what isnt seen: the blank spaces and the questioning of why it is we need to improve ourselves as individuals, rather than push back against the systems that force such feelings of inadequacy and experiences of disenfranchisement upon us.

For white men, this is rarely a pursuit they need to question. They built the system. Women missing from the pages and the searches is on purpose. If theyre not seen, why then, would they need to improve or self-actualize?

We cant become the best versions of ourselves no matter what that looks like without ensuring our neighbor can do the same. That development doesnt happen over the course of reading a book. The time and energy is a privilege afforded to few, I wrote in a previous musing on self-help. Becoming ones best self only happens when we take what we see or dont see in the book and put ourselves to work in our communities, with those whose needs we can help meet through hard work, through hard listening, and when we hand over the mic to those whose voices have too often been ignored, spoken over, or silenced all together.

Men, particularly white men, still have a lot of work to do.

Perhaps this is partially why there is some worry in the self-help world that the market will begin to crumble. The bread and butter experts and consumers are baby boomers, 60 or older. There are few millennials making a name for themselves in self-development and fewer still in gen z.

Except there are experts in both of these generations. There are dozens of self-help books and self-development books that aim to bring solutions and empowerment to younger adults. These books tackle complex, nuanced topics including community and friendship (How We Show Up and Big Friendship), self-confidence and anxiety (Why Has Nobody Told Me This Before?, How To Be Yourself, Brave Not Perfect, The Body Is Not an Apology), sex (Come as You Are), and motherhood/care-taking (Like A Mother and Essential Labor).

Theyre just not by or about white men.

Theyre about dismantling the patriarchal systems, not tying tighter knots around them.

*Of course this is not universal and it is based on a gender binary. We know this. That doesnt change the cultural perception that this is what is seen and valued.

^A white man once told me how royally offended he was I use an out of office responder outlining my response times for my personal email because of how unprofessional that was. Amazing how a woman laying claim to her boundaries is an offense.

See more here:
Best Selling Self-Help Books and the Missing Women Phenomenon - Book Riot

What do most organizational cultures worldwide have in common? The answer is simple homogenous groups of male leaders dressed in suits. Eco-leadership strives to change this. As it brings diversity, collectivism, and purpose into the workplace, it revolutionizes traditional paradigms of corporate leadership.

Ideas come from all kinds of persons in all kinds of situations. Yet, due to implicit biases, companies refuse to boost organizational diversity. Their primary mission lies in maximizing profit, rather than cultivating community spirit. In other words, traditional organizations are institutional-centric theyre designed to accommodate the company, not its workforce.

Since the 19th century, leaders have been increasing productivity through control. It all started when the factory system came into existence. Fred W. Taylor pioneered the scientific management theory for factory work that streamlined workflow via surveillance. He centralized decision-making and resource management. As a result, capitalist employers decomposed tasks to individual workers, granting them no say in the operations of the business.

The efficiency craze of Taylorism lingers to this day companies weld labor into a speedy human machine. Thecontroller leadership discourse treats employees as replaceable human capital. It eliminates group cohesion, leaving marginalized groups outside the upper echelons.

This patriarchal style of leadership reenacts commonly held perceptions, prejudices, and power dynamics of the modern world. Rooted in militarism thinking, it breeds workplace dissatisfaction and alienates minority groups.

As leaders make decisions from the top down, they create hierarchical, rather than inclusive workplace cultures. The employees title determines their privilege, authority, and ability to influence organizational objectives. The organizational rank grants workers power over, rather than power with others.

Hence, its no surprise that minority groups struggle with making their voices heard. From playing nice to working extra hours, they silently navigate through power imbalances to prove themselves worthy.

As Teresa Cardador reveals to Women At Work, women who enter male-dominated fields, such as engineering or tech, put up with various prejudices and microaggressions. She claims that the pressure that society puts on women to change their behavior or figure out how to talk to people differently is a form of victim-blaming. Rather than fixing leadership, these recommendations blatantly overlook broader cultural and systemic issues.

After all, in organizational life, the workplace acts as a theater with unwritten rules of what cannot be said or done in society at large. For this reason, workplace elitism serves as a microcosm of its broader, societal counterpart.

To tackle global issues of inequality, Its right about time we embrace people-conscious, embodied eco-leadership, which builds the institutional vision upon integrity, truth, and meaningful relationships.

Eco-leadership represents a complex synergy of internal and external eco-systems. It builds supportive networks, bridges silos, and encourages inclusive organizational architectures. Eco-leadership extends to all realms of governance, including ethics, social responsibility, inclusivity, and sustainability. Ultimately, it fosters adaptive organizations that easily adjust to external shifts.

Traditional, ego-centric leaders fall victim to tunnel vision, short-termism, and a lack of meaningful collaboration. Eco-leaders, on the other hand, find the right balance between grit and flexibility. They adapt quickly to uncertainty while guiding others through creativity and intuition. Caring for people and the planet, they respond to stakeholders, competitors, and environmental trends on a regular basis.

A former zoo and aquarium senior leader, Julie C. Henry has worked across fifty-five organizations across corporate, nonprofit, government, and community fields. An animal lover at heart, she specializes in zoology, communication, and sustainable business leadership. This makes Henry a true ambassador of eco-leadership, which she channeled not only through her career but also through activism.

Fascinated by her multi-faceted background, we asked the author a few questions on the sustainability movement, self-empowerment, and life lessons. These are some highlights of our conversation about the universal wisdom of the wild:

Leadership skills are very important when shifting the world around you. Theyre not tied to a job title or career aspirations when you think of making a change, revert to your inner leader and connect with who youre speaking to on a deeper level.

Keeping animals on top of my mind allowed me to realize the scope of my work. Whether its a small non-profit or a big corporation, humans organize themselves just like animals they fit into niches and use their resiliency muscle to make a change. For instance, cheetahs slow down no matter how old they are, how fast they run, or how successful they are, they always take a break. And so should humans.

Resiliency is a biological fact an unbreakable law of nature that ensures survival. Pelicans will fly over and look for fish only to sit on the water, getting their energy up for the next hunt. Cheetahs run and whether they catch the prey or not, they take a break.

And how do leaders nowadays define resiliency? They either over-glorify busyness or use toxic positivity, forgetting that resiliency is always followed by rest. Youre going to slow down eventually so, are you going to be proactive about it or let nature do it for you?

As people, we are tied and affected by our surroundings more than wed like to admit. So, if youre constantly surrounded by technology, bad food, or toxic people, you are simply not positioning yourself for success.

You walk into the room and people say, should you even be here? Go away! But regardless of others opinions, naked mole rats show up as naked mole rats. Theyre amazing creatures that are immune to cancer and live in colonies like bees. So, forget that youre a human for a minute and embrace your inner naked mole rat!

Why dont you pretend like youre a sea cucumber? When its threatened, it actually throws up its own guts, and the predator either swims away or eats it. And the best part of it all? when the threat is gone, the sea cucumber simply regrows its own guts.

Animals dont try to make something out of chaos. They simply evolve through it.

Things are always different when you walk outside have you ever seen a sunset that looks the same? have you been to the ocean that doesnt evolve tide after tide? In the midst of change, animals are not fighting it they are rolling with the punches and working together within their own niches. Most importantly, theyre not derailed by change, but theyre not running away from it either.

We, humans, are afraid of uncertainty. This is exactly where nature comes into play. As an ever-changing part of the universe, it reminds us of our unrealistic expectations.

Once the mother sea turtle comes up on the shore and lays her nest, she goes back into the water, never seeing her offspring again. Subsequently, up to a hundred of her eggs hatch up on their own. Once the babies leave their nest, theyre 100% reliant on instinct and the magnetic pull of the earth. They fearlessly go through the water and follow the tides, dodging various predators like raccoons, crabs, and fish on the way.

When we, as humans, are stressed and overworked, leaning into the purpose the reasons why youre doing what youre doing or why youre here on earth helps tremendously. Rely on your inner compass just like the sea turtle does.

Non-inclusive organizational settings pose challenges to information-seeking, agency, and self-empowerment. Luckily, its possible to reclaim your inner eco-leader. Through interdependence, you can find mentors, build your resilience muscle, and gain clarity about whats expected of you. Like Henry mentions, you need to lead yourself before you lead others:

There are the sorts of moments that make us who we are, the moments when we choose to lead ourselves first before we earn the right to lead others the moments when we dig in and change the trajectory of our path, when we choose bravery over blanket acceptance of what is, and wonder instead about what could be.

Julie C. Henry, Wisdom From The Wild, Preface

With the imminent climate crisis, activists find it challenging to find collective solutions to modern-day problems. Its helpful to keep in mind that innovation necessitates entrepreneurial thinking. In the times of struggle, eco-leaders must consult nature around them to garner new insights. Like animals, they must replenish their energy, generating new ideas for survival.

Hence, with a myriad of animal hierarchies, nature acts as a guiding light for those in search of leadership advice. It equips all beings both human and non-human with actionable tools for peaceful cooperation. Simply honing our primal instincts, we can muster the power to transform organizational structures, creating a sustainable future for the planet.

Nature is always teaching us, if we have the presence of mind to listen

Julie C. Henry, Wisdom From The Wild, Preface

Editors Note:The opinions expressed here by Impakter.com columnists are their own, not those of Impakter.com.In theFeatured Photo: Vandana Shiva. Featured Photo Credit: Pexels,About 4 Julie C. Henry (juliechenry.com)

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"The Wisdom of The Wild": A Guide To Eco-Leadership - Impakter

One of the most-acclaimed, if not the most acclaimed RuPaul's Drag Race spinoff, Drag Race Espaa, has been officially renewed for season 3 on the heels of the season 2 finale.

The sophomore season's finale episode crowned Sharonne as Spain's next drag superstar.

In a recent chat with Shadow and Act discussing her win and what's next, Sharonne says the win represents "a great personal pride not only for the work Ive done in the show, but also for all the years Ive dedicated in my life to Drag."

Throughout the season, Sharonne had three wins, including one during the Snatch Game episode, which she calls her highlight of the season. "I made someone I adore and who has always been close to the hearts of the Spanish people," she said of the performance. Vernica Forqu was great and I wanted to remember her with affection and a touch of humor, as she never lost it."

On the other hand, the rusical was the biggest challenge she said she had to overcome. "Recording times are limited, and in a very short time, we had to learn the texts, record [the] songs [and know] the stage space and where we had to move," she explained. "That was done in one afternoon and it was recorded the following morning. Quite a feat!"

As for what's next, there is a new series coming to Drag Race Espaa's local network, ATRESplayer Premium that she will star in. It is likened to a Spanish version of HBO's We're Here, and she'll be featured along with Drag Race Espaa host Supremme de Luxe, Drag Race Espaa season 1 queen Pupi Poisson and season 2 queen Estrella Extravaganza.

"At the moment, we are about to premiere Reinas Al Rescate, a new format of ATRESplayer Premium where we will meet the LGTBI+ collective in rural environments," Sharonne said. "Its a beautiful program where we will laugh and get excited in equal parts. And June 22 starts the tour of El Gran Hotel de las Reinas that will take my colleagues and me to travel all over Spain until the end of the year. Whatever else comes my way, it will be good."

And she also would love to come to the United States and there is one American entertainment personality she'd love to meet and perform with.

"Ive never been [to America] and I would love to. In my shows before I went on Drag Race, I always sang live and to be able to sing there would be a dream, plus to meet and exchange a few notes with Jennifer Hudson. That would be heaven. I'm just asking for it."

You can stream Drag Race Espaa season 2 in its entirety on WOW Presents Plus. Season 3 is expected to bow sometime next year.

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'Drag Race Espaa' Season 2 Winner Sharonne On Her U.S. Dreams Of Performing With Jennifer Hudson - Shadow and Act - Shadow and Act

A council grouping NGOs that work in the refugee sector has urged the government to reopen an honest dialogue on the laws, policies and practices to manage migration and asylum, while describing Malta as offering an extremely hostile environment to refugees.

"The government refuses to explain why they are abandoned out at sea, either not rescued or not allowed to safely disembark. Hundreds are detained in squalid conditions and on dubious legal grounds in what international human rights bodies described as 'institutional mass neglect'. New detention rules dramatically limit their possibility of (such people) receiving needed information and support," the Malta Refugee Council said.

In a statement to mark World Refugee Day, the council said measures adopted by the government to speed up an under-resourced asylum procedure limit the opportunity for persons to fully explain why they are in need of protection.

Furthermore, the care provided to the most vulnerable is, at most, basic.

The council said dialogue between the Government and civil society, including refugee-led groups, has been effectively closed.

"Never before has refugee protection been so challenging," it said.

The council appealed to Malta to be a place of shelter for those men, women and children forced to flee their homes, whether it is the war in Ukraine, discriminatory laws in Nigeria or ethnic conflict in South Sudan, among others.

"All refugees share the same need for safety, protection and dignity. Safety, for refugees as for all of us, requires us to ensure no lives are lost or harmed in fleeing and seeking protection. It means ensuring we rescue people in distress at sea and bring them to land as soon as possible. Importantly, it requires us to stop pushing refugees back to countries where we know they will surely face the most horrific violations," it said.

"Protection, for refugees as for all of us, means living conditions that do not expose people to violence, threats, abuse, insults or any form or dehumanising treatment. It means ensuring that everyone is offered the full opportunity to explain their personal story, with the necessary support. Essentially, it means that refugees are all equally able to receive documents confirming their status and to approach procedures, systems and entities that provide support and services."

"To treat refugees with dignity is to appreciate their individual human experiences and provide them with the space and opportunity to regain control over their own lives. It means rethinking our relationship with refugees from one that manages migration and asylum to one that supports individual empowerment and growth," it added.

It urged the government to reopen an honest dialogue on the laws, policies and practices to manage migration and asylum so as to ensure real safety, protection and dignity, while promoting effective integration, for all refugees.

Independent journalism costs money. Support Times of Malta for the price of a coffee.

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Government urged to reopen dialogue on migration laws and practices - Times of Malta

Students, staff, alumni and community members gathered on April 21 to celebrate those winning nonprofits and the work of the Damus Board. The event marked the culmination of a yearlong program. Since last fall, the students on the board have been collaborating to create a grant application, determine criteria to evaluate organizations, visit and interview the finalists, and select the final awardees.

It has allowed me to better understand the complexity of perspectives and backgrounds that people bring into big decisions, said one student Damus Board member. It allowed me to become a better listener, a more thoughtful leader and a more considerate facilitator.

We were inspired and energized working with the students of the Damus Board, who approached this process with thoughtful questions, curiosity, and a clear vision of how they wanted to make a difference in our communities, said Rae Wood of The Family Partnership. We were blown away by their professionalism, organization and passion, and we felt so invigorated to be able to share our work with such compassionate and insightful students.

Elizer Darris, board chair of The Legal Revolution, accepted the award on behalf of his organization. Receiving the Damus Award will allow us to continue supporting our clients and serves as social proof that the time for change is now and the energy to change is here.

The students on the board channeled their energy into learning about racial injustice in our communities. They invited Dr. Yohuru Williams to talk with them about the history of racism in the Twin Cities, and learned from a panel of professional grant-makers about important considerations when funding organizations working on racial equity issues. Ive become much more passionate about racial equity, commented one board member, and despite knowing theres still so much to do, it gives me hope that there are regular people out there in our community collectively working toward this goal and that anyone can pitch in and make a difference.

The Damus Board was born in 2009 when Jackie Gibney sold the university on her idea to give students an opportunity to practice philanthropy, and learn about themselves and their passions through the process. Gibney has been funding the program every year since that time. This year, the board received additional contributions from a second donor, who was inspired to give after hearing about the boards work, and from the family of a Damus Board alumnus, Nicholas Hughes, because of the positive impactful experience he had serving on the board.

Indeed, alumni frequently call out the Damus Board experience as the best experience they had at St. Thomas. The Damus Board is truly such a rare opportunity and a beautiful gift to anyone lucky enough to be a part of it, said a current Damus Board member. I am beyond grateful to have made lifelong friendships with fellow board members and to share in the gift of giving to nonprofits doing profound work in our communities.

The four Damus Award winners for 2022 are:

The 2021-22 Damus Board members are:

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Gaining Philanthropy Experience Through the Damus Board - Newsroom | University of St. Thomas - University of St. Thomas Newsroom

By Laura Leonard Doctor of ChiropracticLos Alamos

Getting sick isnt exactly all in your head but your thoughts about things do play a critical part in how well your bodys physiology handles stress. Psychoneuroimmunology is a field of study that investigates the interactions between thoughts and physiology.

Since the 1960s, research into this field has shown that our thinking patterns directly affect immune, nervous and hormonal systems. Thoughts about life stressors have such a large impact on health that we cant afford to ignore this interaction as we go through life.

Research on patients with various types of cancer tells us that patients with depression and/or a history of multiple stressful life events have lower survival rates. In fact, these risk factors have more impact on survival than a history of alcohol and tobacco use. Perceived social isolation and loneliness are also predictors of cancer survival.

Chronic daily stress also leads to disease especially when we feel like we have no control over our circumstances. Emotions like anger are well known to increase the likelihood of having a heart attack. Mind-body-health interactions are the reason why I teach my patients to take control of their thoughts and personal actions rather than worrying about other people and events they have no influence over.

At the end of the day that is where health starts, with personal empowerment and choosing not to be a victim to the things going on around us. Where the tough work begins is being willing to look at your subconscious thoughts. Negative thinking patterns that are acquired in childhood and filed away until something triggers us.

Our brains are wired to keep these traumas filed away until something in the environment brings it up. PTSD, anxiety and depression are manifestations of these triggers. When our brain gets triggered in the now, our physiology has no idea if this is an imminent threat or if its overreacting. Dealing with our active thoughts in an empowering way is only part of the puzzle. Many of our beliefs about ourselves and the world are subconscious and stored away until something triggers those thoughts to come out. Sadly, most of what we store in the subconscious is negative because that is what allowed our ancestors to survive. In the modern world, these stored thoughts are responsible for making us sick.

Awareness of mind-body-health is becoming mainstream thinking and there are many online resources to get you started. Apps like Headspace, UCLA Mindful, iBreathe and Mindset: Daily Motivation all provide simple ways to start shifting your mind and physiology on the daily. If you are ready to dig into your subconscious, my personal preference is paying attention to emotional triggers and journaling about them when they arise. Triggers always have a deeper origin and I believe those roots exist in childhood and past traumas.

If you like apps, ThinkUp is a useful tool to get positive affirmations for healing old patterns once you start peeling back the onion.

Dr. Leonards practice focuses on posture and performance using a combination of soft tissue release, adjustments and exercise recommendations. She also coaches patients on nutrition, self-care and body awareness so they can manage themselves in between visits. Los Alamos Chiropractic Center is located in the Mary Deal building on Trinity.

See more here:
Leonard: Is It All In Your Head? Stress, Disease And The Mind-Body Connection - Los Alamos Daily Post

Pontiac is a place where opportunities abound for nonprofits to collaborate, says LaToya Morgan, consultant to the Pontiac Funders Collaborative (PFC). Having identified city-wide goals by engaging with community members from its founding in 2018 through 2020, the PFC provides funding for organizations and local leaders to build capacity to achieve those goals. It supports organizations of any size that are led by or serve people from underrepresented groups, low-income backgrounds, and those lacking access to basic resources.

To strengthen nonprofit partnerships that meet the communitys needs, in 2021, the PFC created a Collaborative Development Grant its only competitive grant to fund collaborative projects. E-Community Outreach Services andCenter for Success(CFS), two Pontiac nonprofits focused on serving youth and families, were selected in to receive $15,000 to fund their year-long Parent and Literacy program. The most recent eight-week cohort closed with a celebratory family night at Center for Success that included awarding parent certificates as well as reading and literacy games. Both nonprofits are eager to continue working together in the future.

It's a learning opportunity for organizations when they collaborate an opportunity to not only learn from one another, but to also learn about the work [the other is] doing and the work that needs to be done, Morgan says. It gives them an opportunity to test new experiences or new ideas...and provides the necessary support to learn to do the necessary work in community.

E-Community Outreach Services offers parents the experiential wisdom of its founder and CEO, Eisha Branner. As a woman of color, Branner has confronted personal, financial, and inherent social equity constraints while parenting through difficult socioeconomic conditions. Her nonprofit offers youth programming and mentoring, and uses a case management approach to connect parents in Pontiac with community resources such as workforce training, employment opportunities, emergency food, and housing.

When COVID-19 hit, the organization shifted its programming to a virtual format and met with great success. Since 2020, its weekly, virtual Parents Social Hour has been pulling in 35 to 40 families each session. In 2021, Branner opened the Parent Empowerment Center to increase support to those raising families, offering a variety of educational workshops on site, and through community partners like Center for Success.

Parents celebrate the culmination of the Parent and Literacy program at Center for Success. From left to right: Romona Greenlee and Brooke Myers pose with Eisha Branner and parent program coordinator, Kendra Pitts

"Because we were two different organizations, Andrea [Meyer, from CFS] was focusing on youth literacy and I was focused on engaging parents and connecting them with resources, says Branner. We got to know each other and see where our challenges were. I remember her saying, We interact with kids, but we don't interact with their parents. And I'm like, We have a lot of families, but we don't have space or funding. So, the first thing she did was offer a space.

Serving both Pontiac and Detroit, CFSs literacy program focuses on mentoring elementary and middle school students in after-school sessions that include transportation from partner schools, a nourishing meal, enrichment activities, and one-on-one individualized literacy coaching. The Center also provides virtual and summer literacy programming. In addition to the capacity-building collaboration with E-Community Outreach Services, CFS partners with a dozen other community nonprofits to provide youth with robust programming.

Eisha and her team are incredibly dedicated, says Meyer, executive director of CFS. We worked hard in this program to not only ensure that our families were getting the support they needed, but also that we were thinking very carefully about how our two organizations can enhance their own mission and support each other through this partnership.

Meyer and Branner created a plan for their parent engagement program through ongoing, informal weekly conversations, before funding was even available. The program, led by Branner, included topics such as balancing life and kids, literary resources, how to advocate for your child, positive behavior and goal setting. Parents of children in CFS's literacy programs are able to participate, and at the same time, those who get involved through E-Community Outreach are encouraged to sign their kids up at Center for Success.Andrea Meyer and Eisha BrannerThese two ladies had already been working on their collaboration before they sought funding. This is what added value to their efforts, Morgan says. It's also probably why they are having some good success. When the grant came out, they said, Oh, here's an opportunity for funding,' [and] were happy it could add value to their work at a point where it was helpful.

Some organizations come together for the funding," she says. "Those collaborations struggle because you don't know the who, the what, the why, or the how if you come together strictly to split a larger pot of money.

The Center for Success Networkserves students in Detroit and Pontiac, where schools report a high percentage of students unable to read at grade level literacy is known to be the foundation of success in other subject areas. By collaborating to create the Parent and Literacy program, CFS extends its mentorship programs into the home, giving families more opportunities to hone their reading skills.

If what we're doing with the youth is reinforced and supported at home, it's always going to provide increased impact, says Meyer. Parents know there's a need, and want their kids to be supported in their literacy goals, but don't always know how they can play a role. When they start to learn some of the strategies, and network with the other parents and families who are involved, it gives them a greater awareness of ways to create this culture of learning and literacy in the home environment.Parent and child read together at Parent and Literacy celebration

The Parent and Literacy cohorts began last fall, and met at CFS on Monday evenings over eight consecutive weeks. On Saturdays, parents could opt to take part in workshops led by community experts on housing stability, financial literacy, mental health and education. A brief fitness activity helped keep participants engaged.

"Overall parents felt like they were gaining the knowledge to assist their kids," says Branner.

"In our community, we have a lot of great programs. We have a lot of great resources. But we also have a disconnect, especially in the last few years with COVID-19," she says. "There was nowhere near enough support for our families. A lot of their kids have fallen back in school. If you look in our schools, you see a lot of low scores and very little parent involvement."

Yet, over the past school year, the average attendance for students in CFS's literacy programs with caregivers enrolled in E-Community Outreach programs was 12% higher than for students whose families were not involved in both programs, she says.We're going to be that group that goes to get those families, that engages with them and connects them with the services and support they need," she says.

While working toward this goal, Branner and Meyer are also a part of a larger nonprofit cohort, consisting of all the organizations receiving PFC capacity building grants. The dozen grantees meet together each month, and encompass a wide range of community services, everything from health care and family counseling to after-school music programs. Cohort members offer each other lived experience and broader community connections.

People are able to build relationships across different communities that they may not be connected with, and they can build on those relationships outside of the group, Morgan says. Folks really enjoy learning about what one another are doing, and having the opportunity to connect in different ways, or provide opportunities to serve different constituencies.

Meyer says she hopes that by continuing to engage parents and children together in literacy activities, more parents will turn to E-Community Outreach for access to community resources and in turn, even more children will become involved, and more consistent, in CFS literacy activities.It's powerful for students and parents to be learning together, she says, as it instills a "lifelong learning mentality. I'm just really excited about how we'll continue to work together.

This entry is part of ourNonprofit Journal Project, an initiative inviting nonprofit leaders across Metro Detroit to contribute their thoughts via journal entries on how COVID-19, a heightened awareness of racial injustice and inequality, issues of climate change and more are affecting their work--and how they are responding. This series is made possible with the generous support of our partners, the Michigan Nonprofit Association and Co.act Detroit.

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Pontiac nonprofits find strength through collaboration to boost youth literacy and empower parents - Second Wave Media

When founder and CEO Stacey Boyd set out to create her company, Olivela, she wanted to establish a luxury shopping platform with a philanthropic mission baked into the core business model. The 5-year-old company donates 20% of net proceeds from every purchase to the consumers charity of choice from Olivelas list of partners, at no cost to the consumer or brand partners.

There are three pillars we work in, Boyd said on the latest episode of the Glossy Podcast. Olivela focuses on womens empowerment, climate action and health and wellness. The name is Olive for olive trees, a symbol of growth and wisdom, and vela, which is Latin for the sails of the ship, with the idea that we help set people forward on the best path in life.

Purpose matters to [our customers], said Boyd. As we think about developing and creating the Olivela website, no one is going to buy something simply because it does good. Our customer is going to buy a bag because she loves the bag. Shes going to choose to buy it from Olivela versus somewhere else because of the good that it does and because she has a choice as a consumer.

Below are additional highlights from the conversation, which have been lightly edited for clarity.

Olivelas approach to curation

We have a more curated selection [than other luxury retail platforms]. Weve honed and refined the number of brands on our site. We sell ready-to-wear, shoes, handbags, [jewelry, accessories, home] and beauty. Beauty has been a big part of what our consumer has looked for, particularly over the course of the past few years. We have some pretty wonderful brands in [our beauty vertical], including Dr. Barbara Sturm, Vintners Daughter and Augustinus Bader. Our focus is on finding the brands we know our consumers will really love. We focus on these brands and tell their stories.

The power of pop-ups

We find, especially in a location like Nantucket, [pop-ups] are a wonderful way to acquire a VIP customer, those that we do a lot of personal shopping for in the luxury space. Pop-ups have been a wonderful way for us to get the word out on the brand and what it is we do. We have a great Instagram wall. Early on in our pop-up [journey], Jennifer Lawrence walked in and bought a classically Nantucket straw bag. There, on the wall, was: Thank you, Jennifer. You just sent a girl to school for 22 days. Everybody who buys something in our store has [access to] this Instagrammable wall, so its a great way for us to acquire new customers.

The future of luxury

I was talking with the chairman of LVMH, and we were talking about how the world is really stuck in 1832, Paris. Then, it was the cholera outbreak. All of the haves left Paris, while all of the have nots stayed. This wasnt something that lasted a number of months, it lasted years. The chairman thought the merging of the haves and the have nots is whats unique about Olivelas business model. Finding a way for those two [ideals] to live together and support one another is a really important part of luxury going forward. While [Olivela] might have been a little bit ahead of our time, youre seeing luxury brands thinking more about that and that being the beginning of how people are shifting and moving. Its very challenging times, and [the chairman] is right about this place the world is in. Its a scary place, in a lot of ways. There needs to be, especially given the income inequality at the heart of a lot of the unrest, this knitting together. There are a lot of different ways we can do it. Olivela is a very small example of one way businesses could think about that.

Read more from the original source:
Olivela's Stacey Boyd: 'No one is going to buy something simply because it does good' - Glossy

Representative photo: Trust Katsande/Unsplash

A lot has changed since Kamala Sohonie, the first Indian woman to do her PhD in science at a British university, was kept from joining the Indian Institute of Science because of her gender. From institutes posting about womens empowerment to friends reminiscing about their role models, the chants of resilient women in science echo everywhere as womens history month whooshed by in March.

But they remain echoes.

Around 40% of those in undergraduate, postgraduate and PhD programmes are women. However, many of them dont go on to become members of institute faculties. Science institutions remain hierarchical and patriarchal for the most part, discouraging women from enrolling or staying there.

A recent study explored the support systems that women scientists need to balance their professional and personal lives. Anitha Kurup, head of the Education for the Gifted and Talented Program, and Anjali Raj, consultant in the women in STEM project, both at the National Institute of Advanced Studies (NIAS), Bengaluru, interviewed 130 women scientists to understand changes in the responsibilities of women in STEM 1 in India.

Also read: The Implicit and Explicit Biases That Follow Women From School to the Lab

Lack of support

While Indias womens work-force participation has been decreasing overall, there are also more women in science today than there were before. But within the scientific workforce, women are still often expected to fulfill gendered societal expectations, especially of being caregivers. This puts paid to a healthy balance.

The general belief is that things are changing especially for women in metropolitan cities. Thats not true, Kurup told The Wire Science. I know several women who struggle to negotiate a proper work-life balance. We showcased the reality of women researchers in the study.

We want women scientists to have fulfilling careers and happy personal lives, Raj said of the studys purpose, with academic institutions supporting them to achieve that.

For their study, Kurup and Raj interviewed 130 women scientists of various institutes, fields and ages from 2016 to 2018, including about their strategies to maintain work-life balance on three fronts: supporting partners, childcare support and support for/of extended families.

The authors presented their findings as personal narratives instead of as data. Numbers cannot capture what we observe. The dynamic responses from the women from different caste, class, religious and rural/urban backgrounds cannot be fit into neat boxes, the authors wrote.

They found that women scientists are slowly shifting the nature of gender relations both at home and at institutional space through personal negotiations. Some assumed the superwomen role and others actively challenged gender norms but yet others made personal compromises to achieve their professional goals.

A 2010 report Kurup coauthored, entitled Trained Scientific Women Power: How Much Are We Losing and Why?, is considered to be a pioneering effort that influenced policies for women in STEM as well as the creation of the All-India Survey of Higher Education (AISHE) database.

It noted then that an important reason for women to drop out of science was the absence of familial support. This appears to be continuing to be the case.

The problem exists because the onus of striking a work-life balance is dumped solely on women, Reeteka Sud, a research coordinator at the National Institute of Mental Health and Neuroscience, Bengaluru, said. If the solution is also dumped on women, we are not going to get very far.

This should be the responsibility of science institutions, which, many women scientists have said, need to provide housing on campus, transportation, flexible timings and childcare and eldercare facilities for both men and women in science. Only then can women be free of their prescribed gender roles.

But the situation in most of these institutes is far from this ideal. For example, the Maternity Benefit Act 2017 mandates every establishment with 50 or more employees to have a crche. But most science institutes dont have this facility.

Without supportive facilities, women scientists especially in institutes and universities in small towns find professional growth harder because they also need to contend with academic check posts that have been designed keeping the more agile work-style of their male counterparts in mind: fixed working hours, research trips and quick workaround on weekends, etc.

For this reason, just having a female director is not going to change that, Vinita Gowda, an associate professor at the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Bhopal, said. We need to have women across the hierarchy in science. The lack of diversity in administration contributes to the male [perspective on] measuring womens work.

Also read: To Be a Woman in Science

Marital status

All this said, Kurup and Rajs study was undermined by one oddity. It acknowledged that a work-life balance is not limited to married women but extends to include married men, unmarried men and unmarried women. But of the 130 women scientists interviewed, only 16 were unmarried.

As things stand, the high workload in labs pushes researchers to focus on science first often to the detriment of their personal commitments. Sud said that married women are particularly vulnerable to this and that this could have skewed the results. But you face challenges as a woman in science, regardless of marital status, she added.

Aashima Dogra, cofounder of The Life of Science, echoed her: By limiting the concept of work-life balance to only married women, the study reinforces gender norms. It would have been more interesting to broaden the scope to men and unmarried women as well.

The authors acknowledged the need to include unmarried women and men in the study. But due to time and funding constraints, they couldnt do so, they said.

Kurup also reasoned that: Most women in the STEM disciplines have a family and are/were married. The numbers in the study reflect the proportion of women in these disciplines in India.

Nonetheless, Gowda also wished that the category of single parent with child was included. Our challenges are different from married women with family support.

A second criticism is that the study did not address the causes of differences between the work-life balances of men and women. But the authors attributed these forces in their paper to the most fundamental one of them all that Indias science institutes have been run by men, that they were designed for men who had a wife that stayed at home, and that they admitted women only very recently into their ranks.

The other causes, according to them, are superficial manifestations of this history.

C.M. Manasvi is a freelance science communicator. She has written for The Print and The Life of Science. She is currently an MSc plant systematics student at the University of Trans-Disciplinary Health Sciences and Technology (TDU).

Originally posted here:
Lack of Family, Institutional Support Continues to Beleaguer Women in Science The Wire Science - The Wire Science

TORONTO, May 17, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The rate of digital fraud originating from Canada decreased in Q1 2022, with suspected online fraud attempts declining -40.6% from the same quarter last year, in line with the global decrease of -22.6%. TransUnions (NYSE:TRU) quarterly digital fraud analysis observed that while the overall rate of suspected fraud declined in Canada, there were significant shifts year-over-year (YoY) in suspected digital fraud rates within certain industries. Sectors such as financial services, telecommunications, communities (i.e. online dating), and gambling all saw a YoY decrease in the attempted digital fraud rate from Canada. Conversely, fraudsters in Canada significantly increased their scams in sectors such as insurance, gaming, and travel and leisure.

What we are observing in Canada, and on a global stage, is that these sophisticated fraudsters are shifting their focus to target new industries as prior industry targets have ramped up fraud prevention measures. In other words, fraudsters are constantly seeking out new opportunities based on vulnerabilities, said Patrick Boudreau, head of identity management and fraud solutions at TransUnion Canada. Whats critical is that companies dont become complacent with fraud prevention measures as fraudsters become ever more sophisticated. At the same time, companies should leverage this temporary shift in fraudulent activity to focus on optimizing customer experience without compromising security.

Rate of Digital Fraud Attempts Decrease in Canada, but Some Industries See Growth

The financial services industry saw the largest YoY decrease in the suspected fraud attempt rate for digital transactions coming from Canada at -88.2%. When digital fraud in financial services did occur, TransUnion found the most dominant type in that industry was first party application fraud. Thats when an individual completes a fraudulent application(s) that contains intentionally inaccurate or manipulated information with the intention of receiving a lower rate or better terms for a policy or contract.

Certain business sectors, however, were more prone to digital fraud attempts, with fraudsters having cycled through certain industries during the pandemic and now rotating to other vulnerable industries. The insurance industry exhibited the greatest YoY growth in the rate of suspected digital fraud coming from Canada in Q1 2022 by 150.8%, potentially because of the large transactions involved in insurance. Travel and leisure showed the second highest YoY increase by 59.9%. As the Canadian economy normalized from the height of the pandemic, this sector has opened up with Canadians resumed travelling again. The gaming industry experienced the third highest YoY increase at 20.2%. This was followed by the logistics industry, which increased 13.2% YoY, mostly impacted by shipping fraud which is when a buyer spoofs a shipping address or when a seller receives payment for goods or services, but never ships to the buyer.

Year-over-year Growth Rates of Digital Fraud Attempts (Q1 2021 to Q1 2022)

While there has been an overall decrease in suspected digital fraud attempts on businesses, the overall rate of fraud attempts reported by Canadian consumers has not shifted significantly, according to the recent TransUnion Consumer Pulse Study. The survey of 1,069 Canadian adults conducted from Feb. 14-17, 2022, determined that 32% of Canadians had been targeted by digital fraud in the last three months compared to 33% the previous quarter. Among those surveyed, 26% say they had been targeted by a fraud scheme but did not become a victim of it while 6% did fall victim.

Of those Canadians who say they had been targeted, the types of schemes they reported included:

As digital fraud rates stabilize in Canada during a period when fraudsters are searching for new vulnerabilities, its important that organizations shift their focus to identifying more of the good customers and transactions to drive revenue and customer lifetime value. By reducing false positives, false declines and manual review rates, organizations can improve their customer experience through trusted connections while still keeping the fraudsters at bay, said Boudreau.

For worldwide and regional breakdowns around how much the suspected digital fraud attempt rate recently changed, what types of fraud are most prevalent in certain industries and more, download this infographic.

TransUnion came to its conclusions about fraud against businesses based on intelligence from billions of transactions and more than 40,000 websites and apps contained in its flagship identity proofing, risk-based authentication and fraud analytics solution suite TransUnion TruValidate. The percent or rate of suspected digital fraud attempts are those that TruValidate customers either denied or reviewed due to fraudulent indicators compared to all transactions that were assessed for fraud.

About TransUnion (NYSE: TRU)TransUnion is a global information and insights company that makes trust possible in the modern economy. We do this by providing an actionable picture of each person so they can be reliably represented in the marketplace. As a result, businesses and consumers can transact with confidence and achieve great things. We call this Information for Good. TransUnion provides solutions that help create economic opportunity, great experiences and personal empowerment for hundreds of millions of people in more than 30 countries. Our customers in Canada comprise some of the nations largest banks and card issuers, and TransUnion is a major credit reporting, fraud, and analytics solutions provider across the finance, retail, telecommunications, utilities, government and insurance sectors.

Continued here:
Rate of Suspected Digital Fraud Attempts Coming from Canada Decreased 41% as Fraudsters Recognize More Businesses are Implementing Fraud Prevention...