K. Dixon Zorovich

MondayJul27,2020at12:01AM

Visitors to the Penn Yan Community Garden (PYCG) this spring will notice a new feature designed to make the garden more welcoming and accessible. The spacious new sun shelter, built by Lester Hoover and funded by a grant from the J.M. McDonald Foundation, provides shade and seating for visitors and PYCG members. At 10x10the wood structure serves as an open-air retreat for garden gazing and a place to take a break protected from the sun. It will also help the Yates County Master Gardeners to host programs and activities. As the garden receives full sun throughout the day in the hot summer months, the sun shelter will serve as an outdoor classroom for gardening or food preparation demonstrations, guest speakers, and group discussions.

Located at the end of Pleasant Avenue a short distance from downtown Penn Yan, the Penn Yan Community Garden mission is to improve access to garden space and nutritious, affordable, local food, to provide gardening and environmental education for kids and adults, and to promote cooperation, self-sufficiency, and personal empowerment in a greener and more beautiful community.

Its not too late to become a member of the PYCG! An annual Garden Membership is pay-as-you-can sliding scale from $0$25, and your membership entitles you to one 4-foot by 10-foot raised garden plot, compost, water supply, access to the tool shed and garden tools, fencing, a share of compost (when available), and use of a dedicated member parking lot. Many vegetable varieties can be planted in July and August for fall harvest. Members and visitors can also pick up helpful hints about what to grow next year by viewing the Vegetable Varieties for Gardeners demonstration beds. Labeled with informational signs, these beds are tended by the Yates County Master Gardeners as part of our support of Cornell Cooperative Extension.

In a time of concerns about public health, the need for physical distancing, and the cancellation of many summertime community events and activities, the Penn Yan Community Garden is an ideal place to enjoy the outdoors and get your hands dirty growing your own fresh and tasty produce. Gardeners of all skill levels are welcome, and your participation will help support and build this community asset. Stop by for a visit, enjoy a bit of shade, and plan your new garden!

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Made in the shade at Penn Yan Community Garden - Hornell Evening Tribune

Porsche hails from the beautiful Hawaiian islands where she was born and raised. She has a Masters of Public Health degree with an emphasis in Health Education and a Bachelors of Science degree in Commercial Health Promotion. She has over 27 years in the Health, Fitness, and Wellness field teaching self empowerment classes and practices. She served as a Fitness Director, Trainer, and Fitness Instructor for creative health programming. She also served as a Promotional Director, Social Media Coordinator, and Community service outreach Volunteer Coordinator.

Porsche has served her local community as Ms. Asian Universal Hawaii. She also had the great honor of serving as Ms. Eco China last year 2019, and enjoyed sharing her personal platform of Love, Peace, Harmony movement with the world.She is also grateful to be a Greatest Divine Love Teacher, Certified Tao Academy Tao Hands Practitioner, Tao Hands Ambassador, Tao Science Ambassador and Love Peace Harmony Ambassador to the world especially now when our world is going through tremendous transformation to usher in the True Golden Age.

She is so honored to have finished her first book Break Through Blockages, her personal self empowerment journey and experience with over 25 years of teaching students globally. Now Porsche is currently working on her third book in the Love Empowerment series and well as teaching many self empowerment wisdom from her books to students worldwide. Truly her very Magical dream come true. Find Porsche's first book here:https://bit.ly/lovempower

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Break Through Blockages: from Fear to Flow (Love Empowerment) w Porsche Ing - BlogTalkRadio

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

| Published: Friday, July 31, 2020, 11:09 [IST]

It's been a year since the Narendra Modi government ensured gender justice for Muslim women by abolishing triple talaq, making it a criminal offence. Numerous women have benefitted from the move since then. Gender justice is a fight that unites women across the world transcending religious, ethnic, political and social divides. It is a demand to correct the wrongs committed over centuries.

Describing western thought on women, which believed Eve came out of Adam's rib, feminist thinker and writer Simone de Beauvoir asserts in The Second Sex, "One is not born, but rather becomes, a woman... Therefore, the patriarchal culture surrounding Eve in Paradise Lost, in fact, forces her into submission to the point where she internalises it, making her 'become a woman." In Indian thought, both men and women have individual souls. The right to equality and equity has been taken ahead in India from here and it is for this reason that reforms in personal laws have happened from time to time.

In 1955, the Hindu Marriage Act laid out the conditions for a valid Hindu marriage. One of the conditions introduced was that neither of the parties to the matrimonial alliance should have a living spouse at the time of marriage. It has taken unrelenting fight from women to claim their right to exist as individuals and not be seen merely as an entity in conjunction with men. The job of governments is to provide women an enabling environment to be what they want to be. This was a gender just law. As has been the abolition of triple talaq, which allowed men to desert women at whim without any liabilities.

This year, rather just this month, the government the Ministry of Defence has issued the formal government sanction letter for grant of permanent commission to women officers in the Indian Army. The move will pave the way for empowering women in Army to shoulder larger roles in the organisation. The government has made women the centre of welfare schemes by ensuring women in families are receivers of the benefits. The amount of empowerment it has given women in immeasurable. The first term of Modi government started with Beti Bachao Beti Padhao Yojna because education is what gives people the confidence to be on their own. In 2016, the government extended maternity leave for women from 12 weeks to 26 weeks. This was not just for women working in government sector, but also those in private jobs. From Ujjwala Yojana, to Mahila Haats, to the preference given to women in Mudra schemes are ways in which women across India are being empowered to see claim their existence as individuals.

This is an endeavour which has miles to cover...

(Bhupendra Yadav is a Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha & National General Secretary, BJP)

The views expressed are solely of the author and oneindia.com does not necessarily subscribe to it. Oneindia.com shall not be responsible for any damage caused to any person/organisation directly or indirectly.

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One year after triple talaq was outlawed - Oneindia

Before Mnica Hurtado could persuade anyone to volunteer personal information for the 2020 census, she had to be persuaded herself. And three years ago, she was a big skeptic.

We know how deep is the distrust of BIPOC [Black, Indigenous and people of color] communities of big systems, said Hurtado, the racial justice and health equity organizer at Voices for Racial Justice. At the time, it became apparent that the Trump administration was intent on adding a citizenship question to the census, which added to her hesitancy. So because of our own fears, we said theres no way we are going to participate in this work.

Mnica Hurtado

Now, she is once more seeing similar fears around community safety play out. Early last week, President Trump ordered the Secretary of Commerce, who oversees the Census Bureau, to exclude unauthorized immigrants from data to be used in the upcoming process of redrawing congressional districts. His July 21 memo says, For the purpose of the reapportionment of Representatives following the 2020 census, it is the policy of the United States to exclude from the apportionment base aliens who are not in a lawful immigration status under the Immigration and Nationality Act.

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It was a move that may again serve to discourage immigrants from filling out the census.

People, not having the time to understand the whole piece and understanding that, yes, the memo is out there but what is the real impact to them? said Hurtado. What are the data sets that the government can use to remove what they are calling undocumented people from the districts?

Its unclear whether the Census Bureau can actually make those exclusions in time for apportioning congressional seats at the end of the year. Experts say its an enormous task for the Census Bureau to accurately determine who in the country does not have proper documentation. Legal scholars also doubt the constitutionality of the directive, and at least four lawsuits from local governments and other organizations have been filed against the Trump administration over the order.

There is no data source that would allow the administration to carry out this memo. The data just dont exist; theres no list of people who are undocumented and living in Minnesota, said Susan Brower, the state demographer.

Susan Brower

Its my expectation that [determining who is undocumented] will not be something that the Census Bureau can operationalize in the amount of time that it has left, Brower said. But it may have an impact just through the mechanism of raising fears of people who are already hesitant to respond to the census.

The fear may complicate getting households with undocumented residents to answer, likely leading to an undercount of already hard-to-count populations.

Rodolfo Gutierrez, the executive director of Hispanic Advocacy and Community Empowerment through Research (HACER), a research nonprofit, has spent several years building connections with the Latino community throughout southern Minnesota.

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Undocumented immigrants who live and work there worry that answering the census will expose them and their relatives to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, said Gutierrez, who has a background in demography. Immigrant advocacy groups also caution households not to answer questions from government officials who come knocking, a caution that may carry over to the census.

Further, the uncertainty caused by discussions about adding a citizenship question has not yet faded.

Just being asked, are you a citizen? What does that mean? Whos going to be looking at that question? And what is the purpose of that question? That is still resonating, Gutierrez said, citing that he still gets calls about whether the census form asks for citizenship information.

We need to explain no, it was removed, it was not accepted, or whatever happened. And then they are still pretty uncomfortable, Gutierrez said. The Supreme Court blocked the citizenship question from appearing on the 2020 census last year, writing that the Trump administrations reason for adding it seemed contrived.

Rodolfo Gutierrez

Depending on the variables the Census Bureau uses to approximate who is undocumented, citizens who live with unauthorized non-citizens could get excluded as well, Gutierrez said. Over 64,000 U.S. citizens in Minnesota lived in mixed-status households between 2010 and 2014, according to the Center for American Progress.

The outcome of the census will determine whether Minnesota hangs onto its eighth seat in the U.S. House. Projections by Pew Research Center show the state would keep its seat if apportionment did not include undocumented immigrants, while California, Florida and Texas would each lose a seat.

Estimates have Minnesota losing a seat by about 20,000 to 23,000 people, but thats a number the state could still make up, according to Brower. Apportionment will also depend on how other states do, and even in the middle of the pandemic Minnesota is leading the nation in response rates.

It looks like its possible that we could lose a seat, but its not a foregone conclusion because its not such a huge gap that we could never make it up, Brower said.

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Still, community organizations that have been working to count all groups worry that the exclusion would leave out the voices of people of color when it comes time to make policy decisions.

Hurtado said she will continue telling people about the laws that protect their privacy and the importance of completing the census.

I think everybody benefits if we are counted, because we will have the resources, the political representation to create good policies that improve the lives of the ones that are being left behind. And we will not go through what we went through with the George Floyd murder.

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Minnesota census workers reassure the undocumented as Trump memo renews fears - MinnPost

This year's update highlights how AMD and its technologies are addressing sustainable technological and scientific advancement, environmental and supply chain responsibility, workplace inclusion and belonging, and community support.

"We complete twenty-five years of sustainability reporting recognizing the role that semiconductors contribute in helping solve many of the complex challenges our world faces," said Susan Moore, corporate vice president of international government affairs and corporate responsibility at AMD. "As we navigate this changing world, fueled by the resilience of our employees, communities and customers, AMD remains focused on responsibly delivering high-performance technology that helps us achieve more together."

AMD is committed to developing and deploying its high-performance technology to enable a better and more sustainable world. In 2020, AMD exceeded its six-year goal to deliver an unprecedented 25 times energy efficiency improvement in its mobile processors. The new AMD Ryzen 7 4800H is 31.7 times more energy efficient than the baseline metric, far surpassing the award-winning 25x20 Energy Efficiency goal set in 2014.

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, AMD announced the AMD COVID-19 High-Performance Computing (HPC) Fund to provide research entities with computing resources powered by AMD EPYC servers and AMD Radeon Instinct GPUs to accelerate medical research about COVID-19 and other diseases. Additionally, AMD is supporting organizations delivering medical services and humanitarian relief worldwide, contributing more than $1.2 million USD in grants, to date, and hundreds of thousands of personal protective equipment.

Operating ResponsiblyAMD extends its commitment to transparent reporting throughout its operations and supply chain. AMD values environmental protection and is currently ahead of target for its 2014-2020 greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction goals approved by the Science Based Targets initiative.

AMD also increased supply chain responsibility efforts, engaging with 100 percent of direct suppliers and conducting additional supplier audits, with a focus on ensuring all workers are treated with respect and that working conditions are safe.

Strengthening CommunitiesAMD is dedicated to positively impacting the communities in which it operates, with a focus on science, technology, engineering and math (STEM)-related initiatives. Through AMD partnerships with educational organizations around the world, more than 1,000 students and teachers are learning in labs powered by the latest generation of AMD CPUs and GPUs, with ongoing engagement from employee volunteers.

AMD employees regularly share their time and talents in community engagement. In 2019, they drove a 10 percent year-over-year increase in company-sponsored volunteerism to support the needs of AMD communities spanning STEM education, meal preparation, park clean-ups and more.

Empowering PeopleAMD fosters a culture of inclusion and belonging to enable employees to do their best work. In 2019, AMD expanded its Employee Resource Group (ERG) program with five new groups and eight new site chapters of existing ERGs, empowering employees with more ways to celebrate their diversity and support each other.

Aligned with the company's commitment to diversity and inclusion and in light of recent events that highlight the work still ahead to end racism and social injustice, AMD announced its first steps to cultivate change with donations to high-impact non-profits focused on social and racial equality and support for their empowerment, scholarship and mentorship programs. AMD is committed to helping its employees and communities effect systemic and lasting change.

Demonstrating its commitment to environmental, social and workplace progress, AMD continues its track record of company recognition with features on this year's Best 100 Corporate Citizens list, Forbes and JUST Capital JUST 100 ranking, Bloomberg Gender-Equality Index, and Human Rights Campaign Foundation Corporate Equality Index.

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AMD Commemorates 25 Years of Corporate Responsibility Reporting - guru3d.com

Tree women of the Otavalo indigenous community of Ecuador stand on the Arbolito park in Quito, Ecuador during the 10th day of social protests that took place in October, 2019. Isadora Romero hide caption

Tree women of the Otavalo indigenous community of Ecuador stand on the Arbolito park in Quito, Ecuador during the 10th day of social protests that took place in October, 2019.

RUDA, named after the potent rue plant, is a collective of 11 female and nonbinary documentary photographers from Latin America. It formed in September 2018 as an answer to the lack of female representation in the region and the need to portray social developments from the female and local gaze.

While challenging sexist and colonial narratives deeply rooted in the region, these women, image makers, are creating a safe space to put themselves on the international map as photojournalists.

A peaceful march takes place in Valparaso in Chile, where more than 100,000 people from all corners of the country walked to the national congress and demonstrated. The sign reads: "War? No! We're the people demanding justice and dignity." Paz Olivares Droguett hide caption

A peaceful march takes place in Valparaso in Chile, where more than 100,000 people from all corners of the country walked to the national congress and demonstrated. The sign reads: "War? No! We're the people demanding justice and dignity."

Each member of RUDA comes from a different Latin American country, where they currently reside: Bolivia, Paraguay, Guatemala, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Chile, Venezuela, Argentina, Brazil and Mexico. Members are based in their respective country.

Mayeli Villalba from Paraguay and Isadora Romero from Ecuador met in Asuncin when Romero was invited to a local festival and stayed in the country working on a personal project with Villalba. After discussing the lack of representation in the community, they decided to form the collective. Both invited other female photographers from the region with whom they share the same ethos to join RUDA. As a group, they have formed a multinational alliance with the intention of generating and disseminating narratives reflective of their personal experiences.

Photography has a history of being controlled by the male gaze and while female photographers have existed and thrived, who gets visibility is still in the hands of men, according to data from the World Press Photo State of Photography study.

(Left) A woman protests wearing the Chilean flag at the Valdivia Square in Chile. (Right) Protesters raise their hands in Bogot, Colombia. Paz Olivares Droguett / Ximena Vsquez hide caption

(Left) A woman protests wearing the Chilean flag at the Valdivia Square in Chile. (Right) Protesters raise their hands in Bogot, Colombia.

As a result and for the most, society's collective visual archive has been built on a masculine imaginary view of the world. This is further emphasized through images that make it to the front of the world's leading newspapers and win prestigious awards perpetuating an often victimized view of Latin America.

A Waorani woman during the protests of October of 2019 in Quito, Ecuador. Isadora Romero hide caption

A Waorani woman during the protests of October of 2019 in Quito, Ecuador.

On Oct. 2, 2019, Ecuadorian President Lenin Moreno announced a series of economic measures, affecting the population at large. Most Ecuadorians turned to the streets to protest. The unprecedented demonstration around the country, led to social revolts around the region, in Chile, Bolivia, and Colombia respectively. Demonstrations in which women and the indigenous communities took a prominent role. RUDA members have been set to cover the demonstrations in their own way.

"We are concerned about the absence of diversity from which the stories of our peoples are told and disseminated," the group told NPR in an email about confronting a reality in which the power structures and production spaces are in the hands of foreign media (non-Latin American) and foreign correspondents telling the stories from the region.

In addition, this lack of diversity and representation deprive a wide variety of sectors of society of the right to tell their own stories and those of their people. Stories told directly from the experience of events, and therefore from the closest and most personal understanding of situations.

As a team, RUDA is interested in deepening its knowledge of problems and opportunities in Latin America, understanding that, although these developments have their differences in each country, the core structures and challenges are often the same.

Protestors on the streets of Quito, Ecuador in October, 2019. These protests were recorded as among the most violent in the country with clashes between protesters and the police that left 11 people dead. Isadora Romero hide caption

Protestors on the streets of Quito, Ecuador in October, 2019. These protests were recorded as among the most violent in the country with clashes between protesters and the police that left 11 people dead.

Protesters on a truck on their way to "El Arbolito," one of the most important concentration points during the social protests in Ecuador, October 2019. Isadora Romero hide caption

Protesters on a truck on their way to "El Arbolito," one of the most important concentration points during the social protests in Ecuador, October 2019.

Latin America is a vast and diverse region with thousands of narratives, stories and peoples. What kind of experiences as Latin American female photographers connect you to one another?

Koral Carballo (Mexico): We're connected because we are women and/or non-binaries, who are at a disadvantage by the patriarchal gaze within photography. For generations it was believed that there were no women capable of covering risky situations or that we could not fulfill assignments in hostile environments. Today, there are institutions that have empowered these voices, and celebrate the stories told from a patriarchal and white look.

Wara vargas (Bolivia): We have a common desire to show and highlight women's roles across the region. Indigenous, female leaders are becoming stronger and stronger as they raise their voices and change history in the region. All of us in RUDA want to show the struggle behind each woman protesting during these revolutionary times.

Isadora Romero (Ecuador): We're connected through the lens from which we see everyday life as a political act. We're connected through the stories that, even though they might not make it to the front page of a newspaper, are nevertheless worthy of being told.

Finally, we're connected through our understanding of the economic systems and historical structures that have been managed in a similar manner all over the region, such as: colonialism, dictatorships, war on drugs and mass migration.

Fires are seen in the city of Valparaso, Chile in October, 2019. Paz Olivares Droguett hide caption

Fires are seen in the city of Valparaso, Chile in October, 2019.

How do you think the use of Instagram has helped you work as photographers during moments of popular movements?

Paz Olivares Droguett (Chile): Instagram has become an important tool to publicize part of our work. It is a very synthetic language, typical of social networks, but at the same time it is visually effective.

The immediacy and popularity of its use has created communication channels that do not necessarily depend on great economic powers. It has become an opportunity to have a voice and be able to act as developments unfold in our countries.

Isadora Romero (Ecuador): During the protests in Ecuador and Chile, Instagram became a fundamental tool to understand and expand on stories that only traditional media present to the public. It has been a tool that has allowed us to denounce human rights abuses, congregate people and share experiences. As an alternative source of information, it serves a huge purpose for the general public to corroborate stories.

A Bolivian woman smokes after being attacked by teargas used by the police to control and suppress the protest. Bolivians went to the streets to call for the resignation of interim president Jeanine Aez Chvez in November, 2019. Wara Vargas Lara hide caption

A Bolivian woman smokes after being attacked by teargas used by the police to control and suppress the protest. Bolivians went to the streets to call for the resignation of interim president Jeanine Aez Chvez in November, 2019.

If there is an absence of diversity from where the stories of our peoples are told and spread, we run the risk of hegemonizing our history.

What kind of visual narrative do you want to manifest or change?

Paz Olivares Droguett (Chile): The visual and aesthetic hegemony in Latin America still has a lot to do with the idea of the "photographic safari", where European or North-American photographers with often a tourist visa, return time and time again with their cameras to tell the world "what this region is like and what we need to improve.'' But many have not yet learned that we have our own thinking, our own culture, and that we produce our own visual archive without a need for validation from the north.

Isadora Romero (Ecuador): We want to go against the production of imagery whose sole purpose is to win traditional competitions. We want to talk about everyday stories, which are at the core of our societies.

Paz Olivares Droguett (Chile): I would like to propose a hopeful vision, but without being naive. Basically, another type of relationship with the stories we tell, one in which real links are generated, in which photography is understood as a vehicle and not necessarily as an end. Where communication is more of a collaborative act that combines voices, rather than an egocentric job that seeks recognition and validation.

In addition, I want us to keep on questioning ourselves about what kind of structures we are holding with our images. Structures from where we continue to discriminate against minorities, from where we victimize the victims, from where we repeat a discourse of eternal suffering.

We want to talk about social empowerment, we want to talk about the dignity of our peoples, about alternative ways of building ourselves as societies, from the collective and the eternal interest for the other and for ourselves.

Women from the Otavalo community cover their faces in front of tear gas during the October, 2019 protests in Quito, Ecuador. Isadora Romero hide caption

Women from the Otavalo community cover their faces in front of tear gas during the October, 2019 protests in Quito, Ecuador.

Anything else you would like to share?

We are a collective under construction. In the short time that we have been together, we've seen the urgency of narrating what is happening in our region at this time. Just as the urgency of knowing where we are located as photographers and as Latin Americans.

Being a representative of each country allows us to debate about our general realities as a region and as individuals in our countries, by doing so, we're continually expanding our perspectives.

It's a lifelong lesson.

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Female, Latin American photo collective covers the region in a personal way : The Picture Show - NPR

Why Global Citizens Should Care

Back in 2018, at the historic Global Citizen Festival: Mandela 100in Johannesburg, South Africa, the Global Citizen Fellowship Programme was announced, powered by the BeyGOOD initiative.

Inspired by Nelson Mandelas passion for youth development and education, as well as his legacy of empowering future generations, the inaugural class of the Global Citizen Fellowship joined the Global Citizen Africa team in 2019.

Now, the Fellowship programme is kicking off for its second year with an extraordinary class of 10 young people who we cant wait to introduce.

"With all that is happening in our world, educating, empowering, and employing our youth to use their voice and vocation to makepositive impact is essential to creating lasting change,says IvyMcGregor, Director of Social Responsibly at Parkwood Entertainment, headquarters for BeyGOOD.

McGregor adds:The model BeyGOOD has designed through the Fellowship programme, in partnership with Global Citizen, has become a pathway for sustainable economic impact.We are proud to welcome the class of 2020 they have entered at such a critical time, pivotal to dynamic outcomes and overall success.

Designed to empower young people with work experience, the programme is not only supporting the vision of a South Africa that nurtures its youth.

The Global Citizen Fellowship is also equipping young people with the skills they need to play a role in social justice, helping their communities achieve the UNs Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and amplifying causes that they believe in.

Global Citizen is a leading advocacy organisation that has already impacted 880 millionlives, while the BeyGOOD initiative has a legacyof empowering young people, women, and marginalised communities. By working together through the fellowship programme, the partnership offers young people an opportunity of a lifetime.

Take, for example, how the programme is structured. It has multiple phases designed to offer each of the 10 fellows a fully immersive experience.

Eachfellow will also have the benefit from personalised mentorship from leaders in entertainment, business, government, and civil society all aimed at enabling them to realise their potential to become global agents of change.

The programme will cover subjects such as leadership, advocacy, international development, and global citizenship.Meanwhile, Fellows will also have the opportunity to take part in a series of masterclasses given by industry leaders. The programme also features educational field trips designed to help Fellows develop into value-centred, community-driven leaders.

Furthermore, Fellows will be placed within the Global Citizen Africa team, which will offer invaluable hands-on work experience within the Marketing, Rewards, Campaigns, Policy, and Content teams.

This is aimed at providing Fellows with the skills and resources needed to help them secure work at the end of the year-long programme.

The second cohort of the Global Citizen Fellowship programme was chosen after a rigorous selection process that started with 765 applications; only 30 candidates were chosen to continue with a series of tests. From these scores, the judging panel assessed 20 applicants.

Related Stories Dec. 2, 2019 A Look Back at Year-Long Global Citizen: Mandela 100 Campaign

The judging panel was made up of Clayton Naidoo, Managing Director of Sub Saharan Africa at global technology giant CISCO; the Executive Director of Africa Leadership Institute, Jackie Chimhanzi; Moky Makura, Executive Directorof Africa No Filter; businesswoman and producer, Bonang Matheba; fashion brand and designer extraordinaire, Rich Mnisi; and Isha Philips, Global Citizens Senior Human Resources Lead.

Noted individually for their incredible personal achievements, collectively, the judging panel brought their experiences leading global organisations and brands, and are revered for being leaders and experts in their fields.

The judges were lookingfor candidates whose potential was complemented by their understanding of developmental issues. Candidates also had to show how they have already started effecting change in the spaces they occupy, for instance, through supporting community causes or standing up for social issues

I think all applicants are unique in their own right and have the power to go out into the world and affect positive change, said Mnisi.

So, without further ado, meet the Global Citizen Fellowship programme class of 2020.

Chibwe is passionate about skills development and youth empowerment.

Charity Chibwe, from Ivory Park in Tembisa, Gauteng, believes that building a global community of active citizens is the key to ending extreme poverty a mission that she is passionate about.Chibwe, who is 24, wants to use her time in the fellowship programme to learn skills that will empower young people economically.

This way, she adds, shell be able to impart knowledge and experience that other young people in her community needs.[Small businesses] can help reduce the number of young people who are unemployed, she says.

She is speaking from experience. She has already tried her hand at running a small business that earned up to R2,000 a month. However, she could not sustain it as the money from the business was used to look after her family.

I would like to see myself being my own boss, running a successful business, and creating opportunities that benefit young people, she says.

Rakhetsi is interested in issues that include citizenship, girls and women, education, and food and hunger.

Born in Mamelodi in Pretoria, Aaron Rakhetsi applied for the fellowship because he wants to turn his digital activism into community service.He is particularly interested in issues of citizenship, health, education, women and girls, and food and hunger.

I'm very passionate about education because I know its importance in one's life. I know what it feels like to give up on going to university because of my financial background, and I do not want anyone to experience this, Rakhetsi explains.

He adds: I believe in equality of the sexes and I believe that women and girls should be given the same opportunities that men receive, and be treated as their equals.

As one of the most unequal countries in the world, South Africa faces significant challenges, like hunger. For example, even though the country is food secure, 27%of children experience stunting and malnutrition.

Rakhetsi, who is 24, has future plans that include urban farming, which will allow him to uplift the youth and women while feeding his community.

Ndwandwe is determined to fight gender-based violence in South Africa. a

The mere honour of being chosen to make a positive change is a driver for me to do the best that I can to deal with the issues of the world, saysZamokhule Ndwandwe, 24, about being a Global Citizen Fellow.

Ndwandwe is from Sam Reno in Western Cape. Her ambition of ending gender-based violence (GBV) comes from personal experience.

Im a victim of a taxi robbery that occurred in 2019. I was kidnapped for 15 to 30 minutes by criminals who want money and sex from people, she recalls.

President Cyril Ramaphosa, in March 2019, declared GBV a national crisis,in South Africa.

Ndwandwes kidnappersonly took her belongings, but for many girls, women, and gender non-binary people in South Africa the story often ends in tragedy something that sparkedNdwandwes determination to combat GBV.

She says: Right now, my country is going through a very difficult time of what I would call women and children genocide, and I would love to come across other young leaders from other countries who might be able to advise on how to curb this terrible epidemic.

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Moloi's passion is menstrual health management and ending period poverty. She is also passionate about educations and women's rights.

Hope Moloi, 22, became a Global Citizen in order to play her part in the movement of people who want to help end extreme povertyby 2030.

Moloi, from Alexandra in Gauteng, applied for the programme because she wants to gain skills that will help lead community activities that support girls and women, in particular menstrual health management.

Girls miss school due to not having pads, which has a negative impact on their studies. By giving pads to girls, well be keeping girls in school, says Moloi.

Moloi wants to use her time in the programme to learn skills that will help her amplify her voice as an advocate, and later, to launch a non-governmental organisation that leverages corporate partnerships for social good. Her organisation will champion girls rights and access to quality education.

Women earn less than meneven with the same qualifications and experience, while girls and women also have to live with the effects of GBV, Molio says.

She adds: Every person has a right to education. Education is important and can change lives to be successful.

Related Stories April 22, 2020 World Leaders Are Being Urged to Support Education Cannot Waits COVID-19 Fund

Xaba is looking for ways to help her community beat the systemic causes of poverty and inequality.

Nomthando Xaba, from Soweto, Johannesburg, supports causes that she is passionate about by taking Global Citizen actionsthat are aimed at helping end the systemic causes of poverty and inequality.

However, she wanted to do more.

Ive always wanted to find a way to give back, and while taking Global Citizen actions is [impactful], I also want to find other ways of working towards ending extreme poverty, she says.

Xaba, 25, is passionate about education, and believes that empowered young girls make future leaders.

This is why she wants to study towards becoming a teacher.

She adds: Since I dont have a qualification yet, I want to teach young girls about sexual health because our schools only focus on the basic things. Girls are not given the platform to express themselves and talk about their experiences.

Morake is passionate about equality and human rights.

I wanted to be part of the Fellowship programme because I want to empower others, and promote education and equality in my town, Letshego Morake says about the decision to take his chances and apply for the programme.

Morake comes from the small town of Heuwel, in Thaba-Nchu in Bloemfontein, where opportunities are scarce, and information that can help young people empower themselves even more so.

I want to be the one to bring change as Im a huge fan of Beyonc [the founder of the BeyGOOD initiative]. She inspires me in so many ways, and has definitely had a very huge impact in me bettering myself.

Morake, who is 23, is an advocate for access to education. A lot of people from where I am from have given up on it due to lack of funds to continue with their studies. They are also discouraged by the fact that other people who have studied still do not get jobs after graduating.

Equally close to his heart is equality.

Im a young gay boy who lives in a town where its still seen as wrong to freely be myself. I want to live in a country where people are proud of each other, support each other, and love each other," he says.

He adds: I want to be an active voice for the people who do not see themselves worthy of anything, host campaigns and rallies, create awareness on social media, and just have an impact on the lives of those who cannot stand upfor themselves because they are scared to.

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Tsolo is interested in gender equality, ending period poverty and helping girls reach their full potential.

Growing up in Sebokeng, an undeveloped community in Vanderbijlpark in the south of Gauteng, Tsolo always knew that her purpose was impacting and transforming lives.

This is why I identify with BeyGOOD and Global Citizen. This is a network of people who are impacting their work and changing lives. Being part of this network will not only expand my reach in changing lives, it will also provide me with the opportunity to grow others and help them change their lives for the better, Tsolo says.

Tsolo, 24, adds that South Africa is facing what she calls the triple trouble of poverty, inequality, and unemployment.

She adds: Being part of the Fellowship will assist me in gaining skills and knowledge on how I can make my solutions sustainable. I also want to uplift comuunities.

She wants to use her year as a Global Citizen Fellow to learn more about universal access to education, especially the public schooling system.

[At the moment] the public schooling system is failing those who go through it, she says From experience and observation I have seen that the system is setting up the children for failure; it needs radical transformation.She is also passionate about gender equality and access to clean water and safe sanitation, including menstrual health management. Young girls across the country miss out on important school days because they are on their period. They dont afford to buy pads because they live on social grants, and have to choose between buying bread and buying a packet of sanitary pads.

A social grant is a monthly payout funded by the government to support child-headed households, pensioners, children, and people living with disabilities.

Tsolo added: [Menstrual health management] is an issue closest to my heart because Ive seen young girls use unsanitary materials to get through their cycle days, which has led to multiple health risks.

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She also wants to lend her voice to causes that support the dignity and human rights of immigrants.

With the conflicts and issues faced by various African countries, I believe that as a continent, there is more that needs to be done regarding how South Africa deals with immigrantswho are fleeing from their countries in search of a better life, she said.

As well as taking part in the Fellowship programme, Tsolo also runs a non-governmental organisation called Her Pride. It offersservices that help students develop their confidence and life skills.

The organisation has already reached more than 2,000 students.

We provide academic support, entrepreneurship training, career planning, and more. We have been able to expand our small reach to providing care packs to the Lifeline and Thuthuzela women and children centres.

Lifeline offers free counselling over the phone, while Thuthuzela centres offer support and medical care to victims of sexual violence.

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Shabalala in inspired by the spirit of Ubuntu, and believes that we are accountable for each other's well-being.

Sengie Shabalala, 22, believes ending inequality and extreme poverty is a valuethat we should all live by.The popular South African saying"umuntu ngumuntu ngabantu calls on all of us to work together, she says.The saying is essentially a call to action urging each of us to be accountable for another persons well-being.

Shabalala says being a Fellow is an opportunity to gain knowledge that shell use to uplift others. Shabala, who is from Benoni in Gauteng, wants to galvanise communities to start taking action against GBV.

Being a woman, GBV affects me and one starts being afraid [of the possibility of experiencing GBV]. I decided to take action in my community, and raise awareness, she says.

Dlulane believes that economic empowerment puts women in a position to take ownership of their lives.

BuhleDlulane, from Soweto, is determined to tackle gender inequality by promoting girls and womens empowerment.[This] comes from my passion for gender equality and business. I believe that women are equal and effective in influencing the economy, from the formal sector to the informal sector, she says.

She adds: I believe that earning a decent living allows women to improve their own lives, are less inclined to stay in abusive relationships, and have the power to make their own decisions without abusive influence.

Dlulane, who is 21, says gender equality has a massive role to play in ending extreme poverty because women tend to lift others in their families and communities as they rise.

We are all aware that by women being educated and working they inevitably improve their own lives and the life of their families, she says.

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And so it then became important for me to understand why such powerful economic participants are not paid equally, not represented in powerful positions within companies, why there is a hesitance to allow them equal rights and access to basic amenities.

Moreover, she adds, with understanding the problem comes the biggest question of all: what she can do to change the status quo.

All of us have a responsibility to build the society in which we dream of living in, and the only way for change is effective participation. I do believe that there is no better time than now for us as young people to start thinking about personal, professional, and communal transformation, she says.

Dlulane is inspired by Rwanda and South Africa, two countries she calls home.

South Africa and Rwanda have a need for do-ers; people that are willing to apply their knowledge in everyday global challenges, she says. And there is a need to equip young people with the necessary skills in communication, personal, and professional development to be able to build the confidence to take action.

Lephuma is taking up space, and working towards a future where girls and women are equal to men, with equal access to opportunities and leadership roles.

Ntombizodwa Lephuma, 24, wants to take up space. Meaning make impact that will have a reverberating impact like her hero, Miss Universe Zozibini Tunzi.Hailing from Centurion in Gauteng, Lephuma is a linguist with the goal of pursuing a postgraduate degree in education.

I want to teach young girls the power education has and how it will better equip us to be better business women, she says, I need the skills from the BeyGood fellowship to assist me and better equip me.

She wants to raise generations of girls who shape their futures, and in doing so, transform their societies.

Read more from the original source:

Meet the Class of 2020: The Global Citizen Fellowship Powered by BeyGOOD Kicks Off Its Second Year - Global Citizen

Major artists including Nevermade, Amanda Phingbodhipakkiya and Thomas Wimberly are collaborating with MoveOn, a leading national progressive advocacy organization, and Amplifier, a design lab that builds art to amplify the voices of grassroots movements, to launch Your Vote Is Power.

The new initiative will use art and culture to drive voter registration and turn out young voters this November. Through billboards, posters, stickers, GIFS, memes, and more, the Your Vote Is Power campaign will seek to provoke young people with a vision of how to change the direction of our country and our politics with our votes.

If our votes held no power, no one would try to silence us. Our aim is to connect people to this message through the power of art, said Michael Crawford, Cultural Director at MoveOn. Art and visual symbols from the Obama Hope poster to Trumps MAGA hat have played vitally important roles in past elections and have the ability to shape the way people see candidates, electoral politics and their personal ability to make change. We started Your Vote Is Power because we want to connect voters with unique and artistic images that inspire them to vote and continue fighting for their right to do so.

New artwork will be promoted weekly including on digital billboards in states like Georgia, Kentucky, and Wisconsin, where people had to wait in hours-long lines to vote in primaries this spring. In addition to the attached artwork, which will be distributed as stickers, postcards, and posters, as part of the Your Vote Is Power effort, MoveOn will also work with GIF and meme creators to boost voter turnout by countering disinformation narratives that tell young people that their participation does not matter.

We, the people, hold immense power, yet so much of our society tells us otherwise, said Cleo Barnett, Executive Director at Amplifier. Our goal is to reclaim our visual landscape with messages of empowerment, with images reminding us that we are stronger when we act together and that our democracy depends on us all taking to the polls this November.

The Your Vote Is Power initiative follows MoveOns #MyAmericanFlag project, produced in collabortion with celebrity writers, actors, musicians and performers including Billy Porter, Roxanne Gay, Alfre Woodward and Ashley Judd, who shared images of uniquely designed American flags that reflected their own multinational heritages and encouraged people to register to vote.

American identities span across a variety of age groups, locations, occupations and political affiliations, and a powerful image that resonates with people exemplifies arts ability to unify others. We hope these images will do just that in the weeks and months ahead leading up to November, added Crawford.

Both #MyAmericanFlag and Your Vote Is Power are part of a larger effort from MoveOn dedicated to engaging people of all ages, races and ethnicities who share progressive values with help from celebrities, artists, writers, and influencers.

See more here:

"Your Vote Is Power" campaign reminds public that our democracy depends on everyone going to the polls - Milwaukee Independent

Because of Syracuse success at one year anniversary, Cities for Financial Empowerment awards FEC funding to bring on additional full-time counselor

Syracuse, N.Y. Syracuse Mayor Ben Walsh and partners celebrate the one-year anniversary this month of the launch of the Syracuse Financial Empowerment Center (Syracuse FEC). The city service, led by the Department of Neighborhood and Business Development (NBD), provides free one-on-one, professional financial counseling to city residents.

Because of the programs success in the City of Syracuse, the Cities for Financial Empowerment (CFE) Fund announced that it will increase funding to Syracuse in the year ahead to enable the City to bring on an additional full-time professional financial counselor. The CFE Fund is a national organization that works with mayoral administrations to improve the financial stability of lower to moderate income households by embedding financial empowerment strategies into local government.

Financial Empowerment Center 12-month overview

The work being done through the Syracuse FEC has already impacted hundreds of families by providing the kind of financial knowledge and guidance that leads to a better quality of life for many Syracuse residents, said Mayor Walsh. The Syracuse community and many partner organizations have embraced the FEC, which is why we have had so much success in our first year. For many residents in Syracuse, having access to this financial resource will help plant the seeds that can lead to financial stability for future generations to come.

Funded by the CFE Fund, Greater Syracuse H.O.P.E., the Allyn Family Foundation, and the CNY Community Foundation, Syracuse FEC focuses on helping individuals set personal financial goals and eliminate barriers that inhibit financial stability. Home HeadQuarters and United Way of Central New York are also key Syracuse FEC partners.

According to data in 2018 from the U.S. Census Bureau, 30.5% of city residents live below the poverty line, making the need for targeted, expert help to manage financial resources essential.

The first year goal to have 180 outcomes was exceeded by 360% with FEC clients achieving 575 measurable results. With the help of Syracuse FEC counselors, 244 (42%) clients reduced delinquent accounts; client credit scores were improved by at least 35 points; and 82 (14%) clients reduced non-mortgage debt by at least 10%.

Kerry Quaglia

Jasminn Ray, Jenna McClave, Kazmira Pitzrick, and Thom Dellwo, Syracuse FEC counselors, have managed to advise residents consistently since the launch with in-person meetings but also remotely throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Between the group of professional counselors, nearly 2,000 sessions were held with clients. The public health crisis has increased the need for financial advice in light of widespread job loss and disproportionately affected communities of color, making the added counselor crucial to residents recovery.

Syracuse FEC client, Brendon M., has received assistance through the Home HeadQuarters location. My counselor, Jenna, is the best around. Shes calm, she explains everything to you that you dont understand, and she has a great game plan. She helps with my ultimate goal of achieving financial freedom for me and my family.

Home HeadQuarters is a proud Syracuse Financial Empowerment Center partner, said Home HeadQuarters Chief Executive Officer, Kerry Quaglia. Every day, we see the tangible outcomes surpass every expectation for the program. To date, more than $600,000 in total debt has been reduced for those City of Syracuse residents who have taken advantage of this amazing and free opportunity. We cant wait to see what year two brings for our community.

On average, clients participated in 2.4 sessions to improve credit, decrease debt, increase savings and begin banking by opening safe and affordable bank accounts (31 (6%) clients opened new banking accounts). Increasing cash reserves, 104 (18%) clients were able to save one week of their pay or at least 2% of their income.

Syracuse Mayor Ben Walsh and Allyn Family Foundations Director Kate OConnell

Greater Syracuse H.O.P.E., an organization helping to address poverty through systematic change, has seen its clients make upward improvement in their credit scores after utilizing Syracuse FEC services. With a goal to reach a total of 150 clients in identified H.O.P.E. census tracts in the city by the end of 2020, 110 (73%) clients have already received support. A significant increase in credit scores for 21 clients by an average of 35 points has also been recorded, in addition to over 30 clients saving an average of $3,000.

The financial industry is an intimidating place for middle and lower-income individuals and families, said Ocesa Keaton, executive director of Greater Syracuse H.O.P.E. High-interest rates, credit denials, and emergencies often result in de-stabilizing families into poverty. The Syracuse FEC is a way to remove barriers and help people transition through financial challenges.

Meg OConnell, executive director of the Allyn Family Foundation stated The Allyn Foundation applauds the work over the past year of the FEC. OConnell continued, The ability for families and individuals to become financially independent is a critical component to our work, and the Syracuse FEC is accomplishing this goal by helping families eliminate debt, repair credit, and build savings.

One year ago, City of Syracuse formally announce the Financial Empowerment initiative on the steps of City Hall.

A testimonial from a FEC client, Jessica V., stated how she took advantage of the one-on-one counseling to learn how to build her credit score and create a foundation in preparation for homeownership. The counseling I received gave me much more knowledge on spending and savings tactics. I would highly recommend the FEC to anyone who is seeking to improve their finances or just learn more in general about money/debt handling, said Jessica.

The United Way of Central New York is proud to partner in Syracuses Financial Empowerment Center. We are committed to the shared efforts to make it possible for every individual and family to become self-sufficient, securing and maintaining education and income to support their basic needs and build wealth, Nancy Eaton, president, United Way of Central New York, Inc. stated. We join in celebrating the outstanding first year of implementation of the life-changing work being done through the FEC.

The Central New York Community Foundation has been honored to support the Financial Empowerment Center because it has provided much needed support for families as they seek to thrive financially especially in a time of great economic uncertainty, said Frank Ridzi, vice president of community investment, Central New York Community Foundation. The center provides innovative ways for our nonprofit network of service providers to work together for the common good.

Remote counseling is available by way of virtual meetings, email or phone calls. To make an appointment, residents can visit http://www.syrgov.net/FEC, call 315-474-1939 ext.5, or email fec@homehq.org.

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Syracuse Financial Empowerment Center Helps Syracuse Residents Reduce More Than $600k In Debt and Increase Over $300k In Savings - URBAN CNY

By Sarah Kenshall leads Burges Salmons cross-departmental FinTech practice and is a director in the firms Technology and Communications team.

We talk of data streams, so lets imagine a vast river of free flowing data.

How are we to control and harness this flow? A simple analogy would be that of a dam think Hoover or the Grand Coulee, the huge hydro-electric dams built in the US in the 1930s, and so eloquently eulogised by Woody Guthrie. By damming the river, that energy can be harnessed to work more constructively for the community. Hydro-electric dams provide not only a stored source of fresh water, but also electricity. Water and electricity two of the most basic building blocks on which modern society is founded.

Getting back to data. In our age where sector after sector is undergoing digital transformation in readiness for the smart world powered by 5G, the Internet of Things and edge computing, data is itself a building block of modern living; an extremely valuable economic asset, if only we can control and harness its flow so that it can be used properly for the benefit of the community.

Step in GDPR (as expressed in the UK through the Data Protection Act 2018). GDPR is rarely seen as a building block towards a free flowing of data, but rather a sometimes cumbersome and often costly measure that only restricts this flow. Whats more, it is certainly the case that some companies use the GDPR as a shield to avoid sharing data within a wider eco-system. Yet Recital 13 of the GDPR states that the proper functioning of the internal market requires that the free movement of personal data is not restricted or prohibited for reasons connected with the protection of natural persons.

The purpose of the GDPR is not just to empower individuals; rather, through that empowerment, it is there to create trust such that individuals can reliably devolve the management of the flow of their data to connected eco-systems of companies, in the knowledge that they can exercise rights to restrict the flow if needs be. These are companies they trust to store, use and share their personal data in a secure, reliable manner in conformance with their legal rights. GDPR provides both the dam and the turbines.

Why build the dam?

So there we have it. GDPR, as both dam and turbines, empowering individuals, and through such empowerment, facilitating data flow. We can see exactly how this empowerment is working in financial services.

Open Banking, a UK initiative mandated by the UK Competition and Markets Authority required nine of the biggest UK banks to implement a common standard API to allow third parties to access customer bank accounts with customers explicit consent. There is no limit on the number of third parties permitted by a customer to access their accounts. Some of these third parties may be empowered by the customer to onward share data directly with other permitted third parties. The hope is that the initiative will bring about innovation in the payments industry and break down any data sharing barriers that may be hindering effective competition. A related EU initiative is instigated under the second Payment Services Directive (PSD2) which introduces a similar regime for certain financial service providers (including current and savings accounts providers, e-money and credit card providers but this is just the start). There are over one million customers now using some form of Open Banking provider, from the newly launched Ordo, whose app aims to take the pain out of billing and payments, to established high growth players, such as Revolut, whose app allows you to see your accounts and transactions in one place.

The information commissioner considers PSD2 and Open Banking as key to unlocking individuals rights to data portability. Under Art 20 GDPR, the right to data portability gives individuals the right to receive personal data they have provided to a controller in a structured, commonly used and machine readable format. It also gives them the right to request that a controller transmits this data directly to another controller without hindrance where it is technically feasible to do so.

These overlapping initiatives make it easier for us as consumers and businesses to hold multiple accounts and compare or switch financial products, perhaps ultimately managing finances through one chosen digital platform, with a proliferation of apps to personalise the services. (Digital platforms acting as the sluice gates to the GDPRs dam).

Of course, new frontiers come with their own challenges and risks, and the harnessed flow of data is no exception. The GDPR, powering the data turbines, is not proof against cyberattack, any more than the Hoover dam is proof against explosives. It is however there to mitigate the risk of data misuse and accidental or negligent leakage. There are challenges around privacy and security with a potentially complex and extended supply chain of providers sharing personal and financial data. However, you can check whether providers are authorised to participate in the Open Banking ecosystem here. It is also worth mentioning that unauthorised payments are still the responsibility of your bank to sort out, even if the payment was initiated through a third-party provider (provided the payment didnt arise as a result of fraud or your negligence). In the case of fraud, the banks have further put in place initiatives to counter, for example Authorised Push Payment fraud, which we have written about here.

Finally, the digital world has a tendency towards concentrating power in the hands of a small number of platform providers (for example, Amazon, for on-line market places, Spotify, for music). It is quite conceivable that tech giants such as Google, Facebook or Amazon could get in on the Open Banking act and manage every aspect of your financial life. Or maybe the provision of a dominant integrated financial service platform will be a new name? Perhaps a fledgling challenger banks, yet unknown.

Where else does the river flow?

The FFD Regulation, an EU regulation for the free flow of non-personal data, has been applicable in the EU and the UK since May 2019.

The regulation is primarily aimed at cloud providers (of storage and other data processing services) establishing, amongst other things, self-regulatory codes of conduct to make it easier for businesses to switch data service providers (or repatriate data to themselves). The aim is to avoid vendor lock-in practices, such as requirements for specific data formats or contractual arrangements.

Data from these B2B tributaries may also flow into our river. The FFD regulation stipulates that where non-personal data is inextricably linked with personal data, the GDPR governs the whole dataset. The Commissions guidance note on the regulation goes on to note: Mixed datasets represent the majority of datasets used in the data economy and are common because of technological developments such as the Internet of Things (i.e. digitally connecting objects), artificial intelligence and technologies enabling big data analytics.

Therefore, thanks to the right of portability under the GDPR, these mixed datasets may be shared at a users behest, between competitors, further harnessing the rivers flow for the benefit of society[1]. There are constraints; it is not a free for all. The data portability obligations only apply to data controllers that process personal data based on customer consent or to perform a contract involving the data subject and if the processing takes place by automated means (i.e. excluding paper files).

A river without banks is a flood. A river with a dam is a power source. This trend towards a harnessed, flow of data within a trusted ecosystem is likely to transform the financial services sector as we know it today.

More:

The Information Flow - Global Banking And Finance Review

Mountain Brook High School graduate Caroline Moore really wants to be a feature film producer.

So much I could scream it from the nearest rooftop, she said. Being the woman behind the curtain, making sure that a story has the proper footing to stand tall, is my dream, she said.

Moore is well on her way to reaching that goal.

Graduating summa cum laude from the University of Alabama this spring, Moore earned a degree from the College of Communication and Information Sciences in communication studies with a concentration in creative producing and a minor in business administration.

While attending Alabama, Moore gained production experience by working for Crimson Tide Productions (CTP) in the schools athletic department during her four years at UA.

In addition, she gained admission to one of the most prestigious graduate film programs in the world in the School of the Arts at Columbia University in New York, which shell attend this fall.

Moving to the Big Apple fulfills another of Moores dreams. This is really a culmination of what I have wanted since I could remember, she said.

When Moore was 4 or 5 years old, she told her grandmother she was going to be a dancer in New York but that her grandmother shouldnt worry because she could come visit her.

I made good on my word in some ways, I suppose, Moore said.

She also has a strong conviction regarding the social importance of film and aspires to do more than merely entertain her audiences.

I see a film as much more than a way to spend two hours, she said. It acts as a mirror in that it should reflect our culture, the bad and the good, in a way that cannot be ignored and is revered for the honesty it portrays.

While working at CTP, Moore amassed valuable training and experience more than she can fully express that will help her in the film business, she said.

It really started from the ground up: the etiquette of a production, the chain of command, when to stick to it and when to break it, the excitement a group of people with one common goal can feel, she said.

Working about 20 hours a week, Moore didaudio and video production for all sports and often worked for ESPN and the SEC Network.

The job was both fun and challenging, and Moore made a lot of good friends and found some valuable mentors.

I always felt like my skills were being furthered by those people we refer to as full-time staffers, Moore said.

Justin Brant and Wyatt Caruthers encouraged her to pursue audio engineering, and she was inspired by Kaye Proctor, who was shining the light ahead for all females in CTP, Moore said.

The work at CTP taught Moore how important the energy of the crew is to the sustainability of the production, she said.

CTP also provided her with some lessons about the tough side of production work. I learned how to take a hit when it came to errors because we were students, Moore said. We needed to be tossed into the madness in order to persevere, to give our utmost effort and, for lack of a better phrase, leave it all out on the field or court, depending on the sport.

It makes sense that she was involved in sports. Moore, who graduated from Mountain Brook High School in 2016, was a four-year starter on the Spartans softball team.

Sports run deep on her fathers side of the family, she said. Moores grandfather, Bud Moore, was a college football head coach and is a member of the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame.

While at CTP, Moore came to honor and value the people with whom she worked and realized how important it is to be invested in people and their purpose within the production and outside of it, she said.

A production, whether its sports or narrative film, requires humans of all different backgrounds and different positions to meld together and make it great, Moore said. I learned what a team looks like at CTP, and I aspire to build one as strong and diverse as I have had the pleasure of serving on.

This belief in teamwork feeds directly into Moores vision of what film producers do.

Producing is making sure that the ideas are heard and people know what they are getting into and they are excited about it, Moore said.

A producer must put herself in everyone else's shoes, understanding the integrity of their position and giving them the credit they deserve, she said

Moore is confident she has the personal attributes, including good people skills, that she needs to succeed in the film industry.

My effort is contagious, and I think that is an integral part of why I want to manage story and people together, she said. I am a very active listener, and I invest myself in conversations and things that are important to other people in order for them to know how invested I am in them as a person.

She has a forceful personality and can feed off of other peoples energies, Moore said.

She looks forward to working with the many eclectic creative professionals in the business. I cant help but think that I would fit and communicate well with them, she said.

A strong sense of values undergirds Moores approach to her creativity, as well. Ive never been good with putting up with intolerance or injustice, and it definitely shows, she said.

Storytelling is also a critically important way to bring people together, Moore said.

If I dont create and build connections between people, then I might as well cease to exist, she said. My empowerment hinges on that of human storytelling. I have no desire to stand idly by and be the only character in my own story because that isnt what life is. Life is in the crossovers and connections and the parts that we cant handle alone.

This applies to social movements such as the Black Lives Matter movement, which needs those connections between all peoples to make their platform stronger than it already is,'' Moore said.

Film is part of that platform, she said, citing the documentary I am Not Your Negro and the TV series When They See Us as examples.

Film is a reflection of the culture we fight to make our own, she said. I am in service to these stories and the people they shine light on. My purpose in life is to empower people, and film is how I choose to do that.

The rest is here:

On her way: MBHS grad Caroline Moore to attend film school in NY, dreams of producing films - Village Living

coronavirus, courier mail, coronavirus, covid-19, queensland, two women, spreaders

Trust, community and a sense of common purpose is all that stands between the Australian public and a deadly second wave of the novel coronavirus. Splashing the names, faces and personal details of people who have defied border closures to carry COVID-19 from outbreak areas on the front page of Brisbane's Courier Mail under the incendiary headline "Enemies of the state" not only undermines this fragile balance, it poses a far greater risk to our collective health than the virus. While scientists race for a vaccine and effective treatments, looking to the virus for flaws, epidemiologists and public health doctors have their eyes on the bigger prize, and that's the host. Us. How we behave dictates whether COVID-19 can survive; adapting swiftly, and in unison, holds our best hope of success. The essential ingredient to a successful public health strategy is trust, at every level. Containment is an unglamorous enterprise at its heart, and it pivots on a very simple mantra: test, trace, isolate, treat. We know that this formula works because we have done it before, leading the world with our response to HIV. In contrast to other Western nations, Australia's strategy was predicated on consultation, partnership with, and empowerment of affected communities, not moralising and criminalisation. That approach, now upheld as an exemplar in health promotion, focused on education, counselling and case management, with public health orders and detention used rarely, as a last resort. Then, as now, detractors demanded punitive measures, insisting that people would only do the right thing (in that case, wearing condoms) if it were a crime not to. It is a testament to the leaders of the day, and to those at the forefront of the community-led response, that they resisted the impulse, instead placing faith in the population to do the right thing, which they did, because they were invested in both the process and the outcome. Known as responsive regulation, research has shown that these least-coercive approaches work best in earning, and maintaining, public trust. Trust is everything at this critical moment in our coronavirus response, and it ought not be squandered in the tabloid thirst for clicks, scapegoating and demonising infected people with reductive, xenophobic tropes that only serve to deepen race and class divides. Dog-whistle doxxing puts all of us at risk. It sends the message to marginalised communities that, if they come forward for testing, their identities are fair game for moralising, mere grist to the mill of the culture wars. Privacy becomes a luxury afforded only to a certain class and character of person, those who can afford ski trips and summer cruises. Everyone else is an "enemy of the state" to be pilloried in the public square as a warning to us all. The insistence that, because the women in question were allegedly involved in a criminal enterprise, they deserve the treatment meted out to them, is a dangerous precedent to contemplate. It implies that due process is not a right but something to be adjudicated by the mass media and withheld on a populist whim. Privacy is central to the provision of health care, and the therapeutic relationship. People seek care on the proviso that their confidence is sacred, and the same applies in public health. Co-operation with mammoth efforts to test, trace and isolate COVID-19 cases rests on a tacit understanding that information shared with officials will be handled sensitively and discreetly. Without this assurance, the dance is lost, and so too our best - indeed only - chance at containing the novel coronavirus. Trust begets testing begets tracing begets success. This matters not just at an individual level but, as we have seen with HIV, in engaging marginalised communities. The Queensland Human Rights Commission has warned of a "second wave of COVID-related racial hostility", with members of Brisbane's African community reporting increasing harassment in the wake of the coverage, and the women themselves receiving death threats and calls for summary execution. Sensationalised media coverage has long been the engine room of HIV stigma, but we engage in naming and shaming at our peril, losing sight of the structural drivers that have allowed this pandemic to rip through the same populations the world over: a growing precariat of essential workers without a safety net. SARS-CoV-2 does not discriminate in who it infects, but we socially select for its spread, and then seek to condemn on the basis of circumstance. READ MORE: Blaming individuals is cheap and easy, for the media and politicians alike. It doesn't require any kind of critical thinking or impulse for reform, it allows governments to evade responsibility for failings that have contributed to or driven the outbreak. Daniel Andrews' "we are all in this together" turns to "disappointment in these individuals not doing the right thing". But blame becomes a feedback loop, encouraging punitive responses which generate further media coverage, reinforcing blame. It offers justification for sending police into housing estates, detaining citizens under military guard, suppressing protests and "surveillance creep", which is difficult if not impossible to wind back. It also serves as a perverse incentive, emboldening individualistic rhetoric that privileges personal freedoms above the common good (let's call it the "Bunnings Karens effect"). Once we set foot down that path, it will be extremely difficult to recover the collective mindset we need to overcome this crisis. Trust in the process isn't all that matters, we also need to trust one another. Breaching public health orders places that fragile bond in peril, but polarising communities and feeding vigilante impulses poses a far greater risk. In a time of crisis, the media plays an essential civic role. Eschewing that for tired culture-war tropes is not only seriously poor judgment, it's myopic self-service with potentially fatal consequences.

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OPINION

July 31 2020 - 2:40PM

Trust, community and a sense of common purpose is all that stands between the Australian public and a deadly second wave of the novel coronavirus.

Splashing the names, faces and personal details of people who have defied border closures to carry COVID-19 from outbreak areas on the front page of Brisbane's Courier Mail under the incendiary headline "Enemies of the state" not only undermines this fragile balance, it poses a far greater risk to our collective health than the virus.

While scientists race for a vaccine and effective treatments, looking to the virus for flaws, epidemiologists and public health doctors have their eyes on the bigger prize, and that's the host. Us. How we behave dictates whether COVID-19 can survive; adapting swiftly, and in unison, holds our best hope of success.

The essential ingredient to a successful public health strategy is trust, at every level. Containment is an unglamorous enterprise at its heart, and it pivots on a very simple mantra: test, trace, isolate, treat.

We know that this formula works because we have done it before, leading the world with our response to HIV. In contrast to other Western nations, Australia's strategy was predicated on consultation, partnership with, and empowerment of affected communities, not moralising and criminalisation.

That approach, now upheld as an exemplar in health promotion, focused on education, counselling and case management, with public health orders and detention used rarely, as a last resort. Then, as now, detractors demanded punitive measures, insisting that people would only do the right thing (in that case, wearing condoms) if it were a crime not to.

It is a testament to the leaders of the day, and to those at the forefront of the community-led response, that they resisted the impulse, instead placing faith in the population to do the right thing, which they did, because they were invested in both the process and the outcome.

Known as responsive regulation, research has shown that these least-coercive approaches work best in earning, and maintaining, public trust.

Trust is everything at this critical moment in our coronavirus response, and it ought not be squandered in the tabloid thirst for clicks, scapegoating and demonising infected people with reductive, xenophobic tropes that only serve to deepen race and class divides.

Dog-whistle doxxing puts all of us at risk. It sends the message to marginalised communities that, if they come forward for testing, their identities are fair game for moralising, mere grist to the mill of the culture wars.

Privacy becomes a luxury afforded only to a certain class and character of person, those who can afford ski trips and summer cruises. Everyone else is an "enemy of the state" to be pilloried in the public square as a warning to us all.

The insistence that, because the women in question were allegedly involved in a criminal enterprise, they deserve the treatment meted out to them, is a dangerous precedent to contemplate. It implies that due process is not a right but something to be adjudicated by the mass media and withheld on a populist whim.

Privacy is central to the provision of health care, and the therapeutic relationship. People seek care on the proviso that their confidence is sacred, and the same applies in public health.

Co-operation with mammoth efforts to test, trace and isolate COVID-19 cases rests on a tacit understanding that information shared with officials will be handled sensitively and discreetly. Without this assurance, the dance is lost, and so too our best - indeed only - chance at containing the novel coronavirus.

Trust begets testing begets tracing begets success.

This matters not just at an individual level but, as we have seen with HIV, in engaging marginalised communities. The Queensland Human Rights Commission has warned of a "second wave of COVID-related racial hostility", with members of Brisbane's African community reporting increasing harassment in the wake of the coverage, and the women themselves receiving death threats and calls for summary execution.

Sensationalised media coverage has long been the engine room of HIV stigma, but we engage in naming and shaming at our peril, losing sight of the structural drivers that have allowed this pandemic to rip through the same populations the world over: a growing precariat of essential workers without a safety net. SARS-CoV-2 does not discriminate in who it infects, but we socially select for its spread, and then seek to condemn on the basis of circumstance.

Blaming individuals is cheap and easy, for the media and politicians alike. It doesn't require any kind of critical thinking or impulse for reform, it allows governments to evade responsibility for failings that have contributed to or driven the outbreak. Daniel Andrews' "we are all in this together" turns to "disappointment in these individuals not doing the right thing".

But blame becomes a feedback loop, encouraging punitive responses which generate further media coverage, reinforcing blame. It offers justification for sending police into housing estates, detaining citizens under military guard, suppressing protests and "surveillance creep", which is difficult if not impossible to wind back. It also serves as a perverse incentive, emboldening individualistic rhetoric that privileges personal freedoms above the common good (let's call it the "Bunnings Karens effect").

Once we set foot down that path, it will be extremely difficult to recover the collective mindset we need to overcome this crisis.

Trust in the process isn't all that matters, we also need to trust one another. Breaching public health orders places that fragile bond in peril, but polarising communities and feeding vigilante impulses poses a far greater risk.

In a time of crisis, the media plays an essential civic role. Eschewing that for tired culture-war tropes is not only seriously poor judgment, it's myopic self-service with potentially fatal consequences.

Read the rest here:

Naming and shaming COVID-19 spreaders will drive this virus further underground - The Canberra Times