April 2019 Issue

From the President & CEO

Dear friends,
 
We know that women and men are both susceptible to using language that diminishes the power of their statements. And, in 'The Language of Female  Leadership', Dr. Judith Baxter reported that women are four times more likely to use "out-of-power" language and  engage in "double-voice discourse." What if, instead, women and men supported and amplified women's voices by creating awareness around statements that discredit and disempower us?
 
This is the question that the creative team at MullenLowe proposed to us last month when they developed the Watch Your Words campaign . The campaign launched to 1,500 women at The Ad Club's annual Women's Leadership Forum  and has been advertised on public transportation and kiosks around Boston for the past month. I had the honor of sharing the stage with MullenLowe's President, Kelly Fredrickson, at the Women's Leadership Forum. She explained the impetus for the campaign as such: "We sometimes use words like 'just' and 'maybe' and 'sorry' to discredit our ideas before we get them out."
 
Big Sister Boston was chosen as the beneficiary of donations to the Watch Your Words "swear jar" because our work is focused on amplifying the voices of women and girls, and because we are committed to creating a culture of women supporting women. Ultimately, that is what we, together with MullenLowe, hope to achieve through the campaign: raising our voices to silence our doubt, raising our voices in support of one another. We want to model for the next generation, and for each other, what it sounds like when rather than qualifying our statements we speak with confidence. Why? Because we know that girls are listening. 
 
With gratitude,




appbrkfstProgram Notes: 
Engineers for the Day at Onshape



Have you ever wanted to be an engineer for the day? On April 18, Big Sister Zenia and Little Sister Yivelisse enjoyed a hands-on experience with our friends at Onshape  which specializes in developing a computer-aided design (CAD) systems for engineers. The two got a tour of the office, learned what the engineers at the Cambridge-based tech company do, and worked side-by-side with engineers on projects that helped them understand how engineers solve problems and design tools.
 
Zenia and Yivelisse won this unique experience at our annual Appreciation Breakfast in March. Zenia nominated her Little Sister, with whom she's been matched since July 2018, for our STEM Award. She said that when she first met Yivelisse, she mentioned that math was one of her least favorite subjects. Over time, Yivelisse has begun to love math and it has turned into her favorite subject. Together the two have done many projects on their own that focus on engineering. Recently they got a science experiment kit and made different types of slime to test what kind of materials affect the texture. Zenia, who is a student at Northeastern University, also brought her Little Sister to the school's Engineering building and showed her around.

waystogive
Creative Ways to Invest in Girls


Make a Statement, Support Big Sister
Snagging a statement tee for the coolest girl you know, while supporting Greater Boston's women and girls? It's a win-win. Grab a kid's size "The Future is Female..." t-shirt from our friends at Arnold Worldwide and proceeds benefit our mission. If anyone believes the future is female it's the Big Sister Boston community!

Amazon Smile
You can support the work of Big Sister Boston while doing your shopping on Amazon! Simply go to  https://smile.amazon.com/   and select Big Sister Association of Greater Boston as your charitable organization.



Facebook Fundraisers
Have a birthday coming up? Want to honor a woman who made a difference in your life or the special relationship you share with your Little Sister? Start a Facebook fundraiser in support of Big Sister Boston today! We've raised more than $3,000 since November thanks to you and your Facebook fam. Let's keep the momentum going! Click here to find out how to easily set one up. 

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Mark Your Calendar




Celebrity Chef Dinner at Benedetto
Sunday, June 2
5:00 PM - 9:00 PM
Benedetto, One Bennett Street, Cambridge




Join us for an evening that will delight the senses and inspire the spirit. This year's Celebrity Chef Dinner will feature a cocktail reception on the patio with fresh-shucked oysters from Alexis Cervasio of East Boston Oysters, followed by a multi-course meal prepared by Boston's most beloved chefs:

Joanne Chang, Flour Bakery, Myers + Chang
Renae Connolly, Benedetto
Colin & Heather Lynch, Bar Mezzana
Stephanie Bui, Chickadee
Michael Pagliarini, Benedetto

Tickets are $500 each and can be purchased by contacting Erin Barfield at ebarfield@bigsister.org or 617.237.8079. Sponsorship and table purchases also available.


Need space?   Big Sister has a large, fully furnished conference room  that can be rented for hourly or daily rates. Please contact our Coordinator of Benefits and Administration, Deborah Pless, at 617.236.8060 for more information. 

Proudly Supported by

Big Sister Association of Greater Boston | 617.236.8060 | bigsister@bigsister.org | www.bigsister.org
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