A few weeks ago, we wrote to ask: “where do you want to be braver?”. We also shared that our EmpowHER summer program is centered on courage-building, informed and inspired by Brené Brown’s Dare to Lead curriculum.

Since we were in touch last, our EmpowHER cohort has learned to become leaders who “live BIG.” This concept from Brené Brown asks us all to consider “What Boundaries need to be in place for me to be in my Integrity, and Generous with my assumptions about the intentions, words, and actions of others?”.

The phrase “living BIG” may be new to us, but the foundations of the principle are familiar:

• B: Boundaries. Get clear on what’s okay and what’s not okay; make this clear to ourselves and others.
• I: Integrity. Choose what is right over what is fun, fast, or easy; and practice our values rather than simply professing them.
• G: Generosity. Work from assumptions and intentions of compassion and grace. Everyone is doing their best.

Living BIG helps support daring leadership. Brené Brown shares that “daring leaders who live into their values are never silent about hard things.”

We think that sounds a lot like B.A., and our whole BA community: Our 2020 cohort, our 120+ alumnae community, our big and growing community of champions—like you!—that does the work to live our BA values, each and every day.

We hope to see you (virtually of course!) on Wednesday, July 29th, at 8pm ET to celebrate the EmpowHER 2020 cohort’s graduation! In the meantime, learn more on “Living BIG” here and let us know via social media how you put this into practice!

The post How do Boundaries Help Us Stay in our Integrity? appeared first on BA Women’s Alliance.

B.A. taught us to be courageous. To take risks. To dream BIG.

That’s why, at the BA Women’s Alliance, we believe bravery is a core tenet of leadership. And, we have news to share about how we are turning this value into action. Building on our Dare to Lead session from our Breaking Barriers event last November, our EmpowHER summer program is centered on courage-building.

We thought courage building was important six months ago… it’s even more so now.

Because you are a BA Women champion, we want to not only share program updates with you, but also invite you into the important (and always on-going) work of courage-building.

This courage-building work strengthens our Alliance, supports the leadership journeys of our EmpowHER 2020 cohort, and—I truly believe—helps to build the world we all imagine.

The Update:
This summer, with the expertise of Ana Estrada Daniels, Certified Brené Brown Dare to Lead Facilitator, the 2020 EmpowHER cohort is diving deep into the four skill sets that comprise courage: Rumbling with vulnerability. Living into your values. BRAVING trust. Learning to rise.

Together, we are learning how courage-building is a skill that can be strengthened. It’s one thing to believe in the power of bravery; it’s a whole other thing to tone your bravery muscle and to take courageous actions that align with your values.

We Invite You to Take Action:
We hope you’ll join us in this courage building journey—for it’s far less scary, and way more powerful, with the support of BA folks like you. The first step is "rumbling with vulnerability;” which we’ve already started with our 2020 cohort by reflecting on each of our own courage. We want to invite you into this work as well by reading this article, and thinking about these questions:

• Where do you want to be braver?
• What gets in the way of your bravery?
• What support do you need to be more courageous?

And, with Juneneeth this Friday, if you’re looking for resources to be braver in support of Black Lives, we’ve got you covered. Check out BA Women Stand Up and Speak Out in Support of Black Lives Matter and Living Our BA Values in Support of Black Lives Matter.

Using the newly featured buttons at the top of this message, we encourage you to share about your courage building with us via social media. In doing so, you’re demonstrating your support of the 2020 EmpowHER cohort, taking action to build a braver world for future generations, and starting this essential conversation with those in your online networks.

We’ll continue to share the progress of our program, and we’d love to hear from you. After all, YOU are what makes us, US.

The post Where Do You Want to Be Braver? appeared first on BA Women’s Alliance.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Living our BA Values in Support of Black Lives Matter 

Washington, D.C.: Today is a National Day of Mourning to honor the lives lost in the Black community, as well as to demand reform.

The BA Women’s Alliance supports justice for Black lives and stands steadfast with Black women and the Black community as a whole. We mourn the loss of George Floyd, as well as the many other Black women and men who have been unjustly and senselessly killed in a system fueled by a history of white supremacy that persists today.

We value community. It is our work to lift the voices and work of the Black community up and provide support alongside them. Today and every day.

To build the future we all imagine requires that we not only recognize the pain in the Black community but also do the work to become better allies. This is the work of turning some of the BA values—compassion, tenacity, curiosity, courage—into meaningful action. We strive to be “anti-racist feminists” not just in words or on social media, but in how we show up, each moment, each day.

This is especially true for individuals like me: people who are white and continue to benefit from the privileges of whiteness.

So, here are a few ways to support today:

• Participate in the National Day of Mourning and hear from the nation’s leading civil rights and racial justice organizations here.
• Donate to organizations doing the work to end “the tragic and senseless loss of Black lives to police-involved violence”, such as those leading the National Day of Mourning:
  • the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP)
  • The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund
  • The National Coalition on Black Civic Participation
  • the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under the Law
  • the National Urban League
  • the National Action Network
• Invite your friends and family, especially if you are white, into the work for racial justice. For example, buy the book Me and White Supremacy (ideally from a black-owned bookstore) and do the homework; ask your friends to read it with you. Showing Up for Racial Justice (SURJ) also has great resources for this, including 130+ local chapters.
• For white people asking, “What Can I Do?”, watch this 5-minute video.

The post Living our BA Values in Support of Black Lives Matter appeared first on BA Women’s Alliance.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

BA Women Stand Up And Speak Out in Support of Black Lives Matter

Washington, D.C.: George Floyd. Breonna Taylor. Ahmaud Arbery. Tony McDade. Trayvon Martin. Amadou Diallo. Manuel Loggins, Jr. Ronald Madison. Kendra James. Sean Bell. Eric Garner. Michael Brown. Alton Sterling. Freddie Gray, Jr. Sandra Bland. Walter Scott. Philando Castile. Laquan McDonald. Tamir Rice.

We say their names, knowing that this list is incomplete. Let’s be clear:

Black Lives Matter.

We, the leadership of the BA Women’s Alliance, support justice for Black lives. We support the Black community as they are mourning. We support the Black Lives Matter movement to “bring justice, healing, and freedom to Black people across the globe.” We support racial justice activism across the country, working for “Freedom, Liberation and Justice”.

Being not racist is not enough. We⁠—especially those of us who are white⁠—must be actively anti-racist and take action to support the Black Lives Matter movement. We must stand up and speak out and call to dismantle systems of white power and privilege at the cost of Black people’s livelihoods.

We’re calling on white people to utilize their privilege to take action in support of racial justice. Self-identifying as an ally is insufficient. Express outrage. Have uncomfortable conversations with your white friends, families, and neighbors. Do the work to change the system, and demand justice.

Here are some resources:

• Black Lives Matter
• Standing Up for Racial Justice (SURJ) (with 130+ chapters you can connect with locally)
• The White Ally Toolkit
• Your Kids Aren’t Too Young to Talk about Race

This statement is just our first step in supporting the Black Lives Matter movement. It’s insufficient; we are actively working to define our next contributions, and welcome your ideas. How are you supporting racial justice in your communities? How can we, as the BA Women’s Alliance, support you in that work? What can we, as an Alliance, do to advance racial justice?

The post BA Women Stand Up And Speak Out in Support of Black Lives Matter appeared first on BA Women’s Alliance.

Even with so much space between us, the BA Women's Alliance is committed to building community among us.

One way to do that is by celebrating the wins…small and large. And wahoo!...do we have some good news for you! Because of the ardent support of our community, the COVID-restructured EmpowHER program is making a difference in the lives of women and we couldn’t wait to share this with you!

On March 13th, we were quick to make the decision to “COVID-proof” the EmpowHER program by designing a virtual EmpowHER experience and creating specialized content to keep their careers on track.

Collectively, we stepped up to stand alongside our BA sisters. We were shown how quickly our champions could mobilize around our mission.

These women are the silver linings of our days! In April, we welcomed our cohort of 39 women from across the country and around the world and dove right into EmpowHER 2020…

As of today, we’ve completed 7 virtual modules of EmpowHER’s Spring Curriculum:

1. Applying to Internships: 88% agree or strongly agree that they have an increased understanding of researching potential organizations, applying to organizations and managing applications…and we’ll be sharing their internship host organizations with you soon! FORTY organizations have stepped up to host our EmpowHER 2020 cohort in a new, virtual format!
2. Cover Letter & Resume Writing: 95% agree or strongly agree that they have an increased understanding of how to create a resume and cover letter that stand out.
3. Online Branding & LinkedIn: 100% agree or strongly agree that they have an increased understanding of creating or updating their LinkedIn profile and how to use it for their upcoming internship search.
4. Acing the Interview: 95% agree or strongly agree that they have an increased understanding of how to prepare for interviews, tips for acing the interview and what to do afterwards.
5. Mental Health & Self Care: 100% agree or strongly agree that they have an increased understanding of tools and strategies that support their mental health and wellness during COVID-19.
6. Networking 101: live session! (recently completed, still collecting data!)
7. Up next up is: Beyond Professionalism: Succeeding in Your Internship & Remote Working

Our next wave of programming along with their internships, will begin the first week of June.

Here are a few responses we’ve heard so far:

“To me, the BA mindset means that I should not shy away from explicitly stating my achievements as a first-generation college student in the US and a woman of color trying to enter corporate America.”

“I’ve gotten a second chance in life after moving to a developed country from a third world country. I want to utilize the privileges I have gained living in America to help others with their rights and health disparities.”

“The BA mindset means tuning out the voice that says that I shouldn't apply to certain positions because there are other people with more experience or who have worked with more prestigious organizations. I’m practicing being my biggest fan!”

While each of us has fought hard to open doors, we’ve also had doors held open by advocates. And today with you, we’re paving the way for women to shatter glass ceilings and expectations!

The post EmpowHER’s Early “Wahoo” Moments! appeared first on BA Women’s Alliance.

I Am BA.

The pre-interview jitters were setting in… while working full-time as a family law attorney serving low-income immigrants, I fit in time before and after work to prep for a phone interview... digging further into all the ways to explain my experience, my passion, and why... Why they should choose me for this job. But, I have to admit I was nervous.

Then, it hit me...

I AM BA.

This photo is straight from my interview prep notes. I shared it with Mary as the interview time approached. In writing it, a sense of ease and strength swept over me after realizing I already had the tools, the experience, the BA(dassery) I needed for this interview, for this job, for life.

As an alumna from EmpowHER '17, I was confident I was equipped for what was ahead.

Now, more than ever, we need to be reminded of this:

I Am BA.
You Are BA.
We must stand together with our #BA sisterhood.

Women are more likely than men to report mental health effects from worrying about the virus: nearly half of women claimed that the stress related to the virus has had an impact on their mental health. More so for women of color. (Women, however, have also been more proactive in response to the outbreak as compared to men!)

Moreover, recent college grads are among the most depressed of the population (and this was before COVID-19). They are finishing up a stressful semester, missing graduation, searching for employment, worried about the health and safety of themselves and their loved ones, and uncertain of what is ahead. These are my #BA sisters we’re talking about. The incoming cohort of EmpowHER’d women.

In this time, we need more BA Women to share their voice... to lift as they climb. This is not just about you, or me. It is about us showing up for each other and moving forward hand-in-hand. We are the BA(dass) Women’s Alliance afterall.

For the BA Women’s Alliance, this means showing up to give an additional $75,000 scholarships in response to COVID-19 over the last 8 weeks. That is BA(dass).

Now, we need to make up that deficit. To do so, we’re asking our community to join us in shared BA(dassery) by donating $39 (one dollar for each woman in the 2020 cohort!) on #GivingTuesdayNow—which is tomorrow!

While each of us has fought hard to open doors, we’ve also had doors held open by generous advocates. Think back to your first big break. Who helped pave your way? Who made sure you knew that you are BA? Today, you can help pave the way for women to shatter glass ceilings and expectations. Please consider doing so here.

And remember, #WeAreBA.

In #BASolidarity,

EmpowHER Alumna ‘17, BA Woman, Board of Directors

PS: Will you be one of the first to join us on #GivingTuesdayNow by donating here?

On this global day of giving, we are raising $10,000 to directly fund BA Women.

Ways to gear up for #GivingTuesdayNow:

• Donate today to lock in your gift!
• Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Twitter for uplifting updates!
• Share this message with friends and family and encourage them to join our movement!

Every bit helps, including the following types of contributions:

• $20: Provides access to an online sexual harassment prevention training, made just for student interns, some of the most vulnerable populations in the workplace.
• $50: A one-on-one career coaching session.
• $100: One-hour learning from a panel of experts to expose them to different pathways in public service (i.e. careers in law, careers on the Hill, etc.).
• $300: Offers online platform for participants that will allow them to connect with and learn from each other, BA alumna, and the BA Women community.
• $500: An interview prep package for an EmpowHER’d woman.
• $1200: Virtual professional development seminars and courage-building workshops by a Certified Dare to Lead Facilitator (trained by Brené Brown).

COVID-19 SUPPORT

The BA Women’s Alliance has stepped up to provide 24/7 service, helping to ensure young women’s careers stay on track during the turbulent times caused by this global pandemic.

The BA Women’s Alliance COVID-19 emergency response fund support directly includes:

• Designing a virtual summer experience for 39 collegiate women.
• Creating specialized content to keep their careers on track during uncertain times.
• Providing personalized support to our incoming 2020 cohort, including 24/7 connectivity to our community and resources.

GIVING

Donations from individuals, businesses or other entities can be made on our website or by sending a check to PO Box 21251 Washington, D.C. 20009. Please contact Lindsey Loyd, partnerships manager, with questions or for more information.

The BA Women’s Alliance has opened up multiple avenues for giving to the COVID-19 Emergency Fund Initiative. There’s an option to make this donation a recurring gift on a monthly basis or to kindly consider making a one-time contribution.

DONATE TODAY

Did you know Congress passed a new law that makes it much easier for you to help great programs like EmpowHER’d:

• Now, all tax filers—even those who take the standard deduction—can deduct up to $300 in annual charitable gifts. A gift of just $25/month ($300/year) offers an online platform for participants that will allow them to connect with and learn from each other, BA alumna, and the BA Women community, while helping you at tax time. Interested? Please click here to give now.
• In 2020 only, there is no limit on the amount of charitable contributions that can be deducted from your income. The usual limit of 60% of Adjusted Gross Income is waived—but only for donations made this year! So if you had plans to make a large donation someday, now may be your best time! Interested? Reply and we’ll connect with you personally to discuss your support.

WHAT'S NEXT

The success of continuing to provide supports to young women and filling this budget gap is a collective effort and one that is incumbent on everyone in the BA Women’s Alliance family, particularly our valued and cherished community of ardent supporters. We cannot stress enough the need for collaborative support and generosity to further the reach and impact of our response fund.

The post #GivingTuesdayNow: We Are BA appeared first on BA Women’s Alliance.

Consider this, how will this professional inequity look when we reflect back on today?

That's where BA Women goes to work, supporting young women to launch careers that change our lives, and our world!

With your support, we are able to reduce the barriers of entry and help level the playing field. This year was particularly challenging as COVID-19 disrupted the EmpowHER program. We turned the disruption to an inflection point by nimbly adjusting the EmpowHER program to be remote.

We also dug deep to reallocate funds toward $75,000 in additional COVID-19 response scholarships, bringing our total scholarships dispersed this year to nearly $200,000! Without this additional support, these women likely would not be able to participate in a life-changing and career launching summer!  For them, a small amount of support makes a significant difference in starting their career.

Over the next week, together, we will celebrate the announcement of our 2020 EmpowHER’d cohort.

We will also be asking for your support to fill the $75,000 budget gap. In full transparency, the BA Women’s Alliance now has a projected loss of approximately $160,000 over the next several months.

To counteract these potential revenue losses, we’ve established the BA Women’s Alliance Emergency Fund Initiative. This discretionary fund is intended not only to enable us to provide continued critical care to our 2020 cohort of collegiate women, but also mitigate our operational budget deficit in response to the onset of COVID-19 and its ongoing effects.

This is our world. We invest in the women leaders who are changing it for the better. We need them, and they need us now.

The post #BAWOMEN BACKED BY #BAWOMEN  appeared first on BA Women’s Alliance.

Before COVID-19, the 2020 EmpowHER’d cohort was to come to Washington, D.C. on May 30th to pursue their personal and professional development. This was one step on their journey to pursue their bold dreams and break the cycle of professional inequity.

Ask most anyone how they made the leap from student to professional and there is likely to be a connection that bridges the two life phases, such as participating in a study abroad program, volunteering for an organization, or completing an internship... Each involves bringing classroom lessons into the real world.

Can you define that leap into the professional world in the wake of COVID-19?

Even before COVID-19, internship experience was proven to increase a student's chance of getting a job twofold%. And on top of that, only one in five graduating students have a job offer at graduation... most of which are linked to previous internship experience... proving how vital internships are. In some fields, internships are a necessary experience in order to be competitive in the job market.

Women experience professional inequity starting on day one in their career pursuit, especially women of color.

Despite the professional benefits of participating in an internship, a number of disparities persist when it comes to internships. Consider these figures from before the fallout of COVID-19:

• ~1.5 million internships are filled annually across the U.S. ---half are unpaid.
• Women participate in 20% more unpaid internships than men.
• When race is considered, Hispanic American students have the lowest rate of participating in an internship (53%), followed by African American students (60%), Asian American students (63%) and Caucasian students (68%).
• A third of students receive financial support from their family to offset the costs of an unpaid internship. Many families cannot afford such an additional expense.
• Three in four students work a second job in order to cover associated costs, a commitment which detracts from their studies or the internship itself.
• As a result, many students are left with a difficult choice: participate in an unpaid internship that may advance their career but will cause monetary stress, work a part-time job with little professional value, or attempt to do both (which almost always has a negative impact on their academics).

These statistics demonstrate that an unlevel playing field exists when it comes to participation in internships, especially for women and even more so for women of color!

The post SEEKING PROFESSIONAL EQUITY appeared first on BA Women’s Alliance.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Announcing New Scholarships When They’re Needed Most

Washington, D.C.: What does the BA family do when it becomes increasingly clear that one of our sisters needs support? 

We stand side by side, lift each other up, and make sure no one is left behind. 

Much is uncertain right now: the pandemic, the stock market, the election, if or when the grocery store will have soap back on the shelves. But one thing is certain: our mission isn't pausing through the turmoil, nor should we.

And only because of previous philanthropic investments, today we are excited to announce $75,000 in additional COVID-19 response scholarships to distribute to the 2020 EmpowHERed cohort of change-making women. This brings our total scholarships in 2020 to $198,910. 

We listened to our EmpowHER enrollees. Like many of us, they are navigating murky waters as they find themselves in newly precarious positions. The women we welcomed into our BA family have lost jobs, are supporting family members who have lost jobs, have accrued new debts to pay for unanticipated expenses, and more... 

The change in financial positioning uncoiled a slew of other challenges:

“I planned on helping my family financially to cover my EmpowHER tuition. Because of the pandemic, I lost my two on-campus jobs at the same time my mother was laid off. Any additional aid would be something I would be very grateful for.” 

“The crisis has put me in unexpected financial debt due to the costs associated with suddenly moving and losing my work-study wages. Any money that I earn now has to go toward keeping my family and I afloat.” 

“I live in a single-parent, low-income household. My mother is self-employed as a house cleaner, and due to COVID-19, her clients have cancelled their appointments. As a result, we face substantial financial hardship.” 

The BA family chooses to stand by our 2020 enrollees and their families. We dug deep to reallocate funds toward $75,000 in additional COVID-19 response scholarships. Without this additional support, these women would not be able to participate in EmpowHER 2020 and join our BA family. 

In full transparency, the BA Women’s Alliance now has a projected loss of approximately $160,000 over the next several months. To counteract these potential revenue losses, we’ve established the BA Women’s Alliance Emergency Fund Initiative. This discretionary fund is intended not only to enable us to provide continued critical care to our 2020 cohort of collegiate women, but also mitigate our operational budget deficit in response to the onset of COVID-19 and its ongoing effects.

For now, the BA family is focusing on the excitement on the horizon: we will be announcing the 2020 cohort in the coming weeks and we cannot wait to introduce these incredible women!

These women are the silver linings of our days, truly.
To be in a position to support them is the brightest beacon of hope. 

We wanted to pause to celebrate this moment of solidarity and sisterhood in what is an uncertain, turbulent time. 

In partnership and with gratitude,
Mary Bruce
Executive Director

The post Announcing New Scholarships When They’re Needed Most appeared first on BA Women’s Alliance.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

BA Women’s Alliance Announces COVID-19 Emergency Fund Initiative

Washington, D.C.: Last month, I sent a special note thanking you for your incredible support. I could not have known then how these few weeks would unfold, impacting our community, including our 2020 cohort of collegiate women at the very start of their careers. Times are incredibly uncertain, but here is one thing I know: BA Women band together, especially when times get tough. This is why today we are seeking your support during these unpredictable times by announcing our emergency fund initiative.

We are committed to supporting our community through all circumstances. We will continue our 24/7 individualized support for each of our EmpowHER 2020 participants in the new reality. This is the time we are needed most. Especially now, we will continue to help women launch careers that change their lives, and our world.

Now is the time to stand up, band together, and be able to remain flexible in our responses to women who:

• Were ordered to vacate their campus with only five days' notice.
• Are international students left without a home in the U.S. due to university closures and faced with the decision to fly back overseas.
• Have lost previously anticipated and much needed federal work study and part-time job wages.
• Have self-employed, single, and/or suddenly unemployed parents whose financial situations are now uncertain.

We are in an unpredictable time. One that has risen to the level of high alert. The BA Women’s Alliance is committed to achieving and excelling through our work, even as we adapt to the new normal. The responses we’ve received from our summer cohort of women demonstrate the need for support now—and we need your help to do this.

The next generation of leaders’ professional and personal growth should not and cannot be stunted by COVID-19. The BA Women’s Alliance is being mindful and vigilant of ways we will have to adjust engagement when it comes to our programming—including moving to virtual formats, and adding new learning modules such as “How to Keep your Career on Track in Uncertain Times.” We will continue to keep you apprised of the status of our programs and our BA women, and are eager to share our 2020 cohort with you! Until then...

Will you stand with us? Contribute to the BA Woman emergency fund initiative today.

In partnership and with gratitude,
Mary Bruce
Executive Director

The post EmpowHER 2020 COVID-19 Emergency Fund Initiative appeared first on BA Women’s Alliance.