Suzanne F. Stevens's Blog, page 8
December 16, 2020
weWednesday: Top 10 Small Actions to create a BIG reaction during the Holiday Season
Consider how to make your contribution count:
Top 10 Small Actions to create a BIG reaction during the holiday season
by Suzanne F. Stevens, Conscious-Contribution
Cultivator, Certified Speaking Professional (CSP), YouMeWe.ca
weWednesday subscriber exclusive –a short weekly video infusion to make your contribution count • for you • your company • your community. Subscribe on the right to weWednesdays to receive it in your inbox.
prefer to read?
BEFORE YOU GO… like & sha...
November 2, 2020
The Environmental Crisis and What You Can Do About it
2020 has been a disruptive year.
It goes beyond physical distancing, hand sanitizing, toilet paper hoarding, and looking like we are all going to rob the grocery store.
This year has been revealing and magnifying.
Revealing attitudes that the status quo could no longer protect.
And magnifying tragedies that many knew existed but no longer could ignore.
Although the multitude of social inequities falls into that description, so does the environmental crisis. We must not forget – what ...
August 31, 2020
Giving back: Donate rewards to social justice efforts, coronavirus relief
By Claire Dickey Claire Dickey’s Twitter profileJun. 22, 2020/4 min readImage Credit:Lyndon Stratford/Getty Images
This blog is posted on YouMeWe Social Impact Group Inc site with permission.
To have access to Article and site visit:
The content on this page is accurate as of the posting date; however, some of the of...
August 21, 2020
Ravi Tangri interviews Suzanne F. Stevens for Soulgineering podcast
Suzanne F. Stevens is interviewed by Ravi Tangri, host of Soulgineering Your Life podcast. She shares the journey to finding soulful work that gives her meaning. This candid conversation dives into the reality that doing meaningful work is not an easy choice, but for Suzanne, it was the only choice.
In life, if we live aligned with your core values while we consciously contribute to the ecosystem, here our contribution will count. Here you will maximize your meaning.
Listen to the full interview t...
August 20, 2020
A Professor of multi-cultural Mechanical Engineers interviews Suzanne F. Stevens
Suzanne F. Stevens is interviewed by Barb Stuhlemmer, of Bliz Business Success, for her multi-cultural class in Mechanical Engineering Technology. The course focuses on Ethics, Economics, and Entrepreneurship at Georgian College.
If you teach college or university students that are steading ethics, business, or sociology, reach out to Suzanne to be interviewed or speak. She interviews leaders, entrepreneurs, and social entrepreneurs internationally on how to contribute to the community conscious...
May 5, 2020
What do hoarding toilet paper, contributing, and your mental health have in common?
I was curious when I heard peoples response to COVID-19 was to bolt to Costco to buy toilet paper by the cartload. Shelves at local grocery stores where Cashmere and Cottonelle once provided comfort and luxury, were absorbed by Charmin, leaving nothing behind. I tried to understand this desperate surge of hoarding our precious toilet paper. I concluded preparing for a possible shortage was something we could CONTROL; besides, who wants to be abandoned without a square to spare?
To curtail the...
April 3, 2020
Embrace your community responsibility
As we reflect, repurpose, and respond to our individual and collective situation during this global pandemic, many of us are seeking ways to pivot our businesses while making short term income—a worthwhile pursuit. An excerpt from my recently released book – Make Your Contribution Count, for you, me, we, offers some perspective on our community responsibility.
I pose a challenge for you. As you assess how to adapt your businesses to this new reality, by going virtual or by repurposing to help meet the unique demands created by this pandemic, ask yourself what role will you and your business play? How will you contribute now to the most vulnerable, and then how will you assist in the recovery?
Social gaps will widen, and each one of us has an opportunity, and frankly, a responsibility, to uplift the life of another. We will need people to work together during this time of flattening the curve, but also while we emotionally, financially, and consciously recover.
Here is a perspective from others who had different challenges but understood their social responsibility. As we reflect on our roles in flattening the curve (beyond washing hands, avoiding our face, staying two meters apart, and staying home), consider your role in the recovery.
(Excerpt from my recently released book – Make Your Contribution Count, for you me, we.)
Part 2:
me —make your contribution count — maximize your meaning.
Chapter 8: Embrace Your Community Responsibility
Words of Wisdom
I am here. I am working. I am capable to establish what we need in my country along with other women. You just need to be willing to work.
Nigest Haile, founder and executive director, Centre for African Women Economic Empowerment
Pioneer: Founder of the first NGO in Ethiopia, and co-founder of Enat Bank, the first women’s bank
Nigest Haile, founder and executive director of the Centre for African Women Economic Empowerment (CAWEE) in Ethiopia and I were driving to the African Union to propose an international trade initiative — a project I was collaborating on to promote increasing exports.
During our drive, Nigest pointed out several of her clients’ large beautiful homes. She shared that when showing her daughters her clients’ homes, they would ask, “Mom, why are your clients’ homes so big, and ours is so small?” She explained, that her purpose is to help build women’s success; everything is not about making money.
Nigest is passionate about the responsibility of citizens to invest their time and energy for the betterment of the community. Although everything isn’t about money, she feels that citizens have a responsibility to consider the community as they grow their businesses, volunteer their time, and contribute their wisdom.
Claiming your duty
The seventy African women pioneers we interviewed all have one thing in common: a sense of responsibility to take the lead and consciously contribute to society. We spoke to women who were pioneers in politics, education, activism, and business. Some had been beaten, raped, and kidnapped. Some had fewer rights than a two-year-old boy; some had no rights at all. Some were discriminated against from the time they were born, while others had a front-row seat to prejudices and saw people they loved killed before them. Conversely, others were not in their country of birth during civil conflicts, but they felt the need to return and rebuild.
These conscious-contributors realized their aspirations because of their courage, their character, and their choices. Pioneering African women feel a broad sense of responsibility to contribute to their community, country, or continent. Their motivation isn’t fame or fortune, but rather freedom: the liberty to mold a society rich with tradition and culture that will adhere to human rights and capitalize on opportunities.
Taking a salary cut to serve
Wisdom Exchange tv guest Margareth Mattaba Chacha, Managing Director Tanzania Women’s Bank with host Suzanne F Stevens.As the managing director of the Tanzania Women’s Bank Ltd., Margareth Chacha took a salary cut to fulfill her sense of obligation to uplift society. She harnessed her courage and her can-do attitude to lead an essential change. Tanzanians didn’t need to look outside their country for talent to open a bank to meet the requirements of local women. Margareth admits her hesitation to take on the challenge, but she eventually came to a realization:
“I needed to leave something to my society. I left my big salary, which was double what I am making now, but I decided to leave it as the country has been paying for us to get here [to democracy]. I believe the skills we have are the same as international candidates, as many of us have been educated internationally, but we just don’t have the confidence in ourselves. I wanted to show that I had the confidence to take this on for all other women. I feel I will inspire a lot of other women.”
As a woman who has a front-row seat to the complexities of Tanzanian culture and women’s funding limitations, Margareth is an ideal leader for a bank that provides access to financing for women.
Getting your voice heard
Beti Olive Kamya, The Uganda Federal AllianceBeti Olive Kamya echoes this sense of responsibility in her pursuit of the highest office in Uganda. She was the only woman vying for the presidency in the 2011 election. Beti didn’t win, but this was not a failure. Her aspiration wasn’t to become president but to have her message heard by her fellow citizens. Beti believes the political system needs to change, so she became the first woman to form a political party, The Uganda Federal Alliance. Beti describes its goal:
“Most people who were running were arguing about the chair [presidency]. Who will sit in that chair, and when they sit there what will they do? For me, it was a different argument: was the chair properly designed for the job? I decided since no one running for president was raising this argument, I felt very passionate that this perspective needed to be discussed. If we just continued to argue about the chair, then we were driving the wrong course.”
By pursuing the presidency, Beti was able to utilize media to amplify her mission and challenge how the government is structured, a message ignored when she spoke from the lower levels of government. Beti took the opportunity to start and continue the conversation. She believed someone had to.
Living in a communal situation
Wisdom Exchange tv guest Ela Gandhi with host Suzanne F Stevens.Some women feel their duty to their country, so they take on the role of a crusader. Others see their responsibility as innate. Ela Gandhi started the Gandhi Development Trust in South Africa in 2002. The aim was to manifest the values Mahatma Gandhi started in South Africa and promoted over his life — a spirit of reconciliation and a culture of peace and non-violence locally and internationally. Ela continues to spread Mahatma Gandhi’s values, which include having true integrity, living a selfless life, living in a communal situation, giving more attention to what we do and how it affects the community rather than how the community benefits us personally.
As Gandhi’s granddaughter, Ela was schooled in selflessly contributing to others, without expectation. This life, as Ela describes it, is not for the easily swayed.
“[Our religious practice is] looking at how we can improve the lives of others rather than ourselves. It is looking at the right thing to do. It sounds simple, but as soon as we get up in the morning, we have challenges, and you have to decide what is right and what is wrong.”
Those who were not born into the values of selflessness or immersed in a culture where complacency is not an option may become numb to the inequalities of society, such as the discrepancy between rich and poor.
Making a difference provides a sense of meaning
More than one’s circumstance, a belief or observing an injustice is often the inspiration for dedication to a cause. It is also motivated by a personal sense of duty, intolerance for the status quo, and a craving to make a difference in the world — ultimately providing us with a sense of meaning. Meaning starts with living our purpose. Our purpose gives us a reason to wake up in the morning and live each day with intention, knowing every action we take is motivated to make our contribution count.
As Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said during the speech in Selma, Alabama on March 8, 1965, “A man dies when he refuses to stand up for that which is right. A man dies when he refuses to stand up for justice. A man dies when he refuses to take a stand for that which is true.”
Martin Luther King Jr. “Address on Courage” at Brown Chapel in Selma, Alabama. (March 8, 1965). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0On19DRA2fU (accessed March 10, 2018).
To download a chapter, or learn more about the book: Make your contribution count for you, me, we visit: https://youmewe.ca/make-your-contribution-count-book-purchase/
The post Embrace your community responsibility appeared first on YouMeWe.
March 30, 2020
Book launch: Make your contribution Count – International Women’s Day
March 8, 2020 – International Women’s Day, Suzanne F. Stevens launches her first book at Wasaga Beach Chamber of Commerce — Make your contribution count for you, me, we.
With over a hundred women in attendance, Suzanne shares a model of how to take responsibility as a citizen to uplift society, by aligning your contributions with what you care about, your strengths, what the world needs, and strategies to make it sustainable.
“Suzanne’s presentation was entertaining, inspiring, thought-provoking, and engaging! It was fantastic to see and hear the reaction of the audience and how inspired everyone was. Many people commented that Suzanne’s message made them think beyond themselves to the greater contributions they may be able to make. We also incorporated a charitable jewelry extravaganza on Suzanne’s suggestion. The entire event was a huge success!” Colleen Bannerman B.B.A, C.C.H, President, Wasaga Beach Chamber of Commerce
Make your contribution count — a book whose time has come
With a global pandemic underfoot, now more than ever, citizens need to look to each other for respect, trust, cooperation, and collaboration. The talk mirrors the YouMeWe ethos, which is the foundation of the book and divides it naturally into three parts.
Part 1: you — make your contribution count — consciously
You refers to understanding the needs of the individual or group you would like to contribute to while being conscious of the more significant implications of fulfilling that group’s needs.
Part 2: me — make your contribution count — maximize your meaning
Me refers to each of us being a global citizen. We all have a responsibility to contribute to uplift the life of another. We will maximize our meaning when we channel our unique gifts, life purpose, mission, and personal values in the service of others.
Part 3: we — make your contribution count — consistently
We is the reality that momentum is not achieved alone. To consistently contribute to an initiative, we need to collaborate with value-aligned people and organizations. We must employ sustainable solutions along with mission and conscious leadership techniques. By harnessing our feminine energy, we will generate a positive ripple effect of our consistent conscious-contributions
.
The reader will be transported through 17 African countries and 70 interviews
Make your contribution count imports pioneering African women’s guidance to navigate how the West can integrate African cultural ethos, where we takes precedence over me. Pioneers who have endured many unimaginable circumstances harness their feminine energy to transform how to lead, contribute, consume, and structure organizations to have a social impact in their communities and beyond — sustainably.
The reader is transported through 17 African countries and 70 interviews along with the author, Suzanne F. Stevens, and her husband, Michael K. Gingerich as they backpack through a timely social evolution. Through real-life adventures, international research findings, practical strategies, and reflective questions, the author will take the reader on a journey where:
their contribution awareness will be heightened locally and abroad
they will explore strategies on how to tap into their purpose to maximize their meaning,
they will discover tools to lead conscious-contributions
—sustainably.Collaboratively we can address the social, economic, and environmental issues of our time — we all have a role to play.
What readers are saying:
“Suzanne F. Stevens takes the reader on an inspiring global journey where she shares strategies on how to activate your purpose, harness your mission, and lead at home or abroad a social, economic, and environmental initiative. A message for anyone who wants to impact society consciously and sustainably.”
Aaron Hurst, Co-Founder & CEO of Imperative, Author of the Purpose Economy and Founder of Taproot Foundation
For more testimonials:
To learn more about Make your contribution count for you, me, we visit: https://youmewe.ca/make-your-contribution-count-book-purchase/
About Suzanne F. Stevens, CSP: Author, Keynote Speaker, and Social Entrepreneur
Suzanne F. Stevens is a conscious-contribution cultivator and amplifier of social contributors’ voices. An author, certified speaking professional, trainer, host, social entrepreneur, volunteer, and philanthropist. As the founder of YouMeWe Social Impact Group, Suzanne ignites leaders and entrepreneurs to make their contribution count. As a lover of travel and adventure, her most profound journey lies in her new book’s pages. Join Suzanne on the YouMeWe’s mission: YouMeWe.ca, YouMeWeMovement.com, YouMeWeFoundation.org, and WisdomExchangeTv.com.
The post Book launch: Make your contribution Count – International Women’s Day appeared first on YouMeWe.
March 7, 2020
weWednesday: Happy International Women’s Day!
Special weWednesday vlog – the backstory of writing Make Your Contribution Count for you • me • we
In this video, we celebrate International Women’s Day!
by Suzanne F. Stevens, Conscious-Contribution Cultivator, Certified Speaking Professional (CSP), YouMeWe.ca
#btn_1_3d5bc1c043983fe46ffa73328d2268a9 .text {font-size:24px;color:#ffffffff;font-family:Impact, Charcoal, sans-serif;font-weight:bold;font-style:italic;text-shadow:#fcd408 0px 1px 0px;}#btn_1_3d5bc1c043983fe46ffa73328d2268a9 .subtext {text-shadow:#fcd408 0px 1px 0px;}#btn_1_3d5bc1c043983fe46ffa73328d2268a9 {padding:20px 40px;border-color:#662c85;border-width:1px;-moz-border-radius:6px;-webkit-border-radius:6px;border-radius:6px;background:#662c85;background:-webkit-gradient(linear, left top, left bottom, color-stop(0%, #662c85), color-stop(100%, #9e4bb4));background:-webkit-linear-gradient(top, #662c85 0%, #9e4bb4 100%);background:-moz-linear-gradient(top, #662c85 0%, #9e4bb4 100%);background:-ms-linear-gradient(top, #662c85 0%, #9e4bb4 100%);background:-o-linear-gradient(top, #662c85 0%, #9e4bb4 100%);background:linear-gradient(to bottom, #662c85 0%, #9e4bb4 100%);filter:progid:DXImageTransform.Microsoft.gradient(startColorstr=#662c85, endColorstr=#9e4bb4, GradientType=0);box-shadow:0px 1px 1px 0px rgba(0,0,0,0.5),inset 0px 0px 0px 1px rgba(102,44,133,0.5);}#btn_1_3d5bc1c043983fe46ffa73328d2268a9 .gradient {-moz-border-radius:6px;-webkit-border-radius:6px;border-radius:6px;}#btn_1_3d5bc1c043983fe46ffa73328d2268a9 .shine {-moz-border-radius:6px;-webkit-border-radius:6px;border-radius:6px;}#btn_1_3d5bc1c043983fe46ffa73328d2268a9 .active {-moz-border-radius:6px;-webkit-border-radius:6px;border-radius:6px;}#btn_1_3d5bc1c043983fe46ffa73328d2268a9 .hover {-moz-border-radius:6px;-webkit-border-radius:6px;border-radius:6px;}Book purchase/overview
Please share your comments below!
The post weWednesday: Happy International Women’s Day! appeared first on YouMeWe.
March 5, 2020
weWednesday: Why is this book important now?
Special weWednesday vlog – the backstory of writing Make Your Contribution Count for you • me • we
by Suzanne F. Stevens, Conscious-Contribution Cultivator, Certified Speaking Professional (CSP), YouMeWe.ca
#btn_1_3d5bc1c043983fe46ffa73328d2268a9 .text {font-size:24px;color:#ffffffff;font-family:Impact, Charcoal, sans-serif;font-weight:bold;font-style:italic;text-shadow:#fcd408 0px 1px 0px;}#btn_1_3d5bc1c043983fe46ffa73328d2268a9 .subtext {text-shadow:#fcd408 0px 1px 0px;}#btn_1_3d5bc1c043983fe46ffa73328d2268a9 {padding:20px 40px;border-color:#662c85;border-width:1px;-moz-border-radius:6px;-webkit-border-radius:6px;border-radius:6px;background:#662c85;background:-webkit-gradient(linear, left top, left bottom, color-stop(0%, #662c85), color-stop(100%, #9e4bb4));background:-webkit-linear-gradient(top, #662c85 0%, #9e4bb4 100%);background:-moz-linear-gradient(top, #662c85 0%, #9e4bb4 100%);background:-ms-linear-gradient(top, #662c85 0%, #9e4bb4 100%);background:-o-linear-gradient(top, #662c85 0%, #9e4bb4 100%);background:linear-gradient(to bottom, #662c85 0%, #9e4bb4 100%);filter:progid:DXImageTransform.Microsoft.gradient(startColorstr=#662c85, endColorstr=#9e4bb4, GradientType=0);box-shadow:0px 1px 1px 0px rgba(0,0,0,0.5),inset 0px 0px 0px 1px rgba(102,44,133,0.5);}#btn_1_3d5bc1c043983fe46ffa73328d2268a9 .gradient {-moz-border-radius:6px;-webkit-border-radius:6px;border-radius:6px;}#btn_1_3d5bc1c043983fe46ffa73328d2268a9 .shine {-moz-border-radius:6px;-webkit-border-radius:6px;border-radius:6px;}#btn_1_3d5bc1c043983fe46ffa73328d2268a9 .active {-moz-border-radius:6px;-webkit-border-radius:6px;border-radius:6px;}#btn_1_3d5bc1c043983fe46ffa73328d2268a9 .hover {-moz-border-radius:6px;-webkit-border-radius:6px;border-radius:6px;}Book purchase/overview
Please share your comments below!
The post weWednesday: Why is this book important now? appeared first on YouMeWe.
