Girls In Tech

The fifty-fifth session of the Commission on the Status of Women will take place at the United Nations Headquarters in New York from 22 February to 4 March 2011. Representatives from Member States, UN entities, and ECOSOC-accredited non-governmental organizations (NGOs) from all regions of the world will attend the session. There will be a number of activities, including interactive dialogues and panels, during the two-week session. I’m in particular excited about the track panel discussion on Wednesday 23^rd- it is one of the topic that is dearly to my heart. A group of leaders from all over the world will be in discussion over access and participation of women and girls to education, training, science and technology, including for the promotion of women’s equal access to full employment and decent work. Be sure to watch the live webcast this Wednesday, 23 February 2011, 10am-1pm; Or if you are nearby pls stop by the conference room #3, North Lawn building.

This year following highlights key focus areas of CSW 2011.

• Priority Theme: Access and participation of women and girls to education, training, science and technology, including for the promotion of women’s equal access to full employment and decent work
• Review Theme: The elimination of all forms of discrimination and violence against the girl child
• Emerging Issue: Gender equality and sustainable development

Panel 1 Track- Key policy initiatives and capacity-building on gender mainstreaming: focus on science and technology

Moderator: Ms. María Luz Melon, Vice-Chair of the Commission (Argentina)

Panelist:

Ms. Sesae Mpuchane, Professor, University of Botswana, Botswana(paper)

Ms. Hagit Messer, President, Open University, Israel(paper)

Ms. Londa Schiebinger, Professor, Stanford University, USA

Mr. Bunker Roy, Founder and Director, Barefoot College, India(paper)

Ms. Anne Miroux, Director, Technology and Trade Logistics Division, UNCTA(paper)

If you are interested in watching day 1 high level round table web live cast, watch now!

Tags: 24notion, CSW, economy, education, entrepreneurship, gender equality, Gender Initiative, Girls, girls in tech, ivo, Ivo Lukas, jobs, justice, Leadership, NGO, Science, technology, training, UN, united nations, UNwomen, Women in Education
Posted in All Chapters, All Chapters, Girls In Tech | 1 Comment »

“Who am I?”
In Unlocking the Clubhouse, Jane Margolis and Allan Fisher point to secondary school as the junction where women seek to define themselves with this important question and assert that, in this quest, many women are deterred from computing. Yet to many women entrepreneurs and members of the changing and vibrant New York tech community, the experience seems somewhat different. Here, innovation and reinvention become synonymous with self. Girls in Tech in New York aims to capture that spirit and help to awaken it through community.

In a study of women entrepreneurs using relational theory (the conceptual framework of relationships), NYU Stern grant recipient E. Holly Buttner notes that levels of entrepreneurship among women are increasing: as a group, they now employ more of the workforce than all Fortune 500 companies put together.

Buttner saw an opportunity to study women management and client-interaction models, and showed that women tend to be more interactive and focused on connectedness.  She concludes that women leaders can strike a new balance between social benefits (ethics) and economic gain.  I am reminded of In Good Company,  a Flatiron business helping to revolutionize our relationships within the workplace environment, putting itself on the increasingly populated map of coworking sites in New York City.  Social technologies and trends parallel women who are social, business-oriented, and technical.

As the economy forces us to redefine our selves and our relationships to one another, so too does the prevalence of the internet and our interconnectedness. Mike Masnick argues that no longer is there scarcity (defined by infinite need and finite resources) in the internet-driven economies, and that, even with market abundance, the economy can thrive.

Politically and economically, access to abundant resources means mastering the art of forging and organizing new relationships to capitalize on accessibility (whether with regard to information or capital).  It becomes the art of inclusion.  This revolution in perspective–constant access, abundance of information, and transparent public relationship–opens doors for women…and women are well-equipped to lead the effort to build our renewed economy.

Steven Weber (The Success of Open Source) writes:

“the production, flow, and control of information are core defining features of a community, economy, and society….The role of technology and organization is simply to liberate that creativity (like poetry).”(sic)

Women understand that interactivity, social ethics, and relationships are here to enable us to connect, and to do so effectively. Women influence 80% of purchasing power, andtypically increase their workforce numbers during recessions.

How do we:

• Preserve innovation and invention?
• Market to and value women in the marketplace?
• Help drive and build market recovery as entrepreneurs?
• Increase the presence of girls in technology?
• Create strong and lasting connections?

Get involved and connect.

Through my work with Girls in Tech NYC, I feel privileged to benefit from the passion and drive of the many talented women who want to help to build our local community chapter in the same way.  Not the least of these are Girls in Tech NYC’s Amy Cham, Open Source community champion and builder, and Janine Just, Avid Group leader and innovator and co-community-catalyst with NextWeb . I’m further looking forward to exploring the fascinating subsection of the vibrant NYC community that will participate in April’s New York City Entrepreneur Week.

More soon on these guiding lights and partners in the New York community!

Your story:

How do you show your spirit in business, technology or in connecting with others? What part will you play in building communities? How do you include others and promote interactivity? How can you, we, or all of us help?

Comment here, or send feedback to tommy@tamikojenkins.com if you prefer to remain anonymous!

Tags: Allan Fisher, community, Computing, E. Holly Buttner, economy, Employment, Entrepreneur Week, Fortune 500, In Good Company, innovation, Jane Margolis, Mike Masnick, Purchasing power, Recession, resources, Scarcity, Social Ethics, Steven Weber, The Success of Open Source, Unlocking the Clubhouse
Posted in New York | No Comments »

In case you missed it, the economy isn’t doing so hot right now. Staying positive is a challenge for those with even the rosiest of glasses – home values continue to plummet, job stability doesn’t exist in many industries (including tech) and savings accounts are thinning. This news is hard to ignore, and it’s even harder not to worry. Not surprisingly, doctors are seeing growing evidence that the economy is making people sicker, too. Stress levels are at an all time high, people are forgoing routine medical visits to save a little cash, and healthy eating is becoming increasingly expensive. Where is the silver lining?

Results of a recent study from the University of Pittsburgh found that optimists live longer, healthier lives than pessimists. Optimistic women are 14 percent less likely to die from any one cause than pessimists, and optimists also were also less likely to have high blood pressure, diabetes or smoke cigarettes. Optimists open themselves up to new possibilities and change, and in a time when uncertainty is high, we might just do ourselves some good by being flexible with our expectations.

So, do negative attitudes take a toll on our physical health? There certainly seems to be a link, but with so much pressure being felt from our economy, it’s more important than ever to keep our health a priority.

Catherine Morgan at BlogHer offers this advice as your first step toward positivity:

“If you’re feeling stressed over the economy, try to avoid watching and reading the news as much as possible. Sometimes a little ignorance is bliss.”

If you’re unable to do that, take a few minutes to think about the things that make you happy in any economy. You may still have difficulty thinking positively all the time, but it certainly gives you something to smile about. For me:

1. Spring (and SUMMER!) is right around the corner. Warm weather and peep toe shoes are two things that make me VERY happy.
2. RedBox is always $1. Movie nights in with my fiancé not only help us keep our spending in check, but cuddling is free and fun! Add a few friends and a bottle of Two Buck Chuck, and you’ve got a great night!
3. Wedding planning. I recently got engaged, and while wedding planning can be stressful at times, I get to exercise my creativity in ways that I don’t on a regular basis.

So, how are you staying positive? Are you naturally optimistic? Are you seeking ways to keep yourself happy for the sake of your emotional well-being?

Tags: economy, lifestyle, women
Posted in Boston | No Comments »

After watching the stock market today, you can’t help but to feel a bit of panic. Although, it did recover quite a bit towards the end of the closing bell, regardless this year-to-date the market has dropped almost 40%. 

Silicon Valley has never been a place to throw in the towel. Although VC firms like Sequoia Capital are ‘sounding the alarm’ for what could be the worst economic downturn in years. However, when we think back to the 2000 dot com crash, not the same situation, but it certainly applies, what occurred was a reality check and it helped weed out the not-so-smart ideas and that was good. Years after 9/11, technology start-ups and innovations from existing companies like Apple helped pull the country back to life. 

So, when all the news across Silicon Valley is that VC investment is falling off, investment money drying up, is this really the case? Not necessarily. You see, the cost of starting up a tech company has dropped tremendously. Whereas a few years ago it might have taken $1 million to launch a company, now it may cost $100,000. It will be easier for wealthy individuals, angel investors to fund companies. 

Obviously, the country needs to make sure there is money to build new technologies and start companies. Yes, we do need $700 billion to make sure the economy is functioning. However, that’s about now, how about our future? A very small portion of that money could go a long way in creating breakthroughs and companies to renew the country. David Ewing Duncan, contributing editor for Condé Nast Portfolio, wrote a great article regarding this matter – Investing In Our Future – and that’s what we need to do.

Tags: breakthroughs, country, economy, hope, investment, money, renew, start-ups, tech, VC
Posted in Los Angeles, San Francisco | 17 Comments »