Category: Local

Learnings from NationSwell’s event on the invisible tax

Posted on by Anthony Smith

Although it most frequently impacts people of color, and Black people in particular, an invisible tax can be “paid” based on any race, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, or intersection of those identities that deviates from the white, cishet norm.

Although the term was first coined by former US Education Secretary John King Jr. to describe the additional strain that school systems place on African American teachers, the phrase has since expanded to include the disproportionate emotional and mental weight carried by marginalized members of any workforce. Unsurprisingly, the toll exacted by the invisible tax often leads to employee burnout.

During a NationSwell Council hybrid workshop moderated by Jaylan Fisher (co-founder, Black In HR Indy), Dr. Warren Dukes (vice president of Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion, United Way of Central Indiana), Angel Henry (author and founder of AngelSpeaking), Amber Fields (chief culture officer, TrueU), and Rico Francis (Pacers Foundation Social Impact Director), and hosted by TJ Wright (principal & chief executive officer of Whelhaus Co.), participants reflected on the ways the invisible tax might show up in their own workplaces — and how to better identify implicit, biased behaviors in themselves and others.

Here are some key takeaways from the event:

Employers need to recognize — and pay — employees for the time they spend working to improve a company’s DEI metrics

Although companies are getting savvier when it comes to identifying the hallmarks of an invisible tax, including by establishing identity-based affinity groups for employees, leaders are too often oblivious to the extra work these groups can create for their members. Doing support work, putting together agendas, and running the show in general are all forms of labor, and team members who go the extra mile to build and strengthen coalitions should be compensated for their time accordingly.

Know your limits and establish firm boundaries

Knowing when to walk away — and when a company is not supporting your experience in the workplace — can be a vital skill when dealing with an invisible tax. Having your boundaries frequently crossed or challenged, whether it’s through insensitive comments, unfair expectations, or unacknowledged work, is unacceptable, and sometimes the best thing to do is to leave a dangerous or toxic environment.

Normalizing mental health discussions and education in the workplace is a critical step

Having brave and vulnerable conversations is key to creating psychological safety in the workplace and establishing greater understanding of how identity impacts how people show up to do their jobs. By normalizing frank conversations around mental health, employers can in turn create a safe and inclusive workspace where team members trust that their experiences and struggles will be seen and understood.

Call out the invisible tax when you spot it

Sometimes the best strategy for dealing with unfair treatment is to initiate tough and frank conversations about where and how an invisible tax is showing up. Such conversations are also a great opportunity for white, cisgender and heteronormative colleagues to step up and advocate for their colleagues, who shouldn’t be expected to bear the burden of always blowing the whistle on bad policies or behaviors.

If your company isn’t attracting diverse talent organically, there might be good reason to be suspicious

The absence of diverse applicants in a company’s hiring pipeline is often a good sign that the company in question isn’t doing enough to attract or retain diverse talent. Common sins of companies struggling to champion inclusivity are the absence of diverse representation in leadership; soliciting thought partnership without reward, recognition or follow through; and using language that contradicts the actual policies in place (i.e., saying “we support moms” while simultaneously offering inadequate parental leave).

Normalize not expecting people of color to “react” to violent news cycles that white team members might have the privilege to ignore

Not only should marginalized employees not be asked to serve as “spokespersons” on their respective cultures, but they also shouldn’t be expected to react to violent or traumatizing news cycles involving members of the group(s) they identify with. Asking coworkers of color “how they’re doing” during a tough news cycle might seem well-intentioned, but the implication is that the emotional burden is theirs to bear — yet another form of emotional labor that non-minority employees are exempt from.

The NationSwell Council community brings together a diverse, curated community of bold individuals and organizations leading the way in social, economic, and environmental problem-solving. Learn more about the Council here.

Learnings from NationSwell’s Institutional Member community event on inspiring teams

Posted on by Anthony Smith

But when external forces threaten our own morale and livelihoods in addition to those of our teams and corporate cultures, it can be an especially daunting task to inspire and unite with grace. The first step, then, must necessarily be to ensure that we are operating as a fulfilled human beings first and as leaders second — the old saw about “putting your oxygen mask on first,” has never been truer.

In a recent NationSwell Institutional Member roundtable event, members convened to share practical advice on how to strengthen morale and build a robust culture of inspiration within our teams and beyond. They discussed the steps they’re taking to manage their time amid previously unthinkable distractions, what they’re reading, and how they keep their teams inspired and aligned, even in the face of daunting social challenges.

Here are some of the key learnings and takeaways from the event.

A fixed feedback ratio makes a real difference.

When deployed successfully, using a ‘5-to-1 ratio’ when providing feedback to team members — making sure that there are 5 positive call-outs for every one negative piece of feedback — can help keep team members receptive to negative or constructive feedback, if it ever arises.

Embrace the ‘fourth prong’ of inspiration.

While many thought leaders agree that a sense of growth or purpose, the ability to learn, and personal autonomy are key components of the framework that motivates humans as a species, a fourth prong — sense of identity and belonging — can be just as instrumental in helping to keep team members inspired.

Hybrid connections necessitate increased intentionality.
As we navigate the changing work landscape that Covid-19 has created, we need to be mindful and intentional about designing experiences going forward. In creating hybrid connections, it’s important to think about what makes it useful for people to come into an office, and what kinds of activities actually foster a sense of belonging.

Leaders must bear the burden of risk.

As we grow professionally, leadership is laced with risk — we have to be prepared to bear the burden of those risks for those we lead and those within our sphere of influence.

The ‘progress principle’ unlocks your workers’ best.

Employees are most motivated when they have a manager who works with them to evaluate their goals and keep tabs on their progress.

Utilize a “go-with-the-flow” mentality.

Trust that all the pieces fall into place if they’re meant to, and revitalize teams by moving on quickly when something out of your control isn’t working.

52 small celebrations a year

Making space for weekly wins is a simple but valuable tool to help support and encourage.

NationSwell’s Institutional Membership program is built for leading corporations, philanthropies, and investment firms, designed to help leaders take their work in CSR, ESG, DEI, Impact Investing, Sustainability, and Philanthropy to the next level. Learn more about NationSwell’s Institutional Membership community here.

Learnings from NationSwell’s event on immigration with Ali Noorani

Posted on by NationSwell Team

We often hear that the United States is a “nation of immigrants,” but this notion doesn’t reflect the realities of either our national discourse or federal immigration policy.

In his new book, “Crossing Borders: The Reconciliation of a Nation of Immigrants,” Ali Noorani, president and CEO of the National Immigration Forum, explores the recent history and current landscape of U.S. immigration policy through the stories of immigrants themselves.

In a recent Council event with NationSwell, Ali joined us to discuss his book, the rise of certain anti-immigration narratives — particularly on the far-right — what can be done to change these narratives, and what steps must be taken on a federal and local policy level to truly make it possible for immigrants and refugees to flourish.

Here are some of the key takeaways from the event.

Change is most effective when it comes from within

It’s extremely difficult to change somebody’s social and political views as an outsider. This can be especially true of issues, such as immigration, that large media companies like Fox News have a vested interest in shaping. But there are groups of conservatives who have broken from the narratives around immigration that are being pushed, and they have the best chance of affecting change in their own circles.

This is not to say that liberals and progressives are powerless to move the needle. The key, however, is for them to focus their energy on smaller scale outreach, as fact checking and scolding far-right media narratives has little practical effect.

We must make an effort to understand the fears of those who hold anti-immigrant views

Those who oppose immigration typically have a common set of fears: Culture, security, and economy. However wrongheaded or inaccurate these fears may be, if an attempt isn’t made to understand them, then the work of changing the minds of those who hold them becomes exponentially more difficult. When people feel their concerns are being dismissed outright, they are much less likely to want to be part of a dialogue.

What can we take away from the situation in Ukraine?

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has resulted in one of the largest and fastest mass migrations since World War II. Attitudes towards Ukrainians fleeing their country are generally positive, but rather than dwell on the disparity between how they are looked upon favorably while, for example, Central and South American migrants have often been demonized, we should use this opportunity to reshape our national immigration policy. The United States can use both the war in Ukraine and the recent influx of Afghan refugees to make permanent changes to its immigration policy and restore its gutted resettlement infrastructure.

What are some steps that still need to be taken to help immigrants and their children succeed in the U.S.?

Education is a key tool in this effort. Our schools must do better at even the basics of teaching about immigration so that non-immigrant students can better understand what their classmates or possibly classmates’ parents have gone through. Educators must also be provided with access to professional development so that they can better teach immigrant students. Immigrant families must also be provided with the basic infrastructure to succeed in the U.S. economy, such as access to the naturalization process through their employers, English classes if needed, and assistance obtaining necessary licenses to open businesses.

The NationSwell Council community brings together a diverse, curated community of bold individuals and organizations leading the way in social, economic, and environmental problem-solving. Learn more about the Council here.

Learnings from NationSwell’s ‘Break the Bias’ event on fair and inclusive workplaces

Posted on by NationSwell Team

The gender wage gap has not been closed; women, people of color, and LGBTQ+ employees are still underrepresented in leadership roles; and many workplaces still adhere to outdated policies that can stifle the freedom, creativity, and productivity of a diverse workforce.

In a conversation hosted by the NationSwell Council community, three women leaders in the media industry explored what it means to build a fair, equitable, and just workplace, what steps businesses should be taking to foster inclusiveness and bring equity to the forefront of every decision, and how business leaders should think about their role in advancing gender justice in the workplace.

Here are some of the key learnings from the event.

We must be able to define what it truly means to be a fair and inclusive workspace

Creating such a workplace cannot be achieved if we lack a basic understanding of what the ultimate goal truly is. Fair and inclusive does not stop at merely having a diverse workforce. It’s not enough to simply have women, people of color, and LGBTQ+ employees and leaders. These groups and individuals must also be put in a position where they can be elevated, both in terms of advancement in the workplace and in having their voices and concerns heard and taken seriously.

It starts with diverse hiring

Of course, the first step is to hire more women, more people of color, and more members of the LGBTQ+ community. But that is truly just the first step. Research has shown that bias against women can still persist even in workspaces that are majority women, so issues of inequity will not suddenly disappear when some specific diversity ratio is achieved.

Take stock of your own communications

Companies should look at both their internal and outward facing communications to assess whose voices are usually featured. If, for example, a company’s website is filled with images of mostly white men, this could deter diverse candidates from applying for or accepting a job. Similarly, if internal comms are always led by white cishet men, other employees may feel alienated in the workplace.

Workers should feel comfortable in their own skin

Employees must feel their workplace is a safe space where they are free to be themselves. This includes respecting people’s identity — ie, using a person’s preferred pronouns and name — making sure all employees have equitable access to the health care they require, and making sure that they are not being harassed in any way by colleagues or clients. 

Free and open communication is a must

The culture of a workplace cannot change if people do not feel empowered to address their problems or concerns. One way to foster this type of communication is through employee surveys, but surveys can have issues as well. A survey could be written in a biased manner and can also flatten the experience of individuals by putting employees into groups. So managers must be able to have open and direct communication with individuals so that they can speak about their specific experiences and concerns.

The NationSwell Council community brings together a diverse, curated community of bold individuals and organizations leading the way in social, economic, and environmental problem-solving. Learn more about the Council here.

Truth and reconciliation could provide a pathway towards healing American race relations

Posted on by NationSwell Team

In the summer of 2020, America found itself in the throes of a full-blown racial reckoning. 

The product of the longstanding history of violence and police killings that the Black community has been disproportionately subjected to, the tensions crescendoed with the murder of the unarmed Minnesota man George Floyd in May. Over the course of the weeks that followed, outraged Americans flocked to the streets around the country to demand accountability and a national acknowledgment of the need for racial justice. The resultant protests were the most widely-attended in U.S. history, with as many as 26 million people estimated to have attended.

But nearly two years later, though the city-wide standoffs with police that once dotted the country have dissipated, many of the questions they raised remain unanswered. How can a country with a history steeped in racism and violence ever hope to redress its sins and create a more safe and equitable social landscape? What will it take for America to heal?

For some, the answer lies in truth and reconciliation — the process by which persistent inequalities are addressed through careful fact-gathering and supervised dialogues that seek to establish an objective version of historical events. Proponents of truth and reconciliation processes believe that confronting and reckoning with the past is necessary in order for successful transitions from conflict and resentment to peace and connectedness to occur. In bringing difficult issues into the light, truth and reconciliation commissions seek to provide a pathway towards healing, usually by rooting out solutions and establishing a set of concrete steps towards rectifying past injustices. 

In most cases, these commissions are often established as a way for members of dominant and marginalized communities  to come together to publicly acknowledge instances of conflict and pain. They’ve famously been assembled to dissect the legacy of Apartheid in South Africa, and to assess the human rights violations that occurred during Augusto Pinochet’s dictatorial rule of Chile.

In the United States, activists and community organizers have led the calls for the establishment of formalized, government-sponsored truth and reconciliation commissions to examine America’s racialized history of violence and oppression — hopefully catalyzing individuals and organizations alike to the realization of the specific ways they may benefit from the legacy of chattel slavery, segregation, and police violence. But even without formal government backing, there are grassroots groups working tirelessly across America to achieve the goals of truth and reconciliation on a smaller scale, taking a similar model and infusing it with compassion and empathy in the hopes of repairing community fractures and fostering peace at the local level. 

One such group is Heal America, an organization that began in earnest in Dallas in 2016 after an explosion of anguished protest in response to the police killings of two black men, Alton Sterling and Philando Castile, threatened to plunge the city into chaos. Much like the 2020 protests that resulted from the murder of George Floyd, Sterling and Castile’s deaths were the impetus for widescale national demonstrations in cities across the U.S. During the protests in Dallas, a lone gunman opened fire on a line of police officers, killing five and injuring 11 others. With conditions in the city threatening to devolve into a full-blown insurrection, local police tapped Bishop Omar Jahwar — a longtime gang interventionist and community leader — to lead the community towards healing. 

Jahwar — who died in 2021 after contracting COVID-19 — understood innately that the first step towards brokering peace during a conflict must necessarily include an acknowledgement of the pain being felt on both sides. He invited the grieving loved ones of Alton Sterling to speak onstage at a restaurant on Dallas’s south side, followed by the widows of two of the slain Dallas police officers. The civil rights activists, victims of violence, members of law enforcement and public leaders in attendance all watched as the family members embraced after finding mutual understanding in each other’s pain. 

That single event was such a success that Heal America was founded around it in order to further its mission, propped up by the belief that people are not only capable of difficult conversations, but that they can find strength — rather than division — in their differences. In the years that followed, Heal America went national, and has hosted events in cities like Dallas, Atlanta, Jackson, Missississippi, and Los Angeles. 

In each city, the movement convenes dedicated local individuals who wield the principles of love and redemption in an effort to address injustice, and then works to support those changemakers by providing funding, networking and storytelling opportunities, and other avenues to bolster healing.

During a recent Heal America tour stop in Pittsburgh, for example, Leon Ford — a 19-year-old who was shot in the back five times by a police officer, leaving him paralyzed from the waist down — convened non-profit leaders, community influencers, the mayor, and local law enforcement for a frank and inspiring conversation about how to shift the city away from focusing on racial divisions and towards collaborations that would tackle some of its most pressing racial injustices head-on.

Rather than turning inwards, focusing on anger and bitterness, Ford focused his energy on fostering constructive engagement — a perfect encapsulation of the Heal America model, and an example of the power modern grassroots truth and reconciliation models hold in shaping communities.

Branden Polk, the director of strategic partnerships at Heal America, told NationSwell that the movement is growing at a pivotal moment for America — one in which many people are feeling fatigued and hopeless by our seemingly deepening political and social divides.

“More than two out of every three Americans recognize racism remains a problem today, but in a climate of increasing polarization and declining social trust, it’s difficult for many people to see a way forward,” he said. “The extremes perpetuate a false choice that we must either deny our country and its values or deny the racial injustices that persist. It’s not the dominant view. But it’s the loudest one.”

The American definition of “justice” is a warped one, focused more on ideas about punitive systems and vengeance than it is on ideas about restoration and healing. But Heal America — and the truth and reconciliation process more broadly — is focused exactly on the place where solutions can help to foment real community change and relief.

“Polarization is rising. Americans’ trust in each other is falling. And it’s making it hard for people to come together on many issues, especially the difficult ones,” Polk said. “Heal America is helping people to come together — offering a way to address racial injustice by focusing on solutions and creating the space for diverse perspectives.”

Alejandro Gibes de Gac, CEO of Springboard Collaborative, on reimagining the education system

Posted on by NationSwell Team

The son of Chilean and Puerto Rican immigrant parents who had escaped political persecution in coming to the U.S., Alejandro quickly realized that the American dream of a quality education was not necessarily as accessible to low-income children of color in the same way it was for their white peers. It was this epiphany that helped to ignite Alejandro’s lifelong mission to rehabilitate the educational system, and a major part of the reason he founded Springboard Collaborative.

A data-driven and community based immersive experience, Springboard works to provide parents, guardians and family members with the training and resources they need in order to support children in learning outside of the classroom. NationSwell spoke to Alejandro about how developing schools’ leadership pipelines and delivering one-on-one literacy support can help support communities and how Springboard is endeavoring to close the literacy gap and make schools a more equitable place for low-income children.

NationSwell: What inspired you to form Springboard, and what is it about reforming the educational system that feels personal to you?

Springboard Collaborative CEO and founder Alejandro Gibes de Gac: The school system was constantly putting barriers in our way and constantly trying to keep our parents shut out of the process, even all the way up through senior year of high school. When I was applying to Harvard, the guidance counselor tried to talk me out of it so that I could avoid the disappointment of rejection, and then seemed pretty disappointed to see my acceptance letter. 

I share all of that because growing up in a home with little money but lots of love taught me firsthand that parents’ love for their children is the single greatest, and also the most underutilized natural resource in education. I took that perspective with me into teaching: I was a first grade teacher in North Philadelphia, teaching in a Puerto Rican neighborhood where I saw myself and my kids, I saw my parents, and pretty quickly I became frustrated that the same scenario from my childhood was playing out. 

Our school system approached black and brown parents like mine as liabilities, rather than as the assets that they are. Kids spend 75 percent of their waking hours outside of the classroom, and I realized that if we don’t find a way to help parents and teachers work together to give kids access to learning across the continuum of home and school, then we’re never going to close the achievement gap, let alone the opportunity gap. 

So, long story short, that’s why I started Springboard a decade ago: To close the literacy gap by closing the gap between home and school. And the way that we do that is by coaching parents and teachers to team up to work together to accelerate student learning.

NS: What are some of the methods you utilize in order to improve literacy in communities, and has that strategy changed at all during the pandemic?

Gibes de Gac: Our work has evolved pretty significantly during the pandemic, but the easiest way to think about it is three concentric spheres, the smallest of which is our direct impact. That’s springboard delivering intensive programs, which we’ve done since Day 1, and what they look like are 5-10 week summer and after school programs that combine personalized reading instruction for K-third graders with weekly workshops that equip parents to support learning at home and professional development so that they can help to sustain that habit over the long run. 

The problem that we’re trying to solve affects millions and millions of kids, and about two years ago we challenged ourselves to make the shift from direct to widespread impact, which is the second sphere. It’s really about codifying our playbook and training others to run programs much more independently much more affordably. You can think of it like a train-the-trainer model; it basically took out two thirds of the cost, but we’re still getting seventy five percent of the impact of the original model, and it’s been invaluable for us to scale our impact more quickly and more nimbly. 

As I mentioned, the problem affects millions of kids, and you don’t get to that order of magnitude without changing the system more broadly. So that third sphere of systemic impact is really where we’re innovating, and our focus is on widespread impact right now. But what we’re trying to figure out is how you change the education sector broadly so that parent-teacher collaboration is the rule, not the exception. 

Thanks to Covid, a few things have seismically shifted the education sector, and one of them is just a greater appreciation for the essential role that parents play in their childrens’ learning. School closures really kind of made it plain to see how important learning at home is. When it comes to educating kids, there’s no going around parents. Schools have to work with them in order to ensure that kids are learning. That was true long before the pandemic happened, but when you combine that with the fact that school closures have disproportionately affected children of color and children from low income families, with this massive influx of federal funding to help kids recover, that’s led to surging demand for our programs. So that for us is the name of the game right now – helping to meet that demand and support districts across the country in their efforts to help marginalized kids recover, especially as it relates to literacy. 

The most exciting recent update is that just last week we got a three-year, $17 million contract with the Los Angeles Unified School District to help 23,000 kids accelerate their literacy gains and get back on track. We’re having conversations like that across the country, which is both exciting, because it’s so important for the marginalized kids and families that make up our target population, and a little daunting to keep up with that demand and raise sufficient growth capital so that we can keep our foot on the accelerator rather than tap the breaks.

NS: What advice do you have for others on how they can better act with a clear sense of purpose?

Gibes de Gac: I think at least for me, it’s finding a problem that you care so deeply about that you can’t help but to solve it. Something that, come hell or high water, you will continue to stick with that problem. 

Finding that problem, though, is sometimes easier said than done. It’s hard to find the problem that you care most deeply about from the 52nd floor of your office building, so also just immersing yourself in circumstances where you’re likely to encounter problems until you meet the problem that you want to commit to. 

Once you find the problem, you roll your sleeves up and the challenge becomes, how do I understand this problem more deeply than anyone before me. Intractable problems require solutions, and you’re unlikely to come up with a better idea than the zillion people who’ve come before you. You can try to reach some new and nuanced understanding of the root cause, and if you do that, then and only then can you get to a solution that’s worth growing.

An overdue shift in the modern workplace

Posted on by NationSwell Team

NationSwell had the opportunity to interview Kane-Williams about why this moment is so pivotal for organizations striving towards equity and justice

Anthony Smith, VP of Published Content and Growth, NationSwell: Does the modern workplace have a generational equity problem?

Edna Kane-Williams, EVP and Chief Diversity Officer, AARP: There is a shift going on in the modern workplace, but I hate to label it as a problem — it is an opportunity. For the first time in history, we now have a five-generation workplace. We have our traditionalists or folks commonly known as the Silent Generation who were born in the ’40s, we have Baby Boomers who were born in the ’50s and early ’60s, we have generation X, we have Millennials, and we have Generation Z. A five-generation workplace can present challenges to employers and organizations, because it is a new phenomenon. Something new suggests the need for trainings, solutions, and approaches that workplaces have not used in the past.

NationSwell: What are some numbers, case studies, or examples that spell out that opportunity?

Kane-Williams: We learned in a survey conducted by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) that AARP participated in that 53% of employers do not include age as a factor in their diversity and inclusion policies. When thinking about diversity, equity, and inclusion, employers tend to focus on race, ethnicity, gender orientation, gender selection, sexual orientation, disability, and ability status, but they do not include age, even though 70% of the executives surveyed favored taking steps to promote unbiased recruitment practices. And when we talk about unbiased recruitment practices, certainly at AARP, we are focused on the older worker, but when you talk to Gen Z workers, they also face age-related challenges in the workplace. Two out of three executives surveyed said they would purposely design mixed-aged teams to leverage the advantages of both younger and older employees. 

People used to retire at 60, 62, 65 years old, but now they are working longer, both out of choice and because people live longer. This is especially true for folks who are less privileged and from marginalized populations — Black and Brown folks, in particular — because many of them do not have a choice about retirement because they do not have the retirement savings accounts and safety nets in place that they need. With us living longer — into our 80s, 90s, in some cases, 100s — many people cannot afford to leave the workforce at 65 years old and have a 35-year retirement. Meaning 35 years of no income, no wages. So, as workers age, we need to make sure they can fully participate in the workplace. Across the board, we have to make sure all workers feel the workplace accommodates their needs, regardless of their age.

NationSwell: What are some concrete steps that organizational leaders can take to make sure that this unprecedented five-generation workplace is inclusive for every type of worker — old, young, and in between?

Kane-Williams: Training. I do not think we can assume people are going to come to the table with the skills they need. For both managers and team members, we need special trainings to ensure we are accommodating to people of all ages so they can thrive in a five-generation workplace. To do this, we can take some cues from the diversity, equity, and inclusion process. For example, microaggressions — you hear that term often in trainings and it typically applies to situations that involve race and ethnicity — there are microaggressions around age, as well. I’m the mother of three millennials, and if you talk to them, they feel like millennials encounter microaggressions around their age all the time in the workplace. People from other generations will say millennials are entitled and they do not want to work hard and find an easy way out. My children are offended by these generalizations and comments.

Older populations, people in my age range, also face stereotypes such as, not understanding technology, not on social media, and slow to adapt to change. All those beliefs are mired, whether you are younger or older, in stereotypes that have no business in the workplace. So the biggest thing employers need to invest in for a five-generation workplace is: One, trainings and two, protections — as we say in the Living, Learning and Earning Longer (LLEL) initiative, everyone ages so workplaces need to make sure people can be reskilled and upskilled. 

NationSwell: How are workplaces getting age inclusion right?

Kane-Williams: The World Economic Forum, OECD, and AARP have partnered together for the LLEL initiative. Through LLEL, we have found the tremendous benefits of a multigenerational workforce as it strengthens companies’ resilience, increases productivity and GDP, and opens the doors for new markets and creativity. We also learned that a multigenerational workforce will raise capita by 19% over the next 3 decades speaking to the benefits of having Generation Z through the Silent Generation working side-by-side. 

Over 50% of companies surveyed by OECD did not include age in their DEI statements. For workplaces to get age inclusion right they should: include age in their DEI policies, use trainings and mentorship opportunities to ensure people understand each other’s strengths and challenges, and provide upskilling and reskilling opportunities for their workers.

NationSwell: What is your call to action for the people who will read this profile and see this conversation about all of the opportunities the five-generation workplace has to offer?

Kane-Williams: One call to action I already alluded to is to provide work opportunities for people to remain and grow on the job. Another is to ensure individuals remain employable throughout their lives through continued education and training. Third, is to enforce policies that prevent age discrimination and adopt age-inclusive policies. More and more companies are embracing diversity, equity, and inclusion; we need to ensure that age is a part of the DEI spectrum that companies’ policies address. Those are three key areas that AARP focuses on when we talk about creating opportunities for all five generations to work together and to grow together in the workplace. 

NationSwell: Is there anything else that I didn’t ask you about that you’d like to talk about?

Kane-Williams: At AARP, we focus on people ages 50 and older and often add “and their families” because we are committed to preventing age discrimination and preventing age stereotypes for all generations. We do not want generations competing with each other or over resources. Rather, AARP wants to take advantage of the extreme shifts we are experiencing in workplaces and workforces, the great resignation, and the great reshuffle and what the pandemic has meant in terms of working.

There is something extraordinary going on right now with intergenerational workforces and the workplace environment that we do not have a complete handle on yet, and it will compel all age groups and all interests to work collaboratively. It sounds ambitious but at AARP we want to lead the way on how five-generation workplaces can thrive.

Presented in partnership with AARP, a NationSwell Institutional Member.

NationSwell’s 40×40 Mentorship Challenge Recap

Posted on by Anthony Smith

Markle’s call to action is timely: An estimated two million women in the United States reportedly lost their jobs as a result of the pandemic, many of whom are still struggling to regain their footing in a labor market that has been radically transformed. Although men also experienced upheaval during the pandemic, job and income losses disproportionately affected women, according to a policy brief released by the International Labor Organization, partly because they are over-represented in some of the hardest-hit sectors and partly because of their tendency to be the ones performing certain types of unpaid labor, including caregiving. Markle said that she hoped mentoring the women endeavoring to reenter the labor market would create a “ripple effect” across communities and the working world, better positioning them to stand in their power and advance their professional lives.

Inspired by the Duchess of Sussex’s call to action, a NationSwell Council affinity group for gender justice organized a similarly-styled challenge, asking members to donate 40 minutes of their time to support and connect with another working woman on the Council. We followed up afterwards to see how those conversations went — here’s what our members had to say:

Violette de Ayala, founder and CEO of FemCity, said that the majority of her 40×40 conversations centered around balancing both work and life commitments. 

“So many of the women I met made significant shifts in their careers in order to have greater social impact in their communities and in the world… Every conversation was filled with vibes of ‘how do we impact the globe more within our realm and scope of connections and capabilities.’ Collaboration was a key component after each conversation… Within the various titles, organizations, and brands we all run, we had so much in common. It is apparent that we are all humans trying to make the world a better place while finding joy and friendships along the way.”

Stephanie Dodson Cornell, venture partner at Draper Richards Kaplan, said that her conversation was so lovely that the time “flew by”:

“We are going to talk again in a month. I was struck by the strong current of recognition I felt with Alina, despite our very different backgrounds, ages, and experiences.”

Sara Allan, director of early learning and education pathways at the Gates Foundation, said that she quickly realized that the most valuable type of conversation isn’t always work-related:

“We discovered we had immigrated to the US and lived in New York at the same time and share a passion for expanding opportunity for women and other historically disadvantaged groups. We exchanged articles on topics of interest related to supporting young people to thrive and fostering stronger and more diverse executive teams. It was a great connection and I look forward to meeting her in-person at a future Nationswell event.”

Rachel Hutchisson, a current board member at Common Impact and the Blackbaud Giving Fund, said that being matched with another NationSwell member through the 40×40 initiative was, “a moment to remember how wonderful it is to meet someone new without feeling like there was an agenda or goal to accomplish.”  

“I so valued the chance to talk to someone new, to explore intersections, to laugh and to leave feeling emotionally and intellectually fed… We talked about the importance of helping others cultivate their speaking skills and helping them get on stages to share their thoughts. This is a leadership skill, and investing in future women leaders means giving them air time.”

Carol King, chief of staff, National Marine Sanctuary Foundation, had a great conversation with her contact about nonprofits and mission-driven work — and they’re even planning a trip to Antarctica together in two years!.

“We talked about our respective career paths, and how important it is to keep an open mind when it comes to new opportunities. The most important thing that women can do is to build their networks and strong professional relationships. We are positioned to be good mentors, connectors, and conveners, and I’m mindful of how important my professional reputation and relationships are in changing jobs or even careers.”

Babita Patel, author of “Breaking Out in Prison,” spoke to her connection about everything from being a Council member to some of the overlap in the work they do. 

“The conversation was not necessarily focused on two women connecting, but rather just two humans working in this space connecting. It was nice to talk to someone who is in another part of the country, having a different experience…living in Arizona vs NYC. We definitely want to connect some more to share more resources and opportunities.”

Mohini Tadikonda, chief advancement officer at Movement Strategy Center, used her time as an opportunity to connect with her contact about what it means to be a woman of color in the workplace:

“I walked away from the conversation with a greater confirmation that being a person of color, particularly a woman of color working in a predominantly white organization, can present a unique layer of challenges regarding visibility, trust, respect, power dynamic, ability to be heard/listened to/valued that become less of an issue when working in a truly racially diverse environment. Unhealthy competition and power dynamics are often created when there are only a few women or people of color represented in a work environment. The power dynamic between white women and women of color in the workplace is also a topic that warrants a deeper conversation.”

Meredith Davis and her contact had a conversation that went so well, they immediately scheduled a follow-up, discussing everything from finding your own resonant leadership style to how to communicate and reinforce that style during times of opportunity.

“We also connected on being full-time working mothers, and what example we want to set for our daughters. In the realm of supporting working women, we discussed empowering our children through Montessori education themes of independence, ‘following the child,’ and having the humility to learn from our children.”

Kibi Anderson, Content, Strategy & Business Development Executive and Professional Development Coach, said that she and the woman she connected with are “totally BFFs going forward,” and stressed that the exercise was especially helpful for busy folks who wouldn’t normally go out of their way to reach out to their networks.

“We bonded over our shared desires to encourage more uncomfortable conversations, especially between female groups around the topics of equity, inclusion, diversity and how we have become so polarized as a society. We honestly were so focused on the joy of sharing our personal journeys that we didn’t really dive into much professional jargon during our call, which was actually refreshing because we connected more on a human level.”

How to center equity in measurement, learning, and evaluation

Posted on by Brianna Provenzano

In an ideal situation, MLE can help to drive social impact and question deeply-held, outmoded foundational beliefs, helping organizations to stay agile and adapt to new challenges so that they can align around key outcomes that serve their mission statements. But the practices on their own have limitations: Without viewing evaluative work through the lens of equity, we run the risk of using the insights we glean to accidentally strengthen the systemic and structural barriers that already exist and limit possibilities for marginalized communities.

In the aftermath of the event, NationSwell asked the three panelists — Dr. Albertina Lopez of the Center for Evaluation Innovation, Dr. Daniela Pineda of Informed Insight, and Dr. Amber Banks of the Center for Trust and Transformation — to go deeper on how organizations can meaningfully track change at the systemic level and build trust within their communities through compassionate, equitable MLE practices.

Below are some key insights from the panelists:

NationSwell: Why do you think MLE is important for change-making work?

Dr. Albertina Lopez, senior associate the the Center for Evaluation Innovation: Evaluation is a problem-solving tool, and problem solving is necessary for change-making work. Evaluation — with the quantitative and qualitative measuring that goes with it — helps us learn in a systematic and intentional way rather than defaulting to the natural, biased way our brain works, which is generally to bring in information that is aligned with our existing beliefs and to reject that which is not — things like confirmation bias. Evaluation can help us to see a more expansive set of strategies so that we can select those that meet the demands of justice. We can use evaluation to unpack answers to questions like, “To what extent does our work align with how the community defines the problems and solutions?” in order to help us plan for forward-facing, strategic questions like, “How can we devote more resources in 2022 to the racial and gender justice work that communities are leading in the places we touch?”

Dr. Amber Banks, founder and CEO of the Center for Trust and Transformation: Reflective practices are critical for social change. The essence of measurement, learning, and evaluation activities is to create space to understand whether we are making progress toward our goals. Learning and evaluation can help change-makers determine if their efforts are having the desired impact and adjust course to either accelerate or enhance impact. Justice requires an evolution of the field/practice of evaluation as well. Evaluation must also shift toward asset based frames that honor the truth and abundance of who are most impacted by injustices not centered around those already in power. Accountability that centers on the responsibility of institutions to evolve toward more liberatory practices is critical.

Dr. Daniela Pineda, founder of Informed Insight and Lead for the Social and Economic Justice Research Collaborative: Whether you are working on a data dashboard, facilitating a learning session, or conducting an evaluation, MLE tools and practices are  powerful resources for helping us all to keep each other accountable. They clarify problems and help to define what success looks like.

When we are in the midst of “doing the work,” taking time to collect data or participating in an evaluation can feel like a luxury we don’t have. But I urge you to think again. MLE tools can be used to tell our stories, quantify and describe systemic inequities, and describe success. We cannot afford to skip out on these activities. Being able to name the changes we seek is powerful because it helps to focus on what matters.

NS: What does it look like to practice MLE in a way that serves equity and justice?

LOPEZ: At the Center for Evaluation Innovation, we partner with philanthropy on strategy, learning, and evaluation efforts to advance racial equity and justice. We largely work with people who are advancing policy and system changes, and so are practicing the use of evaluation to contest power and to help move it to those who have been historically oppressed by structural racism. What this looks like in practice is applying the Equitable Evaluation Framework™ principles in how we plan and implement the work and using the power-building framework to narrow in on what we evaluate.

BANKS: When we think of MLE we think about processes and methodologies but the most important part of learning and evaluation is relationships. Centering relationships can provide a foundation for listening, co-creation, shared ownership, and trust building. It is also important to honor the negative experiences many communities/individuals have had with evaluation being an extractive, punitive process. Intentionally designing and implementing humanizing approaches that are rooted in asset based frames and create opportunities for multiple voices and perspectives are critical for equity and justice. Ultimately, generative learning is grounded in trust and an ability to be vulnerable with what is working and not working. It also requires acknowledging that evaluation/data has been used historically to harm communities of color and communities impacted by poverty. Serving equity and justice means upending the power imbalances in evaluation and expanding the invitation to co-creation, multiple truths, and a re-orientation around the purpose and value of learning for impact.

PINEDA: The good news here is that there is not a manual or a single toolkit that will tell you how to ‘do’ equitable MLE. And the even better news is that there are so many entry points for any of us to use MEL tools and practices to serve equity and justice.

In my practice I have had the privilege of working with organizations that are taking steps to make their evaluation practice  more equitable.  Centering equity and justice is about our values as practitioners, the way in which we partner with others, and what we want to accomplish with those partnerships. I have partnered with organizations that have gone back to the drawing board to discuss what they mean by community engagement. Serving equity in those conversations was as much about being realistic about what type of input they were seeking from community partners as much as it was about facing their internal barriers to sharing control with community members. As a learning partner, I’ve designed processes that account for power dynamics, build input from different types of experts, and shine a light on how the myth of objectivity can privilege research methods that at worst reify structural inequities. All of this work is ongoing because serving equity is not like flipping a switch; it is a practice.

NS: What is your vision for the future of MLE?

LOPEZ: My vision is justice. Justice is why we measure, evaluate, and learn, and how we work. What does it look like to have justice as both principle and standard? First, we need to know what justice is. The Oxford Dictionary states that it is the “maintenance of what is just or right by the exercise of authority or power; assignment of deserved reward or punishment; giving of due deserts.” So, if we are to serve justice, then we must know what power we have to exercise so we can meet its demands. We can look at our power positionally (e.g., what influence does your organizational role give you?) and personally (e.g., what skills and relationships do you have?). Once we have an idea of what our power is, we may wonder when to use it and how to do so in the complex, unique situations we encounter daily as change-makers. Love is the way. Justice requires love, as I learned from the influential moral philosopher Paul Tillich in his book, “Love, Power and Justice.” This means we are using our positional and personal power lovingly by, as bell hooks proclaims in her book “All About Love: New Visions”: “… mix[ing] various ingredients—care, affection, recognition, respect, commitment, and trust, as well as honest and open communication.” In our future, MLE is serving justice and we are loving in our power.

BANKS: My vision is that we will center learning over evaluation. This learning will value narratives and not just quantitative data. Numbers only tell part of the story and transformative change requires embracing stories, complexity, and tension. We will honor that the narratives included in evaluations belong to the communities being served and that deficit based narratives are a form of violence against communities of color and those impacted by poverty that perpetuate inequities. We will center how evaluators and others in positions of power are in relationship with community partners and we are clear about why we are collecting data, what data will be used for, and who gets to define success. Ultimately, “evaluation” as we know it will be driven by those who are closest to the work and centered around learning, reflection, and asset based frames.

PINEDA: The future is bright. Just in the last few years we have seen a huge shift in the field as more change-makers are calling for and expecting their MLE partners to center equity in their work. I also see more colleagues working to rethink how they work. I want to take for granted that all researchers own their biases and have abandoned the myth of objectivity. In the near future, I want MLE practitioners to redefine what it means to conduct rigorous research and evaluation; to privilege  marginalized voices; and to value the knowledge of those who are most acutely affected by structural inequality over those who have more privilege and hold power.