July 18-24 is National Independent Retailers Week!

The purpose of this observation is to celebrate the uniqueness that locally owned businesses bring to communities. NIRWeek was created with the hopes that media would make an effort to encourage shopping with locally owned businesses. It is also a week to remind us of the importance of these businesses in our communities.

A few reasons to shop locally:

• When you shop at locally-owned businesses, money stays in your community three times longer. Local businesses and artists usually buy from local suppliers and hire local service providers. It also creates more jobs in that city. (From South Dakota Rural Enterprise).
• A dollar spent at a locally-owned store is usually spent six to 15 times before leaving the community; from that $1, you create $5-14 in value in that community. On the other hand, when you spend $1 at a national chain, 80 percent of the money leaves immediately. (From Northwest Earth Institute’s Choice for Sustainable Living).
• Local business owners and employees are frequently more knowledgeable and have more expertise. One advantage of visiting local businesses for a product/service is that they often specialize which creates better customer service. And sometimes, it’s better to pay a little more one time for a quality product/service than two times an inferior one. (From “Buy Local Western North Carolina” organization).

How can you help?

• Vow to shop locally for the week to support your local independent retailers.
• Create special promotions (like sales, events, etc.) with other independent retailers in your city to market your businesses and the event.
• Inform the media of the benefits of shopping locally and any special promotions local retailers are having.
• Involve local merchants associations like your Chamber of Commerce and Main Street programs to include as many local businesses as possible.

For more info, check out out NationalIndependentRetailersWeek.com.

Did you know that nearly four in 10 young women in the U.S. will become pregnant at least once before 20-years-old? And that eight out of 10 teen pregnancies are unintended?

These are just a couple of reasons for National Teen Pregnancy Prevention Month (NTPPM). NTPPM is an educational campaign created to help communities recognize the effects of unintended pregnancy and early childbearing are far-reaching.

When it comes to adolescent pregnancies, both the teenager and child are at risk:

• Future prospects for teenagers decline significantly if they have a baby
• There are serious risks for adolescents who have babies
• Teen pregnancy is closely linked to poverty and single parenthood
• Children born to teen mothers suffer from higher rates of low birth weight and related health problems
• Children of teens often have insufficient health care
• Children of teenagers frequently suffer from poor school performance

So how can we help prevent it?

Teach teens about the risks of teen sex and how to make choices that will create healthier lives for themselves and their future families

Educate them on things like:

• Healthy relationships and how they relate to sex and love
• How contraceptives work and what side effects and limitations they might have
• The reality that most teens who get pregnant face significant health risks as well as diminished economic and social opportunities

For more tips on preventing teen pregnancies, visit Teen Pregnancy Prevention.

Source: Teen Pregnancy Prevention Month (May)

According to the New York Times, Lena Horne died May 9 at the age of 92. She was the first black performer to be signed to a long-term contract by a major Hollywood studio; she went on to achieve international fame.

She was born in Brooklyn, NY and was raised by her mother, then her grandmother.

When she was just 16-years-old, Horne started working at Harlem’s Cotton Club as a dancer; she was then involved in the chorus and later as a solo singer. She started singing with orchestras, and while singing with Charlie Barnet’s orchestra, which was white, she was discovered. From there, she began playing clubs in Greenwich Village and ultimately performed at Carnegie Hall.

Starting in 1942, Horne appeared in films, expanding her career to movies, Broadway and recordings. She has been honored with many awards for her lifetime of success.

See more information about Horne in this article, Lena Horne, Singer and Actress, Dies at 92

Source: Lena Horne; Photo: otrcat.com

I know this is a women’s lifestyle blog, but when it comes to topics like rape and sexual assault, it’s important to realize and acknowledge that men play a role in prevention, too. And while statistics show that most men never rape, it’s important for men to do what they can in making sure that others don’t have to experience anything like sexual assault.

Here are some things men can do to stop rape:

1. Be aware of language. We live in a society in which words often put down and degrade women. Avoid words like bitch, whore/ho, freak, broad, etc. Those words send a message that females are less than human, and seeing them this way makes it easier to treat them without respect or to ignore their well being.
2. Communicate. Sexual violence goes hand in hand with poor sexual communication. The discomfort in speaking about sexual issues dramatically raises the risk of rape. By learning effective means of sexual communication– stating your desires clearly and by listening to your partner, men make sex safer for themselves and others.
3. Speak up. You may never see a rape in progress, but you will hear jokes and language that’s inappropriate and degrades women. When a friend tells a joke about rape, let him know it’s not funny. Support women who bring charges against violent men. Do anything by remain silent.
4. Support rape survivors. Rape won’t be taken seriously until everyone understands how common it is. In the U.S. alone, hundreds of thousands of women are raped each year. By learning to sensitively support survivors in their lives, men can help both women and men feel more comfortable about coming forward and talking about what has happened to them.
5. Contribute Your Time and Money. Join or donate to an organization working to prevent violence against women. You can find organizations on the Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network (RAINN) website.

For five more tips, see 10 things men can do to stop rape.

And please share this with your male friends!

Photo from: newlonestargal.blogspot.com

Today is Earth Day, and this year marks its 40th anniversary!

Earth Day is all about doing things to help our environment, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Earth Day website gives lots of ways you can do so. You can even pick five actions to help the world.

Here are some other environmental tips (from the Sustainable Environment for Quality of Life website):

1. Clean the lint filter in your dryer after every load so that it uses less energy.
2. Review labels of household cleaners you use. Consider alternatives like baking soda, scouring pads, water or a little more elbow grease.
3. Recycle your printer cartridges.
4. Join a carpool or vanpool to get work.
5. Buy products that you can reuse.

For 95 more tips to help save the environment, see 100 Ways to Save the Environment. And to get more info on the history of Earth Day, check out last year’s post, Go Green, It’s Earth Day.

Photo from: earthday40th.com

Did you know that most rapists are not crazy, scary strangers, but are people the survivor knows? This is known as Acquaintance Rape or Date Rape; the terms refer to sexual assault by a person known to the survivor.

Sexual agression occurs among acquaintances and in dating situations. In fact, on college campuses, 84-97 percent of sexual assault is committed by someone known to the survivor. And like any other form of sexual violence and rape, it is not the survivor’s fault.

Here are more statistics about acquaintance/date rape (from The National Center for Victims of Crime website):

• 77 percent of completed rapes are committed by non-strangers.
• A woman is four times more likely to be raped by an acquaintance than by a stranger.
• Acquaintance rape is rarely reported to police. Less than 2 percent of acquaintance rape survivors reported the assault whereas 21 percent of women raped by strangers reported the crime to police.
• Each year, an estimated one woman in eight in college is raped, and in 85 percent of those assaults, the women knew their attacker.
• 31 percent of rape survivors develop some form of Rape-related Posttraumatic Stress Disorder.

Additionally, it’s important to keep the following facts in mind about acquaintance rape:

• Sexual coercion and aggression may occur at any stage in a relationship. This includes a friendship, a dating relationship and exclusive relationships; additionally, acquaintance rape occurs in both heterosexual and homosexual relationships.
• Unlike stranger rape, which tends to occur at any time and in a variety of settings, acquaintance rape tends to occur on weekends on the rapist’s turf (this includes a dorm room, apartment, car or a party).
• Acquaintance rape may involve verbal and/or physical force.
• It’s important for everyone to set their limits, figure out the level of sexual activity with which they are comfortable (including no sexual activity), express that to their partner, and listen to and respect the limits of her/him.

RAINN (Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network) has a resource page that provides a list of organizations in your state that can assist you or someone you know. You can also call the National Sexual Assault hotline (1.800.656.HOPE) or use RAINN’s online hotline.

Sources:

Campus and Student Life: Sexual Violence and The National Center for Victims of Crime: Acquaintance Rape

Photo from: shajila.com

April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month, and this week, I want to share four ways you can help prevent sexual assault on your college campus:

1. Get informed. Read the research on campus sexual assault, and take a look at your campus’s sexual assault policy. Additionally, become aware of the definition of sexual assault and rape in your state.
2. Bring outside experts to your campus. These individuals can benefit the college community by giving lectures, providing special programs and staff training. One organization that can help you find a speaker is SAFER (Students Active for Ending Rape).
3. Enhance student outreach, prevention and education initiatives. Having student speakers during freshman orientation, interactive theater groups and peer educator programs can encourage education and safety.
4. Get men involved. A few ways to do this include reading 10 Things Men Can Do to Stop Rape and Unexpected Allies: Men Who Stop Rape, becoming active or starting an organization dedicated to preventing rape and sexual assault, challenging both obvious and subtle instances of sexism on campus and not joking about rape or sexual assault.

For more information and ways to help, check out my source: How Students Can Help Fight Sexual Assault.

Each year in April, Sexual Assault Awareness Month [SAAM] is observed. The goal of  SAAM is to increase public awareness about sexual violence (focusing on sexual assault and rape) and to teach communities and individuals ways to prevent sexual violence.

The 2010 theme is Prevent Sexual Assault…on our campuses, and it focuses on preventing sexual violence on higher education campuses–college students experience disproportionately higher rages of sexual violence; 1 in five college women will be a victim of sexual assault by the time she graduates. 

SAAM not only serves the survivors on campus, but it also provides opportunities for prevention and social change that will have a long-lasting effect on students their whole lives.

Some facts about sexual violence on campus:

• Over the course of an average 5-year college career, it is estimated that between 20 percent and 25 percent of college women will become victims of completed or attempted rape.
• Males can also be victims of sexual violence and may be even less likely to report it.
• Among college women, nine in 10 victims of rape and sexual assault knew their offender.
• Almost 12.8 percent of completed rapes, 35 percent of attempted rapes, and 22.9 percent of threatened rapes happened during a date.
• Rape is far more extensive than reported in official statistics, and the large majority of rapists are never apprehended.

For more information on SAAM and sexual assault, check out my source: Sexual Assault Awareness Month-Home. Next week I’ll be posting how you can help prevent sexual violence on campuses.

The United Nations started celebrating IWD on March 8 during International Women’s Year in 1975. In 1977, the General Assembly adoped a resolution proclaiming a United Nations Day for Women’s Rights and International Peace to be observed on any day of the year by Member States that lined up with their historical and national tradtions.

The General Assembly gave two reasons for dedicating a day soley to the celebration of the world’s women:

1. To recognize the fact that securing peace and social progress and the full enjoyment of human rights and fundamental freedoms require the active participation, equality and development of women;
2. To acknowledge the contribution of women strengthening international peace and security.

For the world’s women, this day has a bigger meaning: It’s an opportunity to review how far we have come in our struggle for equality, peace and development. It’s also a chance for us to unite, network and mobilize for meaningful change.

This year’s official theme is Equal rights, equal opportunities: Progress for all.

For more info on IWD, check out the post I wrote last year or my sources:

www.internationalwomensday.com

This economy might have you thinking about starting your own business or you might have had the idea for a while, and now you’re ready to take the leap.

But lack of money might be holding you back. Fear not because there are ways to get customers and clients with little cost. Here are some tips from Tanisha  A. Sykes, financial guru of Essence magazine:

Know your audience. One thing to ask yourself: Can I best serve corporations, small businesses or individuals? Also, keep in mind that having your friends and family as clients will only take you so far. Let’s say you sell Mary Kay- consider asking them to host parties and offer 10 percent of the profits in return. (You can get more ideas like this from the book ”Built for Growth: Expanding Your Business Around the Corner or Across the Globe” by Arthur Rubinfield).

Set hours. Letting everyone know you’re available  24/7 isn’t realistic, so have specific hours of operation to prevent confusion and develop a customer/client base.

Make your ads specific. If you’re running more than one business, design flyers and other material for each business. Also, keep it simple: identify the product or service, its cost, the added value and where it can be purchased.

Sell wisely. Remember, your goal is to make money. Giving one complimentary service or free samples is okay if it creates some buzz, helps you get a new client or a major deal. So, budget for some giveaways, but don’t go overboard.

Get the word out for free. Some places you can advertise for free in your community: ads in church bulletins, grocery stores and bus stops. For online promotion, try forums, free directories, Google Ad Sense, YouTube and other social networking sites (Facebook, Twitter, etc.).

Please feel free to add your tips in the comments below!

Source: Essence,”Biz Basics”,  December 2009

Photo from: cdn.woldcnews.com