Tuesday Talks

Financial literacy combines financial, credit, and debt management knowledge that is necessary to make financially responsible decisions—choices that are integral to our everyday lives. Financial literacy includes paying off debt, creating a budget, and understanding the difference between various financial instruments. In sum, financial literacy has a material impact on families as they try to balance their budget, buy a home, fund their children’s education, or ensure an income for retirement.

Underrepresented communities have faced institutional barriers to financial security and wealth for decades, leaving a significant gap between those benefiting from the current system, and those being  left behind.It’s more important than ever for all generations in underserved communities to learn financial literacy principles so that they can effectively manage their money throughout their lifetime and act as ambassadors in closing the economic equality gap.

So, in today’s conversation we will give space to amazing and pioneering women who are striving to increase access to financial education and literacy in all communities.

For the entirety of human history, women and girls have contributed to advancement across the vast range of scientific disciplines. And as we celebrate those achievements and contributions, we recognize that science and gender equality are both vital for the achievement of the internationally agreed development goals, including the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Over the past decades, the global community has made significant efforts to break down barriers for women and girls in science. In order to achieve full and equal access to and participation in science for women and girls, and further achieve gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls, the United Nations General Assembly declared 11 February as the International Day of Women and Girls in Science in 2015.

Still a significant gender gap has persisted throughout the years at all levels of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) disciplines all over the world. Even though women have made tremendous progress towards increasing their participation in higher education, they are still under-represented in these fields.

So, in today’s conversation we will give space to amazing and pioneering women who are leading the charge to redefine the STEM world and create more access for women and girls globally.

Reproductive rights are centered around the legal right to access reproductive health care services. But what good is a right if you cannot access the services that right has provided? This is why reproductive justice is critical.

Reproductive justice links reproductive rights with the social, political and economic inequalities that affect a woman’s ability to access reproductive health care services. Core components of reproductive justice include equal access to affordable contraceptives and comprehensive sex education, as well as freedom from sexual violence. As the attacks on reproductive rights and justice continue to grow, it’s more important than ever to build and strengthen communities who will fight for unrestricted access to comprehensive reproductive health care.

So, in today’s conversation we will give space to amazing women who are continuing to keep reproductive justice at the forefront of women’s rights.

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is a self-regulating business model that helps a company be socially accountable—to itself, its stakeholders, and the public. By practicing corporate social responsibility, also called corporate citizenship, companies can be conscious of the kind of impact they are having on all aspects of society, including economic, social, and environmental.

Most companies have long practiced some form of corporate social and environmental responsibility with the broad goal, simply, of contributing to the well-being of the communities and society they affect and on which they depend.

So, in today’s conversation we will give space to amazing and pioneering women who are keeping communities and the environment at the center of CSR in order to create a better world for all.

Education is a human right, a public good and a public responsibility. The United Nations General Assembly proclaimed 24 January as International Day of Education in celebration of the role of education for peace and development.

Without inclusive and equitable quality education and lifelong opportunities for all, countries will not succeed in achieving gender equality and breaking the cycle of poverty that is leaving millions of children, youth and adults behind.

But who gets to determine what education systems look, what classes are taught, and what resources are offered to students? There have been debates throughout history from the local to the federal level on these questions and yet communities still struggle to provide not only quality education but equitable education.

So, in today’s conversation we will give space to amazing and pioneering women who are pushing for progressive and creative curricula in classrooms around the world.

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a profound impact on our world. It’s disrupted economies and education systems and taken away livelihoods. Governments, businesses and individuals have been forced to adapt rapidly. We have seen major gaps in many facets of life including human and social behavior, the economy and healthcare as the world pivots to adapt to a hybrid virtual model.

With the economic impact of COVID-19, companies and people are still learning to embrace technology and create new workplace models. The pandemic has exposed major gaps in the healthcare systems but has also led to amazing innovations in the healthcare industry including telehealth medicine. In the future, we will find a return to normalcy in many aspects of life. But there’s no question that many things will change, possibly forever. COVID-19 has altered the experience of being a customer, an employee, a citizen and a human for everyone..

So, in today’s conversation we will give space to amazing and pioneering women who are on the ground working through the challenges and impacts presented by COVID-19 as we enter our third year in the pandemic.

Tuesday Talks went virtual in March of 2020 when the world was first hit by the pandemic and when none of us knew what the future would look like. We quickly pivoted Tuesday Talks to continue virtually and give people an opportunity to build community in this new normal.

Over the past year and a half we have had 233  speakers, 88% of which have been women, and I am proud to announce that this will be our 81st discussion. We’ve had the privilege to cover topics ranging from Reconciliation After Tumultuous Political Times, The Role of Media in Social Justice Movements, Finding Solutions to Homelessness, and many more amazing topics.

As we wrap up the year we hope to get feedback from our community members. Follow the link to our short survey in the chat. We will also include it in this week’s follow-up email. We hope to gain perspective from you all that will power another year of amazing conversations.

Today, we have an incredible lineup of individuals who have been past speakers on some of our most popular conversations, and we are closing out our year by celebrating them.

According to the  International Labour Organisation (ILO) more than 40 million people worldwide are victims of modern slavery. Modern slavery is a broad term covering practices such as forced labour, debt bondage, forced marriage, and human trafficking. It refers to situations of exploitation that a person cannot refuse or leave because of threats, violence, coercion, deception, and/or abuse of power.

December 2nd is the International Day for the Abolition of Slavery and marks the date of the adoption, by the General Assembly, of the United Nations. The focus of this day is on eradicating contemporary forms of slavery, such as trafficking in persons, sexual exploitation, the worst forms of child labour, forced marriage, and the forced recruitment of children for use in armed conflict.

So, in today’s conversation we will give space to amazing and pioneering women who are leading the charge to address and end human trafficking in our communities.

Nearly 1 in 3 women have been abused in their lifetime. In times of crises, the numbers rise, as seen during the COVID-19 pandemic and recent humanitarian crises, conflicts and climate disasters. A new report from UN Women, based on data from 13 countries since the pandemic, shows that 2 in 3 women reported that they or a woman they know experienced some form of violence and are more likely to face food insecurity. Only 1 in 10 women said that victims would go to the police for help.

The International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women is celebrated on November 25th and while pervasive, gender-based violence is not inevitable. It can and must be prevented. Stopping this violence starts with believing survivors, adopting comprehensive and inclusive approaches that tackle the root causes, transform harmful social norms, and empower women and girls. With survivor-centred essential services across policing, justice, health, and social sectors, and sufficient financing for the women’s rights agenda, we can end gender-based violence.

So, in today’s conversation we will give space to amazing and pioneering women who are leading the charge to address gender based violence.

The world is in a very different place than where it was six years ago when the Food & Agriculture Organization of the United Nations committed to the goal of ending hunger, food insecurity and all forms of malnutrition by 2030. Conflict, climate change, and economic slowdowns are the major drivers slowing down progress, particularly where inequality is high. The COVID-19 pandemic made the pathway towards SDG2 even steeper.

Food insecurity is defined as a lack of consistent access to enough food for every person in a household to live an active, healthy life. This can be a temporary situation for a household or can last a long time. Food insecurity is one way we can measure how many people cannot afford food. In 2020, between 720 and 811 million people faced hunger.

So, in today’s conversation we will give space to amazing and pioneering women who are leading the charge to address hunger and food shortages for all communities.