Monday, July 12, 2010

CSW 55 2011- ON LINE DISCUSSION -Participate!

In preparation for the fifty-fifth session of the Commission on the Status of Women, the Division for the Advancement of Women is organizing an online discussion on the linkages between women’s and girls' access to and participation in formal and non-formal education and training, and their equal access to full employment and decent work. The discussion will contribute to the findings and recommendations presented to the Commission on the Status of Women.

Listen to the podcast
Listen to the podcast

To launch the discussion, the Division and UN Radio organized a radio podcast on gender, education and employment, with the following participants:




Carolyn Medel-Añonuevo is the Deputy Director/Senior Programme Coordinator of the UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning, a research institute of UNESCO promoting non-formal education, literacy and adult education in the perspective of lifelong learning. A sociologist coming from the Philippines, she has been working in the field of women's education for the last 25 years.

May Rihani is Senior Vice President of the Academy for Educational Development (AED), a non-profit organization active in more than 150 countries, and Director of the AED Global Learning Group. She is responsible for educational reform programmes in multiple African and Middle Eastern countries, and focuses on ensuring gender equality in AED’s educational projects and social development programmes. She has addressed girls’ education at a large number of international conferences.

Sakena Yacoobi is President and Executive Director of the Afghan Institute of Learning (AIL), an Afghan women-led NGO serving 350,000 women and children each year through its educational learning centers, schools, training and clinics in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Ms. Yacoobi is an Ashoka Fellow, has won numerous awards for her international work in peace and human rights and serves on over 15 affiliated group panels and boards.


Participate in the online discussion

Hello and welcome to all of you,

My name is Hélène Gandois, and I am the moderator for this online discussion on gender, education and employment which will run in both English and French until Tuesday 20 July.

What we would like to discuss here are the linkages between education and employment. Much progress has been made over the last decades with regards to access to education and training for women and girls, but less is known about the extent to which this has been translated into improved employment opportunities. I look forward to hearing your views.

To participate, you need to sign up through IntenseDebate, the software we are using for this discussion. To do so, click on the ‘signup’ link below. Once you are logged in, you will be able to post comments by hitting the ‘reply’ button under any of the questions, or if you wish to reply to a comment made by another participant, by hitting the ‘reply’ button under their post.

Thank you in advance for respecting the following ground rules. Messages should:
· Be in English (in the English thread) or French (in the French thread)
· Be kept brief
· Contain no insulting language or statements
· Contain your name, country, and organization (if any) at the end of your message

If you have any difficulty, do not hesitate to contact me at csw55moderator@gmail.com.

And now, let’s get started. I look forward to your insights!

Hélène

Report on Pornograpy and Children

"This slide presentation features statistics derived from empirical research and popular press sites that publish on the prevalence rates of internet pornography and sex-crimes. While every effort has been taken to ensure the accuracy of information presented, popular press statistics may vary from report to report."

Pornography Online of Children & Seen by Children - Statistics - Video
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(WASHINGTON D.C.) - The Coalition for the War on Illegal Pornography today announced the launching of a new YouTube Channel in its efforts to educate the public on the harm from pornography. The site, http://www.youtube.com/user/PornHarms, provides a wide variety of educational videos on the harm from pornography to children, the extreme violence against women prominently depicted in popular porn today, the significant incidence of addiction to pornography, the links between sex trafficking and pornography and many other damaging effects of pornography.

Friday, July 2, 2010

Promoting SI Activities to the World- YOU TUBE

How to show SI activities to the world?

YouTube, of course!!



YouTube, which is free to use and available all over the world via the internet is an ideal medium to promote our projects and activities.

The SI YouTube Video Channel named “SoroptimistGlobal” is now online!

This name shows Soroptimist Global action.

We must work together as an SI team, and I need your help...

*
Send me photos of SI Global experiences (activities) you would like to share with the world.
* Photos must be JPG images at full resolution (I'll reduce them as-needed ).
*
" Project SIerra Leone StudyTour" ,"Say-NO to Violence Against Women" campaign, "Promotion and Awareness of Human Trafficking" are welcome, but please make sure these photos are may be used for public display.
*
Do not send magazine, professional, or commercial photos unless you have permission of the copyright holder (proof required).
*
Also include additional relevant information including the name of activity and /or project, date, list of attendees, and any comments you want to add with the photos.
*
If you have video you would like to put on the YouTube page, it must be under 8 minutes in length. Please contact me for further details.

Let's promote Our mission to the world :
Soroptimists inspire action and create opportunities to transform the lives of women and girls through a global network of members and international partnerships.

Reported by SI UN Representative New York: Yoko Komori Olson
If you have any questions about digital photos image submission, please contact YOKO!


Website: www.ykostudio.com www.soroptimistinternational.org

Body Image- "food for thought" for women and girls

Direct Link to 45-Page Australia Body Image Information Paper:
http://www.youth.gov.au/Documents/Body_image_information_paper.pdf

http://www.feministing.com/archives/021678.html


Australia Announces Body Image Initiative



The Australian government unveiled a new body image initiative, created in partnership with the Butterfly Foundation, an eating disorders awareness and prevention group.



The initiative includes a voluntary code of conduct for magazines, designers, retailers and modeling agencies, who will be recognized as "body image friendly" if they adhere to the recommendations of the government's National Advisory Group on Body Image. Those recommendations include: "disclosing and avoiding the digital enhancement of images; banning ultra-thin female models or overly muscular male ones, in addition to models under the age of 16 to advertise adult clothes; employing a greater diversity of ethnicities and model body sizes; eschewing editorial and advertising content that promotes negative body image through rapid weight loss and cosmetic surgery, and, for retailers, carrying a wider variety of clothing sizes that better reflects the demands of the community."



According to recent findings from the University of Queensland, 80% of Australian women are dissatisfied with their bodies, and 90% know other women who are unhappy with their own bodies.



Given the role of the fashion and magazine industries in shaping and supporting ideas about ideal body shapes, it's important that any strategy designed to combat poor body image include them. Without movement from the industry, our chances of seeing a wider range of shapes in clothes and in models remain, well, slim. That's why I'm pleased that this initiative has taken steps to involve the industry, even if it's on a voluntary basis.



That said, the implementation of an industry-focused code of conduct is only one part of the comprehensive, multi-pronged strategy that was outlined last year when the body image advisory group was formed. At the time, Julie Parker, General Manager of the Butterfly Foundation, called for schools to take a leading role in combating the problem of poor body image among children and adolescents. She suggested guidelines for creating a body image friendly school environment, which would include "body image specific statements in anti-bullying policies to prohibit appearance related teasing, and the training of teachers in the early identification of negative body image and eating disorders." She also recommended including community organizations and parents in the strategy.



Apparently, this new initiative is the first of its kind in the world, unique in its view of "negative body image and associated issues of low self esteem, poor self confidence and eating disorders as serious health and societal issues that need to be addressed in a comprehensive way across our society."