Meet the M-power Mentees, Class of 2019/2020. These remarkable women are blazing a trail in Business, Medicine, Tech and the Arts. If they are any indication, the future is bright.
These are strange times and the world’s been a stressful place. We totally get it. But we decided not to give up and do something new and good instead! We are partnering with our fellow friends from Brisbane, Miks Chai. Co-founded by Mikhara and Gabrielle. Miks Chai is a social enterprise that creates delicious cups of chai to bring people together, to share stories and have conversations.
Much like Miks Chai, our amazing team of women in Pondicherry really (like REALLY) love their chai breaks to share their experiences, problems and stories over a cuppa chai.
Isolation life especially, has made us all long for these conversations. Hence, providing a safe and inclusive space for humans in the communities we work with has always been our primary goal. We are proud to have successfully created those spaces in all the communities we have worked so far. “Being here is the only time and place in the world I can be my true self”, says Gayatri, our team member in Pondicherry, India.
We can all agree to what an emotional rollercoaster this quarantine has been for everyone. We have had days of fear, days of stress, days of happiness, days of contentment and sometimes all at once! In our pursuit to find something good and positive to do during this time, we as a team found consensus in how important mental health has become.
We find this partnership to be a vital step in making our contribution towards spreading awareness and breaking the stigma on mental health and creating a safe and inclusive community space. Miks Chai donates 50% of their profits to mental health support and suicide prevention organizations. Their chai is packed with the aim of bringing goodness to your heart, mind, body and soul.
Apart from our ingrained love for chai, we also share our passion of working towards a more sustainable, eco-friendly and compassionate world. Our products start with the finest organic raw materials, are handmade with love and every purchase makes a meaningful contribution to communities and individuals.
Well, what’s in it for you? You get the best of both worlds! An exclusive pouch, ethically sourced and manufactured using upcycled saree and a heart-warming tea bag of the original (tried and tested family recipe) edition of Miks Chai. Who wouldn’t love a warm chai in a cold winter morning, right?
Check out our Chai Bags here: https://www.humanismglobal.com/collections/products/products/humanism-x-miks-chai-humanitea-pouch
Written by Marilyn Joy
]]>
86% of millennials are saying that there is more to business than money. This is reflected by the changing trend to be more socially aware and responsible for issues that affect us globally.
The corporate sector is dedicating resources to departments on social responsibility and implementing diverse and inclusive work cultures. Investors are bringing in new ideas of social innovation into the market. There has been a noticeable trend in entrepreneurs wanting to address a ‘social problem’.
Social problems are those that addresses some of the world’s greatest problems, including poverty, environmental sustainability, gender equality, and the list goes on. Changing commercial business models to solve these problems has coincidently opened up a sector specifically for social entrepreneurship. According to Swinburne University’s Centre for Social Impact, social enterprises have amounted to nearly $5.2 billion of the Victorian economy and have employed over 60,000 people in this sector.
As these statistics show, the sector is beginning to boom. Here are some reasons why social entrepreneurship is the next ‘big’ thing.
The social costs have begun to outweigh the benefits of an increased GDP. The GDP is an inadequate measure the quality of life as global equity is no longer measured in a financial capacity fueled by capitalism. The UN Sustainable Development Goals are an improved measure of understanding national progress in terms of social wellbeing factors such as access to formal employment, healthcare and basic human rights in a country. According to the UN in 2016, 61% of all workers globally are engaged in informal activities - activities that are unsafe and unsustainable. These statistics have been adopted as new indicators to measure global success.
Upcoming generations believe that having shared goals and a sense of purpose is more important than growth or profit maximisation. Although being pro-business, around 52% of millenials expect businesses to be committed to helping improve society, according to the 2016 Deloitte Millennial Survey. Social enterprises are also founded on the concept of common purpose towards a shared community goal. In my opinion, having a purpose driven business model serves this purpose as it builds momentum to contribute to society whilst making economic gain.
Social enterprises offer alternative solutions to bridge the funding gap for non-for-profit activities. Leveraging the capital market in the social enterprise sector can open up a large sum of funding to become available for scaling the work for charitable organisations. According to the Australian Charities Commission, 35% of charities receive no donations at all, and 25% rely on donations for more than half of their income. Combining the power of global commerce with organisations that serve to address global problems can create an avenue for sustainable revenue flow that can be spread across to NGOs and NFP organisations to scale their impact globally, and ensure sustainable outcomes are achieved.
Many social enterprises have been created based on these reasons, including Humanism Global. Humanism Global was ‘born’ from identifying the need to recognise and offer opportunities to the lives of many humans who do not have access to them.
Handouts are not going to end global poverty, but work, real work, just might - Leila
At Humanism Global, we co-design employment and educational opportunities for humans in marginalised communities to break the cycle of this inequality in order to have a better redistribution of wealth and resources, and to embed new approaches that build capacities at all levels of society.
The marginalised women we work with in Pondicherry, South India currently create hand-made artisanal lanyards, and customised 100% GOTS certified organic cotton tote bags sold to Australian organisations. Each sale creates real work and a safe source of income for the women we work with, but also educates the world on the impacts of their purchasing power. Our platform for employment creates a safe space for women to truly express who they are, without judgment and exclusion.
Being here is the only time and place in the world I can be my true self - Gayatri
We hope to extend this experience to over 300 humans by the end of this year, and 10,000+ humans 5 years from now.
Sources:
https://www.redbull.com/my-en/social-enterprise-stats
https://probonoaustralia.com.au/news/2018/02/predictions-2018-social-enterprise/
https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/economic-growth/
https://www.ourcommunity.com.au/general/general_article.jsp?articleId=103
]]>There’s no doubt that Melbourne has become a bit of a hub for entrepreneurship and startups. These days, most people you know have some sort of side hustle going on outside their 9 til 5. But the ones I want to bring to your attention right now are the ones driving positive change for our planet.
]]>Humanism Global is a social enterprise that aims to eliminate poverty, one job at a time. They currently work with marginalised women in Pondicherry (South India), who face social and cultural barriers. This prevents them from having access to dignified education & employment and translates into a lack of sustainable income.
Today, the women create event merchandise including artisanal lanyards and customised 100% GOTS-Certified organic cotton tote bags. Their products are customisable and can incorporate branding and design requests, which are screen-printed by hand. Each product is handmade by the women, and comes with an ‘Impact Card’, which tells the story of the human that made your products.
Every order, contributes towards the women’s financial independence through providing them with access to safe and sustainable employment, and creates an equitable world that leaves no human behind.
We all play a vital role in creating positive change in our world to keep our planet clean and beautiful for future generations. Opting for sustainable, day-to-day products such as eco-friendly toilet paper or laundry detergent can have a huge positive impact. Get behind these local startups who put our planet and people first
Read more: https://justmelbourne.com.au/4-local-melbourne-startups-saving-our-planet/
]]>]]>
Meet the M-power Mentees, Class of 2019/2020. These remarkable women are blazing a trail in Business, Medicine, Tech and the Arts. If they are any indication, the future is bright.
The benefits of dance classes for children are myriad, from the emotional to the physical, but kids with developmental difficulties are often not encouraged to join in the fun. Clinical psychologist Dr. Nicole Papadopoulos heads up AllPlay Dance, a groundbreaking program developed by the Deakin Child Study Centre in Melbourne that provides dance resources and opportunities for schools to foster inclusive environments. “I would like to help children and families to reach their full potential and provide research to make the world a fitter place,” she says. Her PhD thesis, completed in 2003, explored the impact of motor proficiency on children with neurodevelopmental disorders. Through AllPlay Dance, Dr. Papadopoulos will also contribute research that highlights the positive impact of dance for children with autism.
On being a MECCA M-Power mentee: “It’s a great opportunity to meet like-minded people and learn and grow personally and professionally.”
The definition of an empowered woman: “A woman who is confident, has a strong vision, feels supported and is driven to achieve her goals.”
Inspirational women: “My boss, Professor Nicole Rinehart. Her drive, dedication and support have been the cornerstone of my career achievements to date.”
Ayesha Tauseef is a young activist from Brisbane who wrote a poem about sexual harassment that went viral on social media. Entitled Chadar and informed by a visit to Pakistan, it prompted hundreds of people to open up about their experiences on her Instagram account. “I realised there is a need to create a safe space online to break the silence around sexual harassment,” says Tauseef, who is working towards launching an online platform that provides healing to victims and raises awareness about the prevalence of harassment. CHADAR is an acronym for Challenging Harassment and Abuse, Demanding Action and Respect. “The name itself is a bridge that seeks to challenge eastern and western conceptions of sexual harassment and abuse in order to achieve a global impact,” she adds.
By helping women you help everyone: “The system that oppresses women also oppresses people of colour, the queer community, the disabled community, and other minority communities, albeit in different ways.”
Impact on the world: “I’m still young and figuring out what my footprint will be on this world. But if I could help just one woman through something that I’ve struggled with personally, I would be happy.”
Beauty products always in reach: “Self-care brings me joy. I am obsessed with Frank Body. I use their lip balm and caffeinated hair mask. Taking care of my hair is important to me because I wear the hijab and, despite what people may assume, hair care is a hijabi’s priority too!”
“I’d love to leave a legacy which motivates people to see beyond stereotypes, labels and assumptions.” So says Bianca Orsini, a director at YLab, the social enterprise that trains and employs young people to work with government, corporate and community organisations. “They bring multidisciplinary skills, lived experiences and fresh ideas to projects,” says Orsini, of the venture established by the Foundation for Young Australians. Prior to YLab, the Sydneysider coordinated The Oasis initiative, which focused on the early intervention and prevention of youth homelessness in schools. Right now, she is developing the next stage of the strategy. “We want to engage more young people who have experienced homelessness to lead the program design and delivery, and to engage more schools and communities,” she says.
On women bringing a different perspective: “One of YLab’s values is working with the ‘unlike-minded’. Including diverse ways of thinking is important to ensuring the challenges we’re working on have been considered from different perspectives. Women play a vital role in this.”
By helping women you help everyone: “That’s the first time I’ve heard that! I agree and at the same time I try to embody a collective approach—start with everyone to help everyone.”
A must-read book written by a woman: “I love Where’d You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple. It’s really clever, funny, strange and an absolute emotional rollercoaster.”
Social entrepreneur Claire Wiglesworth is planting a seed so that older women facing chronic unemployment and homelessness will flourish. Her start-up, Plantful, intends to offer employment opportunities with creative nature programs as well as horticultural skills to NDIS participants. “With funding from the National Disability Insurance Scheme, these women can gain income that empowers them to remain living in their neighbourhood and be more financially independent” she says. The programs will make the joys of gardening and being in nature accessible to more people with disabilities. The initiative is informed by Wiglesworth’s background in healthcare, her appreciation for nature connection and her impressive green thumb. “When we truly see and apply the capacity of women, we are honouring each other in the most valuable way I can imagine,” she adds.
On women bringing a different perspective: “When I think of women in my field, I see a particular strength of empathetic perspective, an ability to translate data into a cohesive and meaningful story, and a vision that seeks to lift up the many rather than the few."
The definition of an empowered woman: “An empowered woman is both strengthened from within, with knowledge of herself and her innate value, and empowered by the people and wider society in which she lives.”
Inspirational women: “I’m inspired by people of my own generation, who I know and who are working hard to create and become the change they wish to see, like Avalon Bourne, Aleesha Rodriguez, and Bri Lee.”
Growing up in the Torres Strait Islands, between Australia and New Guinea, gave Erin Hughes deep insight into the challenges faced by children in far-flung communities. For the last four years, the young engineer, a volunteer with Engineers Without Borders, has sought to inspire underrepresented groups within STEM fields (science, technology, engineering and maths), including women and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. “The Torres Straits is remote, and students are sometimes not aware of STEM disciplines—I had no idea what engineering was,” says Hughes, who works as a water engineer at a hydrology consultancy. “I am innovating new ways to safely manage our water sources and creating water resilient communities.”
On women bringing a different perspective: “An engineer is a problem solver, and we are required to solve problems that directly affect communities. To be able to do this effectively, we need a workforce which can provide us different perspectives.”
The definition of an empowered woman: “A woman who has the power to make life choices and stand up for what they believe in. To me, the key enabler is increasing the capacity of women through education, which is a mechanism for a more equitable world.”
A must-read book written by a woman: “Educated by Tara Westover and My Place by Sally Morgan. Sorry, I couldn’t narrow it down to one!”
Sakshi Thakur is the founder and CEO of Humanism, a social enterprise that aspires to eliminate global poverty—one job at a time. Founded in 2018, the initiative employs marginalised women in Pondicherry in South India to produce artisanal lanyards and organic cotton tote bags for Australian events and conferences. “Our vision is to create an equitable world that leaves no human behind,” she says. Thakur admits she has dealt with gender bias in her career, but feels privileged to have faced less obstacles than the generations of women before her. “I was born in a country where, at the time, women still didn’t have the right to vote,” she says. “My parents migrated to Australia with very little, so that if I wanted to run for prime minister I could. I’m grateful for this every day!”
The definition of an empowered woman: “Someone who has the courage to dare greatly. It’s inspired by this quote from Brene Brown: ‘Daring greatly is being brave and afraid of every minute of the day at the same time.’”
Impact on the world: “I’d like to leave this world with more empathy, kindness and with equal opportunities for every human. I also secretly hope my grandkids can look back at my journey and think I am the coolest grandmother ever.”
A must-read book written by a woman: “Give Work by Leila Janah. She’s an incredibly hardworking, ambitious, resilient and humble social entrepreneur. She changed the way I think about business and the kind of impact I want to have in this world.”
Hollie Fifer is an award-winning director and producer on the radar of the Shark Island Institute, the Sydney-based group renowned for its social impact documentaries. “I am drawn to stories of social injustice and abuses of power that can be developed into an epic cinematic journey,” says Fifer, whose first feature, The Opposition, explored a David and Goliath tussle over a slice of Papua New Guinea paradise. Fifer is currently developing her second documentary, Between Us, which follows the plight of the South Sudanese community in Melbourne as they deal with racial vilification from the state and media. “I think of documentary filmmaking as constantly leaping over obstacles to get to the finished film,” says Fifer, who’s preparing to shoot in Egypt and South Sudan. “That’s what it means to dance with reality.”
On being a MECCA M-Power mentee: “There are few opportunities like this one that work with you to ensure you can launch into the next stage of your career. It is allowing me to be creatively and professionally brave knowing I have the MECCA community’s support with me.”
On women bringing a different perspective: “I often think of my first film as masculine. I am now considering what the female gaze looks like in documentary filmmaking and how my style changes because of the perspective I have of the world.”
Inspirational women: “Extraordinary directors like Ava DuVernay, Andrea Arnold and Jill Soloway. Closer to home, I’m inspired by documentary makers Gabrielle Brady and Alex Kelly (Island of the Hungry Ghosts) and Maya Newell (In My Blood It Runs).
Born in New Zealand of Irish, Scottish and Māori descent, Renee Cosgrave explores her rich cultural identity in her artwork. In her lyrical abstract paintings—which veer from soft shades to bolder colours and grace canvas, linen and even brick walls—she reflects on subjects including land, genealogy and whānau (family). “I’m always inspired by the wahine (women) in my family, particularly my aunties and all of my cousins,” she says. “I’ve never met my dad’s mum, Jean Rawhiti-Rangataua, but I constantly think of her and what she went through.” As the recipient of the MECCA M-Power NGV Arts Mentoring Program, Cosgrave is excited to extend her creative forays. “It offers me an opportunity to return home to Aotearoa (New Zealand) to connect with my Māori culture and develop research in Europe to understand more about my pākehā (European) heritage.”
Read more: https://www.mecca.com.au/the-mecca-memo/the-in-tray/mpower-mentees-2019.html
]]>]]>
From wearable devices that combat period pain, to a global network of locations to store your bags and personal items, 10 promising startups will receive in-depth training and financial support as part of this year's SPARK Deakin Accelerator program.
Launched this week, the Accelerator provides a diverse group of up-and-coming entrepreneurs with $10,000 equity-free funding, as well as mentoring, masterclasses, legal support, and access to a dedicated co-working space in Melbourne's CBD.
SPARK Deakin has also joined with Google Cloud for Startups ahead of this year's launch, with the tech giant providing teams with $20,000 worth of Google credits towards their venture.
SPARK Deakin Program Manager Daizy Maan said the Accelerator's purpose was to empower founders from a diverse range of backgrounds who were at an early stage of their journey building promising and impactful startups.
"We're focused on building a true sense of community, powered by a 'give-first' mentality that supports impactful founders who align with the University's core value of serving our communities," Ms Maan said.
"We're also pleased to announce, for the first time, that 50 per cent of our Accelerator founders are women. It's important for us to recognise the value of gender equity with our Accelerator, to do our part to address disparity within the startup and entrepreneurial space. We are very proactive in encouraging diverse founders to apply."
The 10 teams will now go through an intensive three-month journey centred on a series of masterclasses and mentoring sessions designed to boost their growth.
This year's Accelerator mentors include leading entrepreneurs, industry experts, and investors from the startup ecosystem, such as Newmarket Capital founder James Douglas; Royal Bank of Canada Vice President of Innovation and Transformation, and former Head of Market Development and Mobile at PayPal Alexander Peh; and Pawan Lalwani, a Deakin University alumnus and CEO of Language Your Way, winner of the iAwards 2018 Startup of the Year.
"The future is going to be led by the next generation of entrepreneurs, and we're here to empower them," Ms Maan said.
"Every team is now part of a community of generous, ambitious, committed and passionate entrepreneurs. Your network matters – so we strive to connect our teams with some of the best founders, corporate partners, advisors and mentors that Australia and the international startup ecosystem has to offer."
The SPARK Deakin Accelerator teams for 2019 are:
Art Everywhere – A digital art sales platform that connects artists with commercial spaces for exhibitions.
Humanism – Creates safe and sustainable crafting and textile work for people in developing countries.
Mind My Bag – A storage solution for bags and personal items, with a network of convenient and safe locations.
Our Songlines – An Indigenous-run digital platform that maintains data on Indigenous areas of significance.
Ovira – A small wearable device that stops period pain.
PolyLab – Provides novel methods of recycled plastic additive manufacturing in 3D printing.
Sproutr – Matches startups with a pool of freelancers and skill providers, allowing businesses to pay in cash or shares.
STRUT – Aims to provide a turnkey internet of things (IoT) solution for customers within an IoT ecosystem.
The Other Straw – A social enterprise replacing plastic straws with reusable, ethically-sourced bamboo straws.
TutorSeek – A mobile app that connects students with tutors in their area.
This year's finalists attended a pre-Accelerator intensive boot camp, and the final 10 were selected after pitching their ventures to a panel of judges made up of industry experts, mentors, investors and key Deakin stakeholders.
The teams all include at least one member with a connection to Deakin – whether as a student, staff member or graduate. This year's Accelerator crop also includes teams chosen through a newly-instituted social impact category (Our Songlines, The Other Straw, and Humanism), as well as two teams from Geelong (Polylab and STRUT) and one from Warrnambool (Art Everywhere).
Ovira founder Alice Williams, whose discreet wearable product is designed to release unique pulses that relieve period pain by blocking pain signals from travelling to the brain, said she felt privileged to be accepted as part of the program.
"I hope to gain the knowledge and skill-set to grow Ovira into a global brand, so I’m able to positively impact as many women’s lives as possible," Ms Williams said.
"As a Deakin graduate, it makes me proud to know that my university is supporting entrepreneurship and is helping students grow their ideas and take them to the world.
"Mentorship and advice will be particularly useful for me and Ovira as a first-time founder with an early stage startup. But what I'm looking forward to most is working alongside other like-minded, passionate founders to share, support and help each other."
Since launching in 2015, the SPARK Deakin Accelerator initiative has assisted 45 founders to launch 20 startups, which have gone on to create 99 part time and full-time jobs, more than 750 contract roles, and more than $3 million revenue, while serving more than 14,000 customers.
Read more: https://www.sparkdeakin.com/blog/2019-accelerator-teams
]]>
Seven young Australian innovators are ready to take their ventures to the next level after securing $10,000 in seed funding at a live Sydney pitch up event held by the Foundation for Young Australians (FYA).
Ryan Tilley, Caitlin Figueiredo, Madeline Green, Hayley McQuire, Amy Whitten, Sakshi Thakur and Yvonne Xu, were selected from 45 participant pitch-ups in the 2018 Young Social Pioneers program.
The pitch-ups are the culmination of the six month immersive incubator program that helps small businesses and initiatives making a social impact to develop the competencies and networks required to be successful.
FYA CEO, Jan Owen AM said the 2018 cohort were indicative of the potential Australia’s 4.6 million young people possess and reinforced the need for investment in youth entrepreneurship.
“This year’s participants are from all states and territories, diverse backgrounds with vastly different experience and ideas. Each of them are indicative of a generation working with and within systems to create practical, lasting change,” Ms Owen said.
“Our responsibility to these young people is to harness, focus and amplify their ideas, thinking and voices to ensure a better future for our communities, country and planet. This is exactly what Young Social Pioneers aims to do. ”
In the last nine years, Young Social Pioneers has supported more than 290 different initiatives and ideas from young people nationwide, with many former participants still thriving in their work today including Usman Iftikhar, co-Founder of Catalysr; Vanessa Marian, director of Groove Therapy; Jordan O’Reilly, co-Founder of HireUp; Olivia Fleming, Founder and director of The Little HELP Project; Taj Pabari, Founder of Fiftysix Creations; and more.
Young Social Pioneers was made possible through the support of key corporate and philanthropic partners Australian Unity, Citi Australia, Charter Hall, Dyson Bequest, Third Link, Vasudhara and the Wilson Foundation.
For the full 2018 Young Social Pioneers cohort see here.
Open Stream – Sakshi Thakur
Sakshi is a 24 year old social entrepreneur from Melbourne. She founded ‘Humanism’, which aims to alleviate relative poverty through education and dignified employment opportunities. They currently provide 15 women from rural Pondicherry, with textiles education and dignified employment. The women make and screen print personalised tote and string bags from recycled material and organic cotton.
]]>