Happy Friday.

*images courtesy of happnstance, fiddlesticks and funny girls

2nd visioning session a success!

The second visioning session was a great success. 20 community members turned out to revise the draft statement created by the individual adult and youth visions from the August 3rd event.

Community members worked in small groups to ensure that the shared vision incorporated everyone's ideas and priorities - while remaining true to the HKHC goals.

As we move forward, we will begin planning for the third and final session in our visioning series. We will display the art created by our youth attendees, both craft pictures and photographs, as well as launch our newly crafted vision. We hope the final session will be a celebration for all of Buffalo - and the launch of the HKHC initiative in the city.

my daughter's favorite song isn't old mcdonald had a farm or twinkle twinkle little star...it's not hot dog, hot dog, hot diggity dog from the mickey mouse clubhouse or ring around the rosie. nope, not my 3 yr old. when we get into the car, she strictly wants me to play eminem (or rather M&M) and rihanna love the way you lie.....i am sure her teachers will really appreciate that when she sings it at school.

First HKHC Report - Check it out!

As a part of the HKHC program, we are conducting an ongoing assessment of the healthy eating and active living environment in Buffalo. As a part of this assessment, Kailee Neuner - the research coordinator from the University at Buffalo for HKHC - produced a policy brief that outlines the current conditions. Please take a few minutes to read this very important document - and get involved. You can always contact me with any questions at jhersher[at]bnmc.org.

Download the document here.

Why men still get more promotions than women

Very interesting article in The Harvard Business Review on male vs. female mentoring, and the difference it can make in business contexts.

All mentoring is not created equal, we discovered. There is a special kind of relationship—called sponsorship—in which the mentor goes beyond giving feedback and advice and uses his or her influence with senior executives to advocate for the mentee. Our interviews and surveys alike suggest that high-potential women are overmentored and undersponsored relative to their male peers—and that they are not advancing in their organizations. Furthermore, without sponsorship, women not only are less likely than men to be appointed to top roles but may also be more reluctant to go for them.

The article is a bit anecdotal in parts, but has some underlying interesting ideas in it that are grounded in research. I'm not sure how applicable it is to academic careers, but having a mentor who in addition to giving you advice can help sell you and your ideas to others (institutional peers, editors, etc) is almost always, in my experience, a helpful thing.