I team up with Target, Vital Voices and five other global women leaders for the “A New Day + Vital Voices” capsule collection. Using our lived experiences and work to design a limited collection for women ready and willing to create change. #ad

To learn more about the partnership and where to buy the collection, please visit HERE

“Through the A New Day + Vital Voices partnership, we hope to showcase the incredible work of Vital Voices while empowering and celebrating our guests,” said Michelle Mesenburg, senior vice president, marketing, Target. “It gave us the opportunity to think about collaborations differently, and how we pair the great design of one of our popular owned brands with an organization that’s doing incredible work in communities near and far.”

The women who inspired the collection… here are their stories

A few weeks ago, I served as a panelist and workshop facilitator for the Teen Vogue NY Meet Up, which served as an opportunity to empower and inspire the next generation of women leaders. During the event we addressed topics like salary negotiations, voting, education and diverse representation. I had the pleasure of meeting young women and a few good men from all over the Tri-State area, who after recent political events are looking for ways to get engaged and to utilize their voices for change. The NY Meet Up was one of four events leading up to the national Teen Vogue Summit on December 1-2nd in LA, to learn more: Click Here

Please see below for a few pictures from the NY Meet Up: Photo credit David Vollucci for Teen Vogue/23 Storie

In honor of the International Youth Day, here are ten alarming facts about youth and why we can't  underestimate the need for decision makers (governments, the business community, and international organizations)  to have a sense of urgency, to help foster collaboration and ensure youth are able to fully participate in society. 

Fun Fact: There are nearly 1.8 billion young people in the world, which is the largest youth population in written history.

1. More than 263 million young people are out of school and millions more are receiving a piss poor education. 
2. Approximately 238 million youth live in extreme poverty—that is, they live on less than $1 a day; 462 million youth survive on less than $2 a day.
3.  110 million youth live in hunger.
4. About 255 million young people live in the 19 countries with the largest poverty gaps; 15 of these 19 countries are in sub-Saharan Africa.
5. About 133 million youth in the world are illiterate.
6. Youth comprise 41 percent of the world's unemployed people.
7. 50% of the jobs we are training young people, will not exist when they enter the workforce. 
8. 75 million youth are unemployed 
9. Youth make up 40% of the world's unemployed population 
10. Worldwide some 200,000 homicides occur among youth 10–29 years of age each year, which is 43% of the total number of homicides globally each year.

"Listen in as Vital Voices President, Alyse Nelson, sits down with human rights defender, social good strategist, and Founder of GenYNOT, Jamira Burley." -Vital Voices 

Listen in as Vital Voices President, Alyse Nelson, sits down with human rights defender, social good strategist, and Founder of GenYNOT, Jamira Burley

A few weeks ago in Johannesburg, South Africa, Vital Voices -- in partnership with Ponds launched their VVLead Fellowship. With more than 50 females,  from over 25 countries, who are transforming communities, breaking down barriers and shifting cultures all over the world. The goal of the fellowship is to champion the "inner strength of women" everywhere, by investing in women leaders, to ensure they're more equipt to make a tangible impact. Over the course of 21-months, fellows will participate in a customized fellowship experience that includes:

• Specialized online and in-person training(s) 
• Powerful networking, peer mentoring and relationship building opportunities
• Increased international visibility through Pond’s and the Vital Voices Global leaders network

In the end, their work will enable for life-long connections that will transcend culture and borders. ....

I along with 5 other women, was selected as global ambassadors. To both help elevate the work being done but also help provide peer to peer mentoring for the fellows. Other ambassadors include:

• Saskia Nino de Rivera, founder & president of Reinserta Un Mexicano A.C, Mexico
• Kiran Sethi, founder & educator, Riverside School, India, and Design for Change Global; 
• Samar Minallah Khan , an anthropologist & documentary filmmaker from Pakistan;
• Anne Githuku-Shongwe, founder of AFROES Transformational Games and Representative at UN WOMEN in South Africa;
• Devi Asmarani, co-founder of Magdalene Magazine.

I look forward to working alongside the ambassadors and fellows to ensure that the world around us, starts to appreciate and celebrate the unique leadership qualities women have enlisted to create a world that is both welcoming and thriving ... for the betterment of everyone.