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Welcome
to January, 2007 "News of
Hope"
GIVING
TEEN GIRLS A REASON TO AVOID
TEEN PREGNANCY, SELF-HARM,
SUBSTANCE ABUSE
At the start of every New Year,
I ask myself, "What can I
do better or differently this
year that will make a more
substantial difference in the
lives of those I am destined to
touch?"
We all will have that
opportunity to plant the Seed of
Possiblity in the lives of youth
and families this year. Make a
goal to remove the appeal of
such obstacles as alcohol and
drug abuse, teen pregnancy, or
self-harm in the lives of
adolescent girls.
How about we start 2007 focusing
on how to PREPARE OUR CHILDREN
to never get caught up in these
life-demolishing choices in the
first place!
Research has shown that a young
person with an overriding sense
of purpose and direction - goals
in life they are eager to
fulfill - are far more resistant
to the above mentioned
obstacles.
So, let's help them find new
enthusiasm for the future by
guiding girls from middle school
on to new ideas about success
and careers. I majored in
Math/Computer Science at UCLA
many moons ago. I had a 10 year
career as a programmer/analyst,
computer products support rep
and sales rep in corporate
America. It was FUN! It was
EXCITNG! It was a great place to
be a female. I was treated equal
to men. It was stimulating and
my mind was valued. Let's help
more girls see that science,
technology and business have
great potential for us girls,
too!
(I also minored in Modern Dance
- my life passion and yet
another 'Seed of Possiblity"
planted in college that led to
LEGACY OF HOPE many moons
later!)
Pictured above:
2006 ended on an incredible HIGH
- as the keynote speaker for the
50th Anniversary Conference of
the TEXAS COUNSELING
ASSOCIATION! 2900 counselors in
attendance gave a rousing
standing ovation to LEGACY OF
HOPE, and then 200 attendees
enjoyed Susie's workshops:
raucous "Heart Healthy Hip
Hop Dance" and rejuvenating
"Thrive, Don't Just
Survive."
Pic 1 - TCA Conference Logo
Pic 2 - Susie with two of the
warmest and most hospitable TCA
conference planners/coordinators
- Marcheta Evans and Katrina
Cook
Pic 3 - Participants holding a
"gang pose" as part of
their choreography in HEART
HEALTHY HIP HOP DANCE!
Pic 4 - Visitors to the LEGACY
booth with Susie in the Exhibit
Hall
*********************************************
CONTENTS - Jan 2007 News of Hope
. New Study Paints Portrait of
Women in Technology Careers
. Where women's pay trumps
men's
. The female factor: Program
aims to introduce more girls to
science
. Strategies for Working
Mothers
. The Princeton Review's Top
10 Most Popular College Majors
Check
out Susie's programs and
products!
|
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| New
Study Paints Portrait of Women
in Technology Careers
 A
new study of women in
information technology careers
indicates the majority of women
studied do not hold
technology-related degrees, are
drawn to the industry for the
challenge - not the paycheck -
and cite encouragement from male
friends and family members as
highly influential in their
decisions to follow this career
path.
Findings from the Ohio
University study of 275 women
ages 22 to 64 who work in IT
fields suggest that programs
designed to educate females
about information technology
careers should not be limited to
computer science or engineering
courses, and that girls should
be given opportunities to work
with computers and technology at
an early age.
Information technology is a
fast-growing field with a need
for skilled workers, but
currently, women hold only 20
percent of the jobs. In an
effort to understand what
attracts females to these
careers, researchers asked women
employed in such jobs as
software engineer, network
administrator, programmer and
Web developer to name what
influenced or motivated them to
pursue work in the information
technology industry.
Women also don't need
traditional degrees in computer
science and engineering - or
formal technical training - to
take advantage of those job
opportunities, despite what some
career studies indicate, Turner
said. About half of those
surveyed held bachelor's degrees
in nontechnical disciplines in
the humanities and social
sciences. Some entered the
information technology field by
earning graduate degrees in
computer science or information
systems, while others landed
positions through on-the-job
experiences and training.
In addition to the desire for a
challenging career, many women
said support from men - fathers,
husbands, teachers, friends or
male co-workers - influenced
their decision to enter the IT
field. Almost two-thirds of the
women surveyed cited
encouragement by male figures in
their lives as a major factor in
their career selection. That
finding isn't a complete
surprise, the researchers said,
given that men are more likely
than women to be employed in the
information technology field.
The researchers found, however,
that a father's career choice
could play a role. The fathers
of 27 percent of the women in
the study held technical jobs in
science, math or engineering, a
proportion that far exceeds the
number of people engaged in
these jobs nationally, which is
about 5 percent.
High school teachers and college
professors, including male
mentors, also proved to be
highly influential in women's
choices to pursue information
technology careers - mainly as a
positive factor, according to
the study.
"Young people expect
support from their
parents," Turner said.
"But kids know that
teachers know a lot more about
their capabilities. So when
teachers encourage, it means
more to a young person - it
gives more confidence to their
abilities."
- from Ohio University
For
additional LEGACY News of Hope
topics
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___________________________________________________________
Where
women's pay trumps men's
 Men
work more than women, on the job
anyway, at least in terms of
overall hours.
That's just one reason why when
you make a general comparison of
men's and women's earnings in
most fields, men usually come
out ahead, according to Warren
Farrell, the San Diego-based
author of "Why Men Earn
More: The Startling Truth Behind
the Pay Gap - and What Women
Can Do About It."
Farrell found, for instance,
that men are more likely to opt
for doing that which can lead to
a higher paycheck, including:
-Relocate or travel extensively
for work
-Take on more hazardous
assignments
-Work in the hard sciences
-Take jobs requiring greater
financial risk
-Work in unpleasant environments
(e.g. prisons or coal mines)
Women, by contrast, are more
likely to seek "careers
that are more fulfilling,
flexible and safe," Farrell
writes.
Even among highly paid women --
those who make over $100,000 --
Farrell found they are more
likely than men at the same pay
level to forfeit some pay in
exchange for more free time.
(And by "free time," I
just mean free from the office.
But often women reduce their
work hours so they can take care
of their families.)
While men may end up with more
pay in many fields, Farrell
believes women can end up with a
better life on balance.
And in some fields, they have a
shot at having a more balanced
life and making more than their
male counterparts.
He found more than 80 such
occupations for regular working
women. That is, not supermodels,
who not surprisingly can earn
far more than male models thanks
to a seemingly insatiable demand
for tall, thin, airbrushed
versions of feminine beauty.
In 39 of the occupations Farrell
found, women's median earnings
exceeded men's earnings by at
least 5 percent and in some
cases by as much as 43 percent.
Why do some fields pay women a
premium? "No one really
knows perfectly the
answer," Farrell told me.
One factor may be scarcity. In
fields like engineering, a
company may get one woman and
seven men applying for a job,
Farrell said. If the company
wants to hire the woman, they
may have to pay a premium to get
her.
That's because she may have more
competing offers than her male
counterparts. The reason: not
only is she a top performer who
can boost a company's
profitability but employing her
helps a company improve its
equal-opportunity standing,
which in turn can help it secure
government contracts.
Also, where women can combine
technical expertise with people
skills - such as those
required in sales and other
arenas where customers may
prefer dealing with a woman -
that's likely to contribute to a
premium in pay.
39 jobs where women make more
than men:
(The Top Five. To see the
complete list, click here)
1. Sales engineers
Women: $89,908 Men: $62,660
How much more women make: 43%
2. Statisticians
Women: $49,140 Men:$36,296
How much more women make: 35%
3. Legislators
Woman: $43,316 Men:$32,656
How much more women make: 33%
4.Other transportation workers
Women: $43,160 Men: $33,124
How much more women make: 30%
5. Automotive service
technicians and mechanics
Women: $40,664 Men: $31,460
How much more women make: 29%
-from CNNMoney.com
__________________________________________________________________________
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|
SOMETHING
NEW FROM LEGACY
!!
WHAT'S NEW?
2 NEW DVD
Versions of
LEGACY OF HOPE!
Have teens that
LOVE dance?
They'll love
seeing Susie in
the early years
of LEGACY - her
true prowess as
a jazz and
modern dancer of
30 years shines
in these DVD
versions!
Order on the
website:
1 - "LEGACY
OF HOPE Original
Version"
with the
emotionally
moving Legacy of
Obsession dance
to George
Michael's
"Father
Figure"
2- "LEGACY
OF OBSESSION - 2
HISTORICAL
VERSIONS" -
A WOW
PERFORMANCE!!!
Susie's original
show filmed for
COMCAST Cable TV
in Seal Beach -
HOT DANCE
NUMBERS, unique
dialogue, -
though different
- equally
powerful to
today's touring
LEGACY OF HOPE
show!
Check
out DVD's &
Videos |
HELP
TO BUILD YOUR
TEEN'S
SELF-ESTEEM!!
WHAT
COUNSELORS ARE
SAYING ABOUT
"52
Ways"
--
From Dick
Christy,
Guidance
Coordinator,
Ogdensburg Free
Academy,
Ogdensburg, NY
(Dec, 2006):
"A terrific
read and chalf
full of
practical
strategies that
parents and
those who work
with teens can
use immediately.
It is
"real"
advice for
"real"
situations.
"
About LEGACY OF
HOPE, Dick says
that it "is
free of all the
psycho-babble
that is out
there that just
confuses parents
and students...
cuts right to
the heart of the
message...
"
ON DVD - gives
you the
opportunity to
share Susie's
dramatic and
thought-provoking
message at home,
in the
classroom, or
pass it on to
friends and
family.
ORDER
YOUR PRODUCTS
NOW! |
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| The
female factor: Program aims to
introduce more girls to science
 Shraddha
Chaplot, an electrical engineering
student at UC San Diego, has a hard
time finding other women in her
college courses.
"I'd walk into a classroom, and
it was all guys," Chaplot said.
"I used to go sit in my classroom
and people would come up to me and ask
if I was in the right class ---- just
because I'm a girl."
Chaplot's classes are not the only
places where women in the science and
engineering fields are hard to find.
Only 11 percent of engineers are
girls, according to Sally Ride
Science. The program, founded in 2001
by astronaut Sally Ride, is designed
to show girls positive examples of
women in science and combat negative
stereotypes that the field is boring
and nerdy.
"What we try to show is that
science is very relevant," said
Francis French, director of events at
Sally Ride Science.
Many girls take interest in math,
science and technology in elementary
school, but as they progress through
school, that interest wanes.
Today, women constitute nearly half of
the United States work force, but
account for only 25 percent of the
science, engineering and technology
work force, according to Sally Ride
Science.
"When they get into these middle
school years, (girls lose
interest)," French said.
He attributes the loss of interest to
societal pressures.
"It's seen by their peers as kind
of geeky to know a lot abut math and
science," French said.
And while girls' enrollment in science
and math has increased over the past
decades, they still take fewer
advanced courses than boys, especially
in computers and physics, according to
Sally Ride Science.
Many of the images children see of
scientists reinforce the exclusion of
women in science by representing
scientists as older, nerdy males,
French said.
Sally Ride Science tries to combat
these images by providing positive
female role models to girls.
-from the North County Times
Consider
a LEGACY OF HOPE program to encourage
the girls in your school! |
| Strategies
for Working Mothers
While pending
motherhood itself can be a stressful
time, working women have the added
pressure of breaking the news to
employers while trying to decipher
just what benefits they are entitled
to receive.
There's good reason to be
apprehensive. A recent study by two
Cornell University sociologists
indicated that working mothers -- as
compared to working fathers or women
without children -- still may face
distinct disadvantages in the
workplace when it comes to being
hired, obtaining promotions and
receiving higher salaries.
But women can overcome some of the
challenges with a little thoughtful
planning and some hard information on
what to expect as you make the
transition from working woman to
working mother. Here are some tips to
get you started:
Know the ABCs of Maternity Leave
According to the Family and Medical
Leave Act of 1993, eligible employees
are entitled to take up to 12 weeks of
unpaid, job-protected leave in any
12-month period for specified family
and medical reasons. That includes the
birth and care of a newborn child or
caring for a child that was placed
with the employee through adoption or
foster care.
At the end of
the 12 week period, employers are
required to provide their employees
with the same or equivalent job with
no change in salary. And health
benefits stay intact throughout the
course of the leave --- a definite
perk when those first few pediatrician
bills start rolling in.
If the thought of living without a
paycheck for 12 weeks gives you the
jitters, take heart: New mothers are
eligible for temporary disability
payments for 6 to 8 weeks of that
leave, with the proper documentation
from your physician.
Keep in mind, however, that FMLA only
applies to employees that have worked
at their current job for 12 months and
have accrued 1,250 hours in the 12
months prior to the commencement of
FMLA leave. And FMLA generally only
applies to companies that employ at
least 50 people. Smaller businesses
may not offer the same perks for an
expectant employee.
Be Proactive
Do your homework beforehand by
consulting your human resources
department and other working mothers
at your company.
"When it comes to negotiating
leave, find out what your company's
practices are and what kind of bad and
good experiences your boss has
had," Ellen Galinsky, president
of the Families and Work Institute
said. "An organization's response
is going to be shaped by their prior
experiences."
Galinsky recommends brainstorming
before the actual meeting and
presenting your boss with three
options for staying connected and
delegating work responsibilities to
others that you will train.
Keep in Touch
Take it upon yourself to check in from
time to time. A quick e-mail review at
night or a call during naptime once
every couple of weeks will help keep
you informed on what your company is
doing and can help ease the way when
you decide to return to work. And you
can always leave your boss the option
of calling you if there's an urgent
need for your expertise.
But remember, your leave is there as
much for your mental well-being as
physical healing. Treat maternity
leave as a break from work and allow
yourself the opportunity to focus on
your child without worrying too much
about what's happening at the office.
Demonstrate Your Value
According to the U.S. Department of
Labor estimates, the base cost of
replacing a worker is 30 percent of
that person's annual earnings. If you
are can demonstrate that it's cheaper
to keep you and your value is the same
or even better given your newfound
multi-tasking skills, you'll be in a
better position.
working mothers should set up a
meeting with their managers after
maternity leave and provide a list of
the value they added to the company
before their leave -- such as
successful projects, financial deals
or special expertise -- as well as a
list of goals you'd like to accomplish
within a set time frame.
Also, be willing to agree to a trial
period for any new flex schedule to
make sure that it works for your
company and offer to help coworkers
when the need arises.
-from CNN Money.com |
| |
The
Princeton Review's Top 10
Most Popular College Majors
1. Business Administration
and Management
This major offers focused
training in accounting,
finance, marketing, economics,
human resources, and decision
making. You'll learn to
budget, organize, plan, hire,
direct, control, and manage an
organization. And you'll find
even more chances for career
growth if you go on to earn
your MBA.
Average Starting Salary:
$38,188
2. Pyschology
Don't expect that four years
of college will get you a
private practice where people
lie on a couch and tell you
their troubles for $95/hour.
You'll need an extra five to
seven years of schooling and a
Ph.D. or Psy.D. before that
will happen.
Average Starting Salary:$27,791
3. Elementary Education
When your academic work is
complete, you move into the
classroom for the
trial-by-fire known as student
teaching. This practicum lasts
from one semester to a full
academic year. When you
successfully complete the
elementary education program,
you'll have to take any
certification examinations
required by the state in which
you want to work.
4. Biology
In addition to being a
stepping stone for med school,
a biology major can lead to a
job in a growing field such as
genetics, biotechnology, or
medical research.
Veterinarians, optometrists,
ecologists, biochemists, and
environmentalists all may have
majored in biology.
Average Starting Salary:
$28,750
5. Nursing
Nurses are needed now more
than ever, and job prospects
in this field are bright. If
you major in nursing, you'll
take traditional science and
liberal arts courses as a
first-year student and
probably begin clinical
rotations at hospitals and
other health care facilities
during the second semester of
your sophomore year. While in
school, you'll receive lots of
practical, hands-on training.
All would-be nurses are
required by law to take and
pass the National Council
Licensure Examination for
Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN)
after graduating from an
accredited nursing program
before they can be considered
"registered."
6. Education
Although much of your
coursework will be general
education material, most
states require you to choose a
specific grade level you'd
like to teach. Education
majors may also go on to
become guidance counselors,
school administrators, and the
like.
7. English
You'll find English majors in
countless types of jobs. Many
of them are
communications-based careers
as you'd expect--author,
reporter, journalist, editor,
radio broadcaster, advertising
and public relations
executives--but plenty of them
aren't that obvious. English
majors also become teachers,
lawyers (after law school, of
course), film directors,
politicians, actors, you name
it. English majors become
well-rounded, well-read
individuals who have studied
life in words across the
globe.
Average Starting Salary:
$31,169
8. Communications
In this program, students
learn how certain messages
influence individual and group
behavior, as well as how our
reactions reflect the
underlying values of society.
With your degree, you may
choose to pursue a career in
business, public relations,
advertising, human resources,
government, education, media,
or social services.
9. Computer Science
In this program, you'll focus
on how computer technology can
be applied to any number of
fields. Included will be
classes on how to develop
business applications, perform
system analysis, and the
process of developing software
(from designing to programming
to testing). The knowledge you
gain from a Computer Science
major is absolutely applicable
to the real world, and to real
jobs within it.
10. Political Science
Many schools will want you to
choose a concentration.
Post-graduation options
include: politics (running as
a candidate or running a
candidate's campaign),
journalist, diplomat,
lobbyist, and, of course, law
school.
Average Starting Salary:
$32,999
LEGACY
OF HOPE programs for
college/university students |
|
 |
LEGACY
OF HOPE SCHOOL ASSEMBLIES AND
CONFERENCE KEYNOTE
Dramatic,
thought-provoking and life-enhancing
-
Theatrical one-woman presentation
addressing emotional intelligence
and how to make good choices.
Addresses real-world teen concerns
including alcohol and drug abuse,
excess stress, teen pregnancy,
gangs, AIDS, depression, bullying,
self-harm, suicide and violence.
|
| BOOK
A LEGACY OF HOPE PROGRAM FOR
YOUR EVENT, COMMUNITY OR SCHOOL
If you would like to know
more about how LEGACY OF HOPE
impacts positive change in teens
and adults, please contact us
with the link below.
Also, please forward this
newsletter to friends,
colleagues, parents, and others
who might find this information
useful. Help us carry our
message of hope and healing.
CONTACT
SUSIE NOW! |
|
|
"A
woman is like a tea bag. It's
only when she's in hot water
that you realize how strong she
is."
-Eleanor Roosevelt
Wishing you well,
All of us at LEGACY
Susie Vanderlip - Ken Vanderlip
College interns: Veronica Garcia
- Lauren LeDuc
800-707-1977 |
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