Category Archives: Personal Empowerment

Campbells is offering the ultimate comfort combination of music and food with its new campaign, What Sounds Good Tonight. The iconic soup brand has partnered with a variety of music artists for the initiative wherein the artist pairs one of their favorite songs with an easy-to-make recipe that incorporates a Campbells soup. Among these artists is Mickey Guyton, who offers up a stunning cover of John Hiatts Have a Little Faith in Me alongside a classic chicken and rice recipe. Like many, Guyton found herself spending more time in the kitchen as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, and says joining the campaign was an easy yes. Music and cooking are such an amazing pair, Guyton shares with Sounds Like Nashville, citing label mates Kacey Musgraves and Chris Stapleton as go-to artists on her cooking playlist. Knowing that people, especially Americans, were at home and were cooking from home more than we ever have, Im all about bridging the gap and bringing people together. This was the perfect way to do it.

Another song shell be adding to the playlist is Have a Little Faith in Me, a song that holds deep personal value for the singer. Penned solely by Hiatt and featured on his breakthrough 1987 album, Bring the Family, the song has appeared in several films including Look Whos Talking Now and My Best Friends Girl and been covered by artists ranging from Dolly Parton to Mandy Moore. Guyton adds her powerful voice to the vulnerable track, allowing each lyric to shine alongside a cinematic melody of beautiful strings and a chorus of voices elevating the songs message. Guyton has been listening to Have a Little Faith in Me since childhood, and its taken on new meaning as an adult, serving as a self-empowerment anthem in a time when Guytons star power continues to rise in an industry where shes open about the racism she experiences as a Black woman in country music, using her voice and platform to elevate other artists like her. I wanted to pick something that was really true to me. I really interpreted it, especially now, as a love song to myself. That really resonated with me, especially with my story and what Ive gone through, she declares. So often Im not always kind to myself, and most people arent always kind to themselves. I wanted to practice self love and Have a Little Faith in Me felt like that to me, telling myself that, loving on myself. I dont celebrate myself. Thats not what I do. So I felt like that was just true to me. Guyton says the powerful lyrics speak volumes, pointing specifically to the opening line When the road gets dark/And you can no longer see/Just let my love throw a spark baby/And have a little faith in me as an imperative message of resiliency and self-love. When I heard that, that sounded like I was saying that to myself, she remarks. That is 100 percent something I would say even now.

Guyton compliments the moving song with the classic chicken and rice recipe that reminds her of the crockpot dinners she fondly grew up eating in her Texas home. Since she and husband Grant Savoy welcomed son Grayson in February 2021, the powerhouse vocalist says that they are trading take out for home cooked meals, intentional about dedicating time around the dinner table to connect and make lasting memories as a family. I want to create a tradition for my child. I want to sit down and have family dinner. I want Campbells soup in his life. I want him to be able to remember that and to see old commercials like the iconic snowman Campbell soup commercial and think, I used to love that commercial as a kid, she professes. Thats the stuff that I want to do. I want him to experience all the things in life.

The songs, recipe ideas and behind-the-scenes content can be found on the new specially marked Campbells soup cans that display a unique QR code that leads users to the reimagined classics and the artists favorite recipe. Guytons version of Have a Little Faith in Me is available now.

Read the original:

Mickey Guyton Records Cover of Have a Little Faith in Me For Campbells Partnership: Its True to Me - Sounds Like Nashville

In Virginia, a reliably blue state that President Biden won by ten points in November 2020 and that hadnt elected a Republican to statewide office in more than a decade, gubernatorial candidate Glenn Youngkin just led the GOP ticket to a clean sweep. He upset former governor and 2008 Hillary Clinton campaign chair Terry McAuliffe, whose ran a campaign boosted by visits from Democratic celebrities like Biden, President Obama, and Vice President Kamala Harris.

Youngkins victory has national implications. Vice President Harris told Democratic voters last week, Virginia is a bellwether with big implications for next years midterms, the Biden administration, and its floundering $1.75 trillion Build Back Better bill. (Former Obama adviser David Alexrod asked on CNN, If you are a Democrat sitting on Capitol Hill and you are from one of these swing districts in suburban areas, are you rethinking tonight your vote on this reconciliation package?)

While every election can be understood in multiple ways, this contest was ultimately framed by education. Fox News exit polling found Youngkin winning better than two-to-one among those for whom education was the most important issue, upending the historic Democratic advantage on schooling. In fact, the races turning point was McAuliffes insistence in an early October debate that I dont think parents should be telling schools what they should teach.

McAuliffe struggled to limit the damage, especially when the National School Board Association asked the Biden administration to go after unruly parents, seeming to intimate that irate parents should be regarded as domestic terrorists. McAuliffe also had trouble convincing voters that his statement was merely a gaffe and not a window into his core convictions, especially after a Youngkin ad showed McAuliffe uttering some formulation of the sentiment more than a half-dozen times. McAuliffe wasnt helped by an October USA Today/Suffolk poll that reported that, when asked should parents or school boards have more of an influence on a schools curriculum, 79 percent of Republicans and 57 percent of independents said parentsbut just 16 percent of Democrats did.

The question of parental influence was backlit by a fierce, sustained back-and-forth over Critical Race Theory. McAuliffe took to national Sunday morning news shows to label Youngkins attacks on CRT a racist dogwhistle, a charge echoed by a series of high-profile surrogates. Those attacks made it especially notable that exit polls showed Youngkin winning independents, claiming about a third of the Latino vote, and doing better than expected with Virginias Black voters. The racism explanation of the Youngkin victory also has to reckon somehow with the fact that the voters who backed Youngkin simultaneously elected the Republican candidate for lieutenant governor, Winsome Sears, a Black woman who immigrated to the U.S. from Jamaica as a child, served in the Marines, was vice president of the Virginia State Board of Education, and is the first woman of color to win statewide office in Virginia. The Republican slate also included the partys candidate for attorney general, Jason Miyares, who is on the cusp of upsetting the Democratic incumbent to become Virginias first Latino attorney general.

The gubernatorial campaign can perhaps be distilled to its ubiquitous Parents for Youngkin signs. In its final poll, Echelon Insights found that Youngkin was trailing by a point among non-parents but cleaning up among K-12 parents. As Echelons Kristen Soltis Anderson put it, You can bet every Republican in the country is going to run on education in 2022 because of what happened in Virginia tonight.

That sounds about right. But its worth asking just what educational lessons should be taken from what unfolded in the Old Dominion.

First, to say this race was about education is to say it was really about school closures, parental frustration, and concerns that ideological extremists are calling the shots on public education. Other than insisting that schools stayed closed too long last year, that parents need to be heard, and that there are serious problems with what falls under the label of Critical Race Theory, Youngkin didnt get especially concrete on education. This is not education policy as weve grown used to debating it over much of the past two decades. Sure, Youngkin, a private-equity executive, had the standard five-point plan, which featured planks like getting every student college or career ready, raising teacher pay, and creating charter schools, but his breakthrough on education wasnt fueled by his stance on accountability, standards, school spending, or the rest of the familiar school improvement checklist. It was all about values, frustration, and parental empowerment. And that is potent, deeply personal stuff.

Second, while McAuliffe, Harris, and the talking heads at MSNBC described Youngkins critique of CRT as a race-baiting appeal to the base, a quick look at the polling suggests something very different. In an election where turnout was almost 50 percent higher than expected, Youngkin won independents and made notable gains with women and minority voters. This has a lot more in common with how Bill Clinton, Bush, and Obama used education to court the middle than with how Trump, Hillary Clinton, and Biden used it to energize the base in 2016 and 2020. The map suggests that going after the ideological extremism underlying CRT helped Youngkin win back suburban voters that Trump lost, a fact Democrats ignore at their peril.

Third, on that note, the coverage featured a drumbeat of commentary insisting that Critical Race Theory is a manufactured issue and isnt actually found in Virginias schools. Such complaints are fundamentally dishonest, and Youngkins attacks resonated because parents know it. First off, it is found in Virginias schools. Second, and more important, for a half-decade, education advocacy, leadership, and philanthropy have been rife with bombastic, ideologically doctrinaire pledges of anti-racismincluding the insistence that every single idea, policy, and action (from pot legalization to academic testing) is either racist or anti-racist and that schools must instruct students to choose correctly. Conveniently for those who are selling it, anti-racist doctrine is damn hard to opposedue to its too-clever-by-half rhetorical trick of casting any would-be skeptic as, well, racist. But once these ideas are stripped of that protective shell and rebranded in less favorable terms, it seems that lots of parents, of various races and creeds, reject the premise that the United States was founded as a slavocracy and continues to be plagued by systemic racism and take issue with anti-racism/CRTs toxic doctrines, suspect practices, and assertions that all manner of civilizational virtuesfrom hard work to independent thought to objectivityare troubling legacies of white supremacy culture.

Fourth, if progressives (and educational leaders) cant bring themselves to acknowledge the legitimacy of these parental concerns, theyre going to keep winding up crosswise with huge swaths of the publicincluding lots of Black and Latino Democrats. It just wouldnt have been that hard over the past 12 months for McAuliffe, Biden, or embattled school board members to say, Of course I dont think that hard work or independent thought are white things. Thats ludicrous, and we need to get any diversity consultants saying this garbage out of our schools. Of course I dont think elementary schools should have sexually explicit content in the library. I dont know how it wound up there, but were going to address it and ensure it never happens again. This kind of simple, commonsense response could have drawn much of the venom out of the now-seething parent rebellion. But, for reasons that escape me, progressive politicos and school leaders have chosen to hem, shrug, and obfuscate.

Ultimately, in the past half-decade, the left-leaning education community has abandoned the Clinton-Obama formula of seeing education as a chance to court the middle and champion broadly shared values like personal responsibility, fairness, and opportunity. Today, advocates, funders, education leaders, and even Democratic politicians sound aligned with a progressive base that seems increasingly contemptuous of such values. Education is following the pattern of the defund the police campaign, where the most militant elements of the progressive base framed criminal justice reform in a way that hurt Democrats at the ballot box while undercutting the possibility of working towards serious solutions. Youngkins win in Virginia was a consequence, and unless the left adjusts course, it wont be the last one.

Continued here:

What Youngkin's Virginia Win Means for Education - EducationNext

After the Columbia Board of Education on Monday heard public commentfor and against continued use of COVID-19 masks in schools, it voted as expected, approving a continuation of the mask requirement by a unanimous vote.

With child vaccines scheduled to start, the mandate may end in January.

"Good news is coming," said Superintendent Brian Yearwood.

He hopes the district will receive guidance to remove masking requirements after elementary students have an opportunity to receive the vaccine, he said.

"We are in full swing to get our scholars vaccinated," Yearwood said.

Many expressed support and opposition to the decision.

Laurel Sommer, a family medical doctor, said high school and middle school students have had the ability to receive vaccines for many months and are still required to wear masks, as are teachers and other school personnel.

"They're spreading infections," Sommer said of the masks.

More: COVID-19 masks will no longer be required in most City of Columbia buildings

State Rep. Cheri Reisch, R- Hallsville, received enthusiastic applause from some for her comment.

"You all need to votetonight to let the parents decide what is best for their child," she said.

Mandy Hamlin said herdaughter struggles to breathe with a mask on.

"This is tantamount to abuse," she said.

Among supporters of continued masking were Rock Bridge High School sophomores Zay Yontz and Julia Kim.

"I believe it is important to continue masking," Kim said. "I generally feel safer knowing masks are required at school."

Masks haven't affected her mental or physical health, Yontz said.

"I fully support continuing the mask requirement," she said.

Previously: Columbia school board extends COVID-19 plan, mask mandate in chaotic meeting amid ongoing lawsuit

Kate Canterbury, a parent who is involved in CoMo for Progress, spoke in support of masks.

"Please continue this," she said. "We are so close to the finish line. Why can't we just wear the mask? It's not that hard to do."

There was no repeat of the previous meeting, when the school district security director and police cleared the meeting room for several minutes after a resident directed comments to individual school employees, which violates the school board's practice related to comments at school board meetings.

Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt is suing the school district over its mask mandate, though he didn't succeed in making it a class-action lawsuit with a ruling applying to all Missouri school districts.

On another issue, State Rep. Chuck Basye, R-Rocheport, criticized what he said is the district's use of The 1619 Project and Critical Race Theory during public comment.

"We are wanting to ban hatred from being taught in public schools," Basye said of the state Legislature. "I believe CRT is being taught in Columbia Public Schools."

He previously issued a statement calling for Yearwood to resign.

Elements of The 1619 Project will be used in two elective courses for high school seniors under a district agreement with The Pulitzer Center.

The 1619 Projectwas a far-reaching piece in the New York Times Magazine in 2019, the 400th anniversary of slavery in what was to become the United States.

"The Missouri Legislature is going to take action on this," Basye said.

A legislative committee has held hearings on the issue.

State Rep. David Tyson Smith, D-Columbia, countered Basye, even as a white detractor in the audience called the Black legislator a "moron."

"Nationally, there is a wave, a political wave, moving across the country," Smith said.

It's reached Columbia, he said.

"One of the biggest political boogey men outthereis this issue of Critical Race Theory," Smith said. "It's designed to scare parents and win votes."

It's a page out of a political playbook, he said.

"I encourage you to stand strong and not buckle under political pressure," Smith said.

Chimene Schwach, who recently announced her candidacy for the Missouri House District 46 seat, said she's the parent of a high school student taking anadvanced placement course that forces him to think.

"We want our kids to aspire to learn," she said. "It's how they grow."

History should be taught from perspectives other than that of white people, she said.

"It should not scare us to teach other people's perspectives, she said.

Resident Al Plummersaid legislators should stick to legislating and avoid areas where they have no expertise.

"Those who use divisive means for their own personal gain are reprehensible," Plummersaid.

Inother action, the school board approved a policy allowing parents to record meetings related to the special education and disability education plans for their children. Now a state law, parents have long lobbied the school district to adoptsuch a policy.

It took two-and-a-half years, said Robyn Schelp, president of Missouri Disability Empowerment.

"The school district and the board should have supported this from the beginning," Schelp said. "Instead, parents had to get a law passed."

rmckinney@columbiatribune.com

573-815-1719

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Reaction divided as Columbia Board of Education renews COVID-19 mask mandate - Columbia Daily Tribune

The opportunity to give a TEDx talk is one desired by many. In a world defined by prestige and credibility, the TED logo denotes a level of expertise and clout that will serve speakers for the rest of their careers. But, actually landing the opportunity to take a TED or TEDx stage and give a talk isnt easily awarded. The application processes are cutthroat with a minuscule acceptance rate, leading many applicants to wonder how to crack the code.

When we think of TED talks, we often think that theyre for truly great speakers. And while a speakers ability to captivate an audience is certainly high on the list of qualifications, why organizers choose one application over another goes beyond that. Elaine Powell is a keynote speaker who has trained over 25,000 individuals on how to speak powerfully.

As a curator for TEDx@Croydon she has facilitated over 35 TEDx talks, and is now a speaker coach, which has given her an in-depth understanding of what it actually takes to get a slot on the TEDx stage. Elaine also supports those individuals who want to get on the TEDx stage working with them 1:1 or in her signature programs.

Powell gives her insight to what organizers look for, and how any and all TED hopefuls can maximize their application chances and share their big ideas with the world.

Want to Take the TEDx Stage? Here's How | Stephanie Burns

Understanding TED

First things first: theres a difference between TED and TEDx. When we think of the most famous TED talks of all time, we think of famous speakers like Brene Brown, who took to the official TED stage after receiving an official invitation. Because of TEDs popularity, independent organizers were given the ability to host their own TED events, called TEDx. TEDx events allow for smaller activations of TED across the globe, where speakers can apply to give a talk. Both events carry tremendous clout, as TEDx events can receive up to thousands of applications.

The nature of TED is in their tagline: Ideas worth spreading, and Powell says that the main idea or thesis behind your proposed TEDx talk needs to be the main character of your application - not your personal life story.

Many aspiring TEDx speakers mistakenly lead with their story in the application. Although your story is highly important and very engaging, it is your idea that needs to take center stage, Powellnotes.Your idea is the leading role in the talk, with the story and other supporting material being the supporting cast. If you describe your potential talk by focusing more on yourself and your story, rather than the idea thats worth spreading, this is a red flag for curators.

Best Practices For Your TEDx Application

While emphasizing your proposed idea is the most critical and important element of a TEDx application, Powell says there are a few other best practices to make your application stand out and raise the chances of being selected.

Ensure that your proposal fits into the event theme. Every TEDx event has a theme, and if your idea doesnt relate to it, it wont be chosen. These themes are chosen by the event organizers and are generally very broad, such as Alternative Pathways and Empowerment, explains Powell. Therefore, make sure that in the application your idea ties into that particular theme. This will show that you have done your research and can add value to their event.

Create a clear talk outline.Its not enough to just have an idea. Ideally, you know the structure of your talk, which will give organizers an overall idea of the journey that audience members will go on over the course of your talk. Many events will ask you to submit an outline of your talk. Usually, an outline will be fine, rather than your whole script. The outline needs to guide the reader smoothly through the opening, roadmap and transitions into story, or key points and your overarching idea and message that the audience will take away, Powell notes.

Choose a strong idea that youre a certifiable expert in.The idea you choose is paramount. It needs to be new, innovative, and fact based. For a big idea to be a big success, it needs to be simple and will need to be articulated in a single sentence of 15 words or less. Ask yourself does my idea change perceptions, or how do we view something from an entirely different view point?Being able to clearly articulate your idea is one of the most challenging things that most of those who take on this great task face, so spend time developing it. The strength, and differentiator of your idea will be one of the main determining factors, as to why a TEDx curator will pick you to speak at their event or not, says Powell.

Your online presence should communicate your expertise. Once your idea has been long or short listed, the TEDx team will do their reconnaissance on you, to see if you are indeed credible to speak on this topic, Powell states. When curators type in your name into Google, are you already appearing as an expert on this topic? Can they find articles, posts, evidence that you have been working on this idea for a while?

Start with your social media pages if you dont quite yet have the Internet track record of expertise. Time to go into your social media platforms, and ensure that you are congruently showing up as an expert in this field with posts and articles, Powell urges. Think through what unique experience you have that lends to your idea. Event organizers will often ask, Why are you the best person to speak about this idea?, so make sure you have a compelling answer.

Avoid self promotion.Proving your expertise and experience is one thing but peddling your services is entirely another. TEDx talks are not the place for self-promotion or selling. However, when done right, a TEDx talk can be quite promotional in and of itself, advancing your career to great heights. This comes down to the value you have to offer via your idea.

Specifically, Elaine reminds us that a TEDx talk can establish you as a thought leader, expand your idea into the world, increase your confidence, create opportunities, identify you as a competent speaker for paid speaking gigs, and of course, connect you to the prestige of delivering a TEDx talk.

If you have many ideas, perhaps go with one that will not only make a huge difference in the world but will also benefit you for all the hard work, Powell suggests. Giving a TEDx talk is ultimately a very long game, and it may take 8-9 months to actually get onto the stage.

See the original post here:

Want To Take The TEDx Stage? Here's How - Forbes

Founded in 1997, Baraka Bouts is an all-female boxing club started by a group of motivated women looking to combine values of service with athletic ability. Now the largest all-female club at Notre Dame, the Bouts season runs from September to November and culminates in an annual boxing tournament in which members compete against one another. All proceeds from the tournament and subsequent fundraising go toward helping schools in Uganda.

Our charity stems from the Holy Cross missions in Uganda. There are two co-ed private schools, Lakeview and Saint Josephs Hill, that we benefit through raising money for our missions, senior captain Margaret Roccato said. We first established this connection through Holy Cross priests who work there and have connections with Notre Dame.

With over 250 women signed up on IMLeagues and 65 women competing in the tournament, there has been a tremendous effort to fundraise for the Holy Cross Missions in East Africa. Baraka Bouts team members have utilized Mobile Cause, a fundraising page in which each competing boxer has her own page linked to the main screen. Ticket proceeds and all other money spent at the tournament go directly to the missions.

The tournament is a huge fundraising opportunity for us and we are looking for that last push to hit our goal this year, senior captain Megan Voigt said. We put our club funds into running it so that everything goes toward the missions.

With a goal of raising $75,000 this year, this charity is at the core of Baraka Bouts mission. All 2021 proceeds will be donated directly toward building faculty and staff housing for those employed at the Ugandan schools. Eight practices a week and early morning spars are all for the goal of benefitting this mission, and it is truly why these women fight.

The money that is raised by all the boxers is very real, senior captain Cameron Dowd said. Sometimes when people think of fundraising, they feel like they dont know where the money goes. This isnt the case with us at all. We get to see buildings being built and get sent pictures of the progress, so its really tangible for us to see whats going on.

Coming off of a tournament-less year due to COVID-19, the Baraka Bouts team is ready to step back into the ring as they begin their 8-9 bracket tournament series on November 8th. In addition to Roccato, Voigt and Dowd, the senior captains this year include Karen Alvarez, Mia Lecinski and Abby Leone. They have been working hard to lead practices and teach both the technical and mental skills associated with boxing.

Read about each of the captains and their experiences over the years below, and watch them out in action on November 8, 11 and 15 at 7 p.m. in Dahnke Ballroom in Duncan Student Center.

According to Mia Lecinski, Technically we are the biggest amateur female boxing league in the world. Thats just a little fun fact about us.

A senior from Florida and formerly in Cavanaugh Hall, Alvarez has been a part of Baraka Bouts for three years. Though she initially joined as a way to stay active, the club ended up instilling her with a sense of empowerment beyond what she ever would have expected.

I tried out a spar after getting convinced, Alvarez said. My first spar I actually ended up crying because I was stressed and overwhelmed and not ready to get hit in the face. This pushed me to work really hard, and I got very close to my corner who was with me during the entire bouts and I was able to win with her.

Alvarez found this relationship with her corner to be an integral part of her time in Baraka Bouts. Now that she is a captain, she has found ways to pay this support forward to the novice boxers she helps to train. After getting mildly concussed at the beginning of the season and unable to do many of the workouts, Alvarez frequently took on the role as a corner. One specific incident this year reminded her a lot of herself during her first spar.

There was one [woman] specifically that just cried since she was overwhelmed, Alvarez said. I did the same thing my corner had done for me and worked with her for a while. I could tell that I made a difference, and it really meant a lot for me since someone did that for me and I was able to pay it forward. This is a big part of the club. We are doing things not for ourselves but for the kids in Uganda.

Overall, Alvarez has enjoyed her time as captain. The support from the other nine women in the role has allowed her to be an effective leader while also preserving her mental and physical well being.

Its so much fun being a captain and being surrounded by nine other super badass, empowering women, Alvarez said. Theres ten of us for a reason. Its okay to take time for yourself and realize that you can take care of yourself despite being a captain. If anything is wrong with someone else, we can help pick it up for them and make it even.

Outside of the ring, Alvarez studies chemical engineering in Notre Dames College of Engineering.

Coming from just outside of Boston, Massachusetts and formerly in Badin Hall, Dowd got involved with Baraka after her roommates older sister had a positive experience with the club. Upon joining sophomore year, Dowd was unable to do a pushup without using her knees and remarks that she had little physical strength. However, midway through the season on the teams annual 200 burpee day, she was pleasantly surprised with herself and her abilities.

When it was 200-burpee day that season I could do the majority of it, Dowd said. I ended up having to use my knees at the end but that didnt matter to me. The fact I felt so mentally and physically strong made me proud. That moment is one I have carried with me throughout.

Flash forward to her senior year, and Dowd is one of ten captains leading the team. She cites the bonds she has made with her teammates and her role as a mentor as her favorite parts about leading the team.

Being a captain this year has been incredibly rewarding, Dowd said. Its a different kind of friendship when you are boxing together: its super empowering. I just really loved being in a mentor role to the novice boxers this year and talking down nerves.

Dowd has also been touched by the passion present among each of the boxers at each practice. Whether early in the morning or after a long day of classes, this drive and respect for the art of boxing has inspired Dowd to have the same level of intensity. A specific moment sticks out in her mind where she realized this.

We do a callout where everyone is lined up in the gym and calls out punches, Dowd said. When I first joined I almost felt silly, but this changed so quickly. I looked around and everyone was so focused and so into it. I had never seen that many women so strong, so committed to something and so motivated to do something such as box, which is such a badass thing to do as a woman.

Outside the ring, Dowd studies anthropology and psychology in the College of Arts and Letters.

Going on her third year of boxing, Lecinski hails from just outside of Chicago, Illinois. She lived in Lyons Hall while on campus. Despite joining sophomore year, some of her favorite memories are from moments that occurred this year as captain.

My favorite memory has honestly been cornering from this season, Lecinski said. Me and Mags were both tag-teaming cornering and hyped people up the whole hour. Just in general, that experience has been really fulfilling.

She also enjoys the mentoring aspect that comes with being a captain. Lecinski thrives in helping to instill confidence in women, that she has struggled with herself.

I had all these moments throughout the season where I wondered why I never said these empowering things to myself when Im boxing, Lecinski said. We get just as much out of it as the [other women] do.

A fan of morning practice, Lecinski values the tight-knight group of women she spends two or more hours a day with.

Personally Im a big fan of morning practice. I like a small little crew. You woke up at 6:30 am for a club. No one is making you do this, and you wanted to get a little better before everyone else woke up.

To Lecinski, Baraka Bouts is about more than just boxing. In addition to the service component of the club, Lecinski values the personal growth being a member can create.

It sounds so strange but I feel like boxing is one of the purest forms of self-love out there. You have to be able to be in a ring with someone who is punching you. You have to stand there and believe you can win, which is not easy to do at all. If you can tell yourself youre going to be fine as long as you believe, thats all you need. Thats a component of female empowerment, and the club helps with that a lot.

Originally from White Plans, New York and living in Howard while she was on-campus, Leone joined Baraka Bouts sophomore year. She stumbled upon it with a group of women from her dorm one day. The club quickly became an important part of her life. She looks back fondly on the times where she was able to internalize the clubs mission and truly tell people what Baraka is all about.

One of my favorite memories was one of my first fun runs my sophomore year, Leone said. We were running around campus all dressed in patriotic gear and yelling about our missions. There are so many elements of what we do that people found so interesting, and being able to share these things with people around campus was super cool. I felt like I was more part of the club since I could explain our missions and knew what we were about.

Leone also appreciates the structure of Baraka Bouts. She likes how the nature of the club allows for both physical and mental improvement.

The club itself and the way its structured is centered on female empowerment and supporting our great charity cause is such a cool dynamic, Leone said. Over the season, you feel your body and your mind get so much stronger. There are obviously times where there is a little bit of self-doubt and thats where the community aspect really comes in. Its just a rewarding thing to look back and see how far youve come not only physically, but also mentally.

Outside of the ring, Leone studies computer science in Notre Dames College of Engineering.

Born in Moorestown, New Jersey, Roccato has been a member of Baraka Bouts since her sophomore year. Roccato previously lived in Walsh Hall but is now off-campus. Throughout her time in the club, she has valued the friendships she has made and found comfort in the tremendous support that exists amongst her teammates. She often thinks about what impact this support would have had on her younger self.

I wish I could go back and coach my sophomore year self and tell her what I tell my girls. Think of all the work, all the hours, all the exercises and everything youve done this season. Its all led you up to that point. This is what I tell all the girls that are in my corner.

These women are certainly nothing short of hardworking. Roccato continually feels empowered when she sees young girls find their place in the ring and carry this confidence out into other aspects of their life.

There are some badass women in that ring they could take most of the guys, Im sure. You have a little community of your people who maybe you have a special connection with. It makes me feel empowered to see a younger version of themselves growing in this, finding themselves and getting stronger.

Though some may think of boxing as an individual sport, Roccato emphasizes that womens boxing, specifically Baraka Bouts, is a team sport through and through.

We always talk about how we are a team sport for a reason because we are this community. Yes, we compete against one another, but its always for the betterment of the other person. Baraka means blessing in Swahili, and its a gift to be able to do this. We dont HAVE to do this, we GET to do this.

Outside of the ring, Roccato studies biochemistry in the Notre Dame College of Science. She has a second major in anthropology in the College of Arts and Letters.

Formerly in Howard Hall and originally from Grand Rapids, Michigan, Voigt joined Baraka Bouts her sophomore year and has stuck with it ever since.

I was also part of that sophomore group of Howard [women] with Abby, Voigt said. I decided to give it a try and just couldnt stay away after seeing the environment. Watching the passion and motivation of everyone involved in the club is such an inspiring thing to be around.

Something that has been most impactful to Voigt is the lesson shes learned about her character and all that she can handle as a woman. These small, personal victories are what have kept her invested in Baraka Bouts for over half of her collegiate career.

You do things you never thought you could do, Voigt said. Whether thats the physical challenge of getting ready for a tough workout or the emotional battle of getting in the ring, these are all situations that you get through. You go home after practice each day just amazed by what you accomplished in two hours.

These accomplishments are also accompanied by the feeling of familial support that many of the other captains emphasized. Though members fight one another in the ring at the season-culminating tournament, this spirit of generosity is present win-or-lose. Voigt had a moment where this particularly rang true her first year of boxing.

My sophomore year, a [woman] who I went against at one point ended up subbing in and being my corner in the next round, Voigt said. She didnt have to do that, but she talked me through the next round which shows how supportive of a community it really is.

As a captain, Voigt has been impressed by her fellow captains leadership abilities. Especially, their willingness to collaborate and problem-solve in order to navigate uncertain circumstances.

Watching all of us step up in different ways and be leaders has been very special. Weve been very adaptable and at no point has anyone pointed fingers at one another. I think its made for a very successful season so far, and we are looking forward to the tournament.

Outside of the ring, Voigt is an economics and psychology major in Notre Dames College of Arts and Letters.

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Fighting for a Cause: Baraka Bouts senior captains reminisce on their time in the ring - Observer Online

Co-dependency performs a big role in relationships where people tend to be attached to each other.Helen Mia Harris works as an Expert partnership Therapist, Marriage advisor and like

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Honor yourself. Grab treks. Commune with character. Spend time together with your family. Browse. Meditate. And focus on you once again. Your soulmate relationship, particularly when dysfunctional, robbed you of a lot of your own personal opportunity. And it alsos time and energy to relate solely to YOU once more.

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Co-dependency performs a big role in relationships where people tend to be attached to each other. - ADOTAS

Media Alert

Who:

Jonathan Thunder, multi-disciplinary artist and Red Lake Ojibwe, and UMD students

What:

Collaborative creation of mural My Grandma and Your Grandma

When:

Tomorrow, Wednesday, November 3 from 11 a.m. - 2 p.m., and Thursday, November 4 from 11 a.m. - 2 p.m.

Where:

Tweed Museum of Art, 1201 Ordean Court

Why:

In an effort to expand art engagement with students, the Tweed Museum of Art is inviting students to join Jonathan Thunder in the creation of a new mural.

Thunder says the mural title, My Grandma and Your Grandma, is inspired by hip-hop culture in the 1980s and 90s.

Lyricists reflected quite a bit of what I was seeing in my own community because of cultural dynamics in the United States, says Thunder. In current times, I have seen a harmony between the voices of the Indigenous community and the Black community by way of seeking and establishing self-empowerment.

The mural imagery would combine images from the early days of hip-hop with contemporary Ojibwe culture. My maternal Grandmother wore a large, beaded medallion when I was a young boy. I remember seeing it when I see the large, beaded medallions worn today, mostly by men.

UMD students met with Thunder on October 21 to plan the mural, which will be created out of six canvases.

Organizers say students are welcome to jump into the process during the painting, which may be extended into next week if needed.

About Jonathan Thunder

Thunder infuses his personal lens with real-time world experiences using a wide range of mediums. He is known for his surrealistic paintings, as well as digitally animated films and installations in which he addresses subject matter of personal experience, Indigenous perspective, environmental welfare, and humorous social commentary. Jonathan is an enrolled member of the Red Lake Band of Ojibwe, and makes his home and studio in Duluth, Minnesota.

Representational imagery stemming from my Ojibwe heritage is often a part of my subject matter. They help me to create allegories that reflect things that are important to me as a member of the Anishinaabe urban community.

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Inspired by Hip-Hop: Collaborative Mural at the Tweed - UMM News, Sports & Events

PHOENIX, Nov. 3, 2021 /PRNewswire/ --Fresh Start Women's Foundation announced today the launch of their partnership with Gray Associates, a leading provider of software that supports data-informed decision-making for the Higher Education sector.

Gray Associates has donated software and licenses for PES+ (Program Evaluation System), together with strategic consulting and data analysis services to help Fresh Start identify employment market opportunities, skill requirements, and relevant training and degrees for their program participants: women seeking to achieve self-sufficiency through education and career development.

"The insights provided via this technology allows us to take our mission to a whole new level," says Kim McWaters, President and CEO at Fresh Start. "Thanks to Gray Associates, we have access to the data needed to identify the most in-demand jobs on the market, along with the education or training levels required to secure those jobs. Leveraging the same technology used by top educators and universities to predict these trends ensures that our education and career placements are not only effective, but that they're sustainable and growth-oriented."

This approach also helps Fresh Start initiate productive dialogs with potential employers, educators, and scholarship sponsors. With a valuable, data-informed perspective, they are able to collaborate on the best ways to recruit, train, and help employers retain the talent they need.

Through the COVID-19 pandemic, Fresh Start has seen its disproportionate, detrimental effects on women and marginalized communities. In response, they are piloting a new program model in partnership with Economic Mobility Pathways (EMPath).

This model uses an evidence-based, brain science-backed approach to examine the experience of poverty and its impact on neuroplasticity during crisis decision-making. The program informs Fresh Start's innovative approach to helping women move out of poverty, with a focus on proven approaches to developing the sustained behavior changes necessary to attain and preserve economic independence.

"Gray's PES+ software helps Fresh Start to support women seeking financial and other stability and advancement. Our team is proud to provide the solutions that use data to help analyze job markets and find matches for women with specific training and skills. The data allow the Fresh Start team to form more strategic partnerships with schools, vocational training programs, and employers." Said Mary Pahissa Upchurch, Senior Partner at Gray Associates. "This process creates paths forward for women that are long-term, with supports to develop a pipeline that meets everyone's needs."

Gray Associates CEO Bob Atkins says, "The partnership between Gray and Fresh Start allows participants to benefit from a comprehensive program assessment using data, software,and techniques proven in real-world work with over 100 higher education institutions.These techniquesincludestudent demand assessment, program economics analysis, feasibility studies, and competitive analysis. Additionally, Gray's approach harnesses the power of technology and machine learning to ensure Fresh Start can fulfill their mission more effectively and help more women."

To request more information about Fresh Start or to get involved, please call (602) 252-8494 or email [emailprotected]or visit https://www.freshstartwomen.org.

About Fresh Start Women's Foundation:Since 1992, Fresh Start Women's Foundation has been on a mission to provide education, resources, and support for women to positively transform their lives and strengthen their communities. Our organization envisions a world where every woman reaches her full potential through achieving personal empowerment and financial self-sufficiency.

Our nonprofit organization helps women 18 and up focus on key areas of their lives, with a wide range of services, classes, and workshops designed to develop the skills and sustained behavior changes necessary to attain and maintain economic independence.

About Gray AssociatesGray Associateshelps colleges and universities make data-informed decisions about their academic programs.Gray's software integrates the best available data on student demand, employer needs, and competitive intensity for the market served by each institution.Faculty and administrative leaders use the software to score, rank, and evaluate programs in a collaborative process that builds consensus on programs to start, sunset, sustain, or grow.With Gray's tools and processes, institutions identify paths to increase enrollment, revenue, and efficiency, while investing in their mission and strengthening relationships among faculty and administrators.

PRESS CONTACT:Jackie LucasVera Voce Communicationemail: [emailprotected] 978-255-1159

SOURCE Fresh Start Women's Foundation

https://www.freshstartwomen.org/

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Fresh Start Women's Foundation Leverages Technology from Gray Associates to Match Women with Training and Employment Opportunities - PRNewswire

Members of the Beauty Boost community coming together in friendship and love on their journey to healthier, happier lives. Credit: Courtesy of Rachel Kerr

The Beauty Boost has expanded beyond its Columbus roots to 17 different cities, with women across the country looking to make a difference in each others lives.

The Beauty Boost is an online platform dedicated to womens health and wellness Rachel Kerr, the companys founder, said. Kerr founded the company in 2015 in search of something more personally fulfilling than a desk job. She said The Beauty Boost works with venues in Columbus and in cities such as Austin, Cincinnati and Louisville to offer events for women in each city.

Our mission is to help women feel empowered, healthy and beautiful through the different events and experiences that we put on, Kerr said.

Kerr said each of its four types of events weekend retreats, fitness events, empowerment workshops and social events serve a different purpose.

Weekend retreats include daily workouts and activities such as hiking and paddleboarding, and fitness events offer workout classes through different venues. Empowerment workshops help women feel more connected to their passion and purpose and social events provide an opportunity to get out of the house through activities such as book clubs and clothing swaps, Kerr said.

It doesnt matter which event people come to in these categories, Kerr said. They still are going to be around the same type of people that we attract kind, self-developing, with shared goals and values.

Kate Watson, a brand ambassador for The Beauty Boost and five-year member, said being a part of the community has changed her life.

The Beauty Boost inspires women who are looking for something more in their life, Watson said. Whether it be more friendship, more health, more self-improvement, more happiness just more.

The Beauty Boost will be hosting a Taste of Fitness Sampler at Strongwater Food & Spirits Nov. 14 at 9:30 a.m. The event will consist of four back-to-back workouts from various fitness studios, a health and wellness experience station, and local businesses and vendors such as Jane + Willow boutique and Oliver & Winn Candle Co.

Its a way to bring the fitness world together, not compete, Kerr said. [Its] to give people a tasting of various styles of workouts, to try new studios and to shop locally and spotlight the small businesses that are in our community.

Watson said she is glad to have gotten involved with The Beauty Boost, as it offers a community based on friendship and support, as well as an environment for personal growth, which are both valuable to her.

I like to constantly try and strive for improvement in my life, and I have definitely gotten that since being a part of The Beauty Boost, Watson said. I can say that my whole life has changed because of it. Its had a very heavy impact, in the best way.

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Female-led local wellness company aims to empower women through events, workshops and retreats - OSU - The Lantern

Josh Shinner for Harper's Bazaar

As COP26 focuses global attention on the climate crisis, Vanessa Kirby, the actress and Bazaar cover star, has revealed her own personal commitment to the environment. Speaking at the launch of the Womens Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai, a collaboration with Cartier that celebrates the contribution of women to society, she moderated a discussion between artists and sustainability activists.

Prior to the talk, she spoke to Bazaars editor-in-chief Lydia Slater about her new role as ambassador for the charity Amazon Frontlines, and her commitment to bringing womens untold stories into the spotlight.

"This is the first Expo in 50 years to have a Womens Pavilion, which is madness when you think about it, and its theme is When women thrive, humanity thrives. And if one man walks in there and changes his mindset, then thats awesome. I really think its not about tearing men down, its about women realising we are more powerful than we have ever been taught - particularly because theres so much to do everywhere around the world.

Courtesy

"I found the exhibition in the Pavilion very moving. It felt like a coming together of what I really believe in, like putting real female experiences on screen after so many decades of cinema being from the male point of view.

"I feel an incredible personal responsibility to do that with my own production company Aluna Entertainment. Its linked to us waking up as women and who we are in our own right, as well as to the environment. It sounds crazy but playing a mother giving birth in Pieces of a Woman really brought home to me the power of women as life-givers and creators. And thats essentially what the earth does its why its called Mother Earth. I think its all linked to female empowerment."

"How artists and activists are coming together dynamically to try and protect the planet. We all have to find a way to cooperate and make a difference. Everyone on the panel has found their own way to do that, from Nemonte Nenquimo, the leader of the Waorani tribe and founder of Amazon Frontlines, to the actress and film-maker Melanie Laurent, and Salma Abdulai, who went away to university and then came back to her community with this particular cereal called fonio, an ancient grain thats climate-resistant, but that nobody was using any more. Im just a tag-along Im humbled by how much I have to learn but I want to change and I am really open to what they want to teach me."

Courtesy

"I have donated to the charity for years, but I wanted to be more involved. I got in touch and asked if there was a way for me to help raise awareness. These people have lived there for thousands of years, they have far more wisdom about the planet than we do, and they probably have all the answers. That knowledge mustnt be extinguished. Nimonte can feel the forest hurting, and she is taking action for all of us. Im really honoured that Cartier is championing such voices, because the more they are heard, the more they can reach people."

"Like many people, I have an existential, growing fear around our discordance with nature. I dont like feeling that were helpless and hurtling towards something bad. Im willing to be open to what change looks like and to live my life accordingly, to keep the best parts of our world but not to do damage. I have been vegan for nearly 12 years, since I read a book called Eating Animals.

Josh Shinner for Harper's Bazaar

"Its gripping and beautifully written, it doesnt preach at you, but by the end, I was like: oh wow, OK, now I know But I dont often talk about it because there are so many contradictions in the way we all lead our lives, and we are all complicit in one way or another. We each have to find our own path, whether thats eating less meat or donating to an environmental charity or whatever else we decide to do."

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Vanessa Kirby interview | female empowerment and tackling the climate crisis - harpersbazaar.com