Call for Proposals: AARP "Diversity @ 50+: The Power of Inclusion" Conference

Proposals will be selected by the review committee based upon the following criteria:

• Promote effective and innovative aging practices through the lens of diversity
• Provide useful and applicable skills, ideas and information in a variety of presentation formats
• Actively engage participants
• Share best practices that can be replicated
• Contribute to participants' cultural competence

Anemic Economic Recovery Highlights Need for Tools to Help Working Families

The Bureau of Labor Statistics' December employment summary, released on Friday, reported positive developments in private sector growth and the unemployment rate in December. But the jobs report also included more sobering statistics, such as the large numbers of discouraged workers and long-term unemployed in our economy, which hint that the road to economic recovery is far from clear. Read Corporate Voices' analysis of the December jobs report, and what tools and resources employers can access to help promote financial stability for their workers in this tough economic climate, on Corporate Voices' blog.

Workplace Flexibility: Ensuring Success for the 21^st Century
eTripTrader Improves the Lives of Working Families Through Innovative Scheduling Technology

Corporate Voices is pleased to release the first micro success story in its national workplace flexibility campaign, illustrating how eTripTrader, Inc. has successfully used workplace flexibility as a management strategy to help improve its competitiveness in the 21^st century. eTripTrader is a Business Champion in Corporate Voices' national workplace flexibility campaign, and has expressed its support for flexibility by signing our Statement of Support for Expanding Workplace Flexibility.

A growing number of employers have joined this campaignto recognize the business imperative for flexibility and how flexibility practices can catalyze success for working families and businesses. Recent "Business Champions" include: Accenture, Allstate Insurance Company, AOL, Baxter International, Bright Horizons Family Solutions, Childrens' Creative Learning Centers, Cisco Systems, CVS Caremark, Deloitte LLP, Discovery Communications, Ernst & Young, Knowledge Universe, KPMG, LifeCare, Marriott International, McGladrey^SM, Merck & Co. Inc., Sodexo and Workplace Options, among others.

Corporate Voices launched this campaign in June after the first-ever White House Forum on Workplace Flexibility to create a broader awareness of the positive business and employee benefits of flexibility. This campaign seeks to create the critical momentum needed to expand flexibility within the business community.

Need for Creating a Culture for Flexibility Highlighted in "Focus on Workplace Flexibility" Blog Series 

To maintain this forward momentum, Corporate Voices has launched a "Focus on Workplace Flexibility" blog series to provide commentary and analysis on the key demographic and economic changes transforming work and family. This series will illustrate how workplace flexibility can be a catalyst for success for businesses and working families in the 21^st century, and what practical tools and resources exist to help employers successfully implement flexibility practices.

• Read the first post in the series, "Focus on Workplace Flexibility-Main Themes"
• Read the second post in the series, "Focus on Workplace Flexibility-The Rise of Older Workers and Caregivers"
• Read the third post in the series, "The Path to Employer Flexibility is Paved with Business Results."
• Read the fourth post in the series, "Creating a Culture of Flexibility."

To learn more about Corporate Voices' national workplace flexibility campaign and about how you can join, please visit Corporate Voices' website or contact ysiu@corporatevoices.org.

Corporate Voices' Partner Company Awards $100,000 to Drop Out Prevention Program

Corporate Voices' partner company JP Morgan Chase has awarded a $100,000 grant to Communities In Schools of San Antonio to help meet the needs of at-risk students in the South San Antonio ISD.

The grant will support the introduction of two vital dropout prevention programs with demonstrated effectiveness to San Antonio:

• Early Warning System - Identifies struggling middle and high school students and alerts teachers and administrators. Tiered responses get the right intervention to the right student at the right time. Through training in the Early Warning System, school district and CIS-SA staff will be able to better identify those youth most at risk of dropping out and address their needs.

• The XY-Zone - A leadership and character development program that addresses the needs of high risk boys, guiding them as they journey into manhood, and helping them succeed in school and prepare for healthy relationships. Training in the XY-Zone program will enable CIS-SA case managers to provide it to targeted groups of disadvantaged high school boys.

"Every student deserves the opportunity to be successful in school," said Jay Clingman, Chairman of Chase in San Antonio. "The vital work of Communities In Schools of San Antonio will transform the lives of many young people, who in turn, will truly impact the future of our city."

The mission of Communities In Schools of San Antonio is to surround students with a community of support, empowering them to stay in school and achieve in life.

Flex Time Flourishes in Accounting Industry,The New York Times, January 7, 2011.

Job Front: Stability, Flexibility Rank High In Worker Survey,The Sacramento Bee, January 3, 2011.
 

Family Matters: Public Policy and the Interdependence of Generations, Generations United, 2010.
 

Mistakes to Success: Learning and Adapting When Things Go Wrong, iUniverse, 2010.