You Are Collective is launching their first annual women's conference

The San Jose-based You Are Collective is a gathering of women that aim to connect and create a space of belonging and awareness. They are hosting their first annual women's conference called "Speak Life" from 12pm-6pm on October 5th at the Santa Clara Convention Center.

The event will feature panel speakers, creative and wellness workshops, professional resources geared towards mental health awareness, art installations and interactive walls that encourage positive affirmations through creativity.

For more information and for tickets, head over here.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/youarecollectve/
Instagram: @youarecollectve

About You Are Collective (The Story)

Founded in 2019 You Are Collective started as a passion project called, 13 You Are created by Co-Founder Cherelle Posadas. Inspiration drew from the Netflix Show “13 Reasons Why” storyline which sparked a challenge in Cherelle to use her newfound hand lettering skills to create beautiful cards that inspired hope. She started to give these cards that reflected “13 reasons why they mattered” to her friends, family, and strangers. In 2019, Cherelle wanted to be more bold with her projects. She reached out to close friends and family casting the same vision of 13 Your Are, but with more impact. This grand vision would give You Are a broader reach in our community and bring a creative outlook to mental health awareness around the world. As the vision manifested into plans, she revisited a partnership to create a passion project with Syzette, our other Co-Founder, an original 13 You Are supporter, a leader and good friend. What once was a one person project, became a team of four; where we rebranded 13 You Are to You Are Collective. For more please visit our website at youarecollective.com

#WomenCrush Music hosts first San Jose ALL-WOMEN songwriter showcase

#WomenCrush Music is a non-profit dedicated to supporting rising female songwriters with showcases, workshops, and networking events. They are throwing their first event in San Jose on March 1st, 7:30pm at Art Boutiki (44 Race st.). The cost is only $10 and is a great way to support aspiring talent that could become the future leaders of the music industry.

For more info, check out the press release below and head over here. You can also RSVP for the event (not required).

San Jose, CA (February 12th, 2018) -

2018 is an exciting year for #WomenCrush Music. In addition to achieving non-profit status, the organization now has chapters in more than 10 USA and Canada cities, including San Jose! #WomenCrush Music’s mission is to support rising women songwriters by hosting showcases, workshops, and networking events, all while creating a safe and supportive community in each chapter. With a staff spanning coast to coast and the organization nearly tripling in size since its creation in early last year, 2018 is shaping up to be one for the books.

#WomenCrush started with a local showcase in Portland, and the showcase remains a cornerstone of the organization even as it expands in size and gains momentum. The #WomenCrush team is especially excited to announce the debut showcases of its new chapters of 2018. Addressing the need for a safe space to perform new material and to connect with potential collaborators and mentors is more than just how #WomenCrush Music began. Encouraging women to find their voice and be inspired by other women is its core endeavor and its guiding vision.

Now that #WomenCrush has added San Jose to its roster of cities, Krystal Beasley has joined the team as a Chapter Leader. Beasley helps organize and host events in the San Jose area, bringing the #WomenCrush message to artists in her city. The first of these events is a showcase held on March 1st, at the SLG Art Boutiki & Gallery. Krystal is the Chapter Lead for San Jose & San Francisco. Born and raised in the Bay Area, she is extremely thrilled to showcase the massive amount of homegrown talent.

“I love being a part of #WomenCrush Music because it provides a beautiful sense of community and creates opportunity for female musicians in a very male-dominated industry,” explains Beasley.

#WomenCrush is also seeking media partners, in-kind donations, and financial sponsors to support the investment the organization makes in women musicians by hosting showcases, educational workshops and networking events. Additional funding will also support the operation and marketing of #WomenCrush Music as it continues in its efforts to connect, educate, and inspire.

Please see below for a schedule of upcoming events for February 2018:

SHOWCASE - Miami, FL @ Sweat Records - Saturday, February 17th, 7PM-9:30PM

FUTURE BOSS LADIES - Portland, OR @ Jade Lounge - Sunday, February 18th, 3PM-5PM

SHOWCASE - Portland, OR @ The White Eagle -Wednesday, February 21st, 8PM-11PM

WORKSHOP - Los Angeles, CA @ 8383 Wilshire Blvd - Saturday, February 24th, 6:30PM-9:30PM

MEET UP - Austin, TX @ CU-29 Cocktail Bar - Wednesday, February 28th, 7PM-MIDNIGHT

About #WomenCrush Music

#WomenCrush Music serves to create opportunities for rising women songwriters, whether they are just at the beginning of their careers and want to start performing at local venues, or they have just released their second album and are ready to go on tour. #WomenCrush Music wants to connect artists with future collaborators, educate them about the business, and inspire them to make an impact on this male-dominated industry.

#WomenCrush Music was founded in January 2017, when Ashley Kervabon saw a need to build a stronger community amongst women in the music industry in Portland, OR. When the first showcase was a success, Ashley reached out to women in her online communities to see if any other cities had ongoing showcase series for women artists. It was then that she realized there was a void that needed to be filled. Ashley reached out to her friends in her hometown of NYC to start her expansion there. After New York,  Nashville  quickly followed, then came Vancouver, BC. Soon enough, she was receiving emails everyday from artists all over the USA and Canada asking how they can perform at a #WomenCrush showcase. By fall of 2017 #WomenCrush had grown dramatically, including several new team members and many more new cities to launch in 2018, such as, Los Angeles, Chicago, Austin, New Orleans, San Francisco, San Jose, Miami, Fort Lauderdale and Missoula.For more information, please visit (hyperlink to website)

Saturday Stats: San Jose is the 5th Best City for Women

Sadly, gender inequality is still a current issue in the US (and most of the world). Fortunately, San Jose ranks highly when it comes to the best cities for women in the country. 24/7 Wall St. looked at multiple metrics including gender pay gaps, college attainment, life expectancy, and insurance rates for women. After computing all of these metrics, we came in 6th place. Even then, women on average are only earning 74.6% of men. San Francisco fared even better and came in at 2nd place.

Unrelated tho the article, one positive sign that things are moving in the right direction is new legislation will go into effect in California next year. For example, employers will no longer be able to ask what your salary history is during job interviews as it may bias towards paying based off the past salary and not what a new hire should be making for the role.

Source: 24/7 Wall St., thanks to Barclay Livker for sending this in!

Sourisseau News: Women Cannery Workers

The San Jose Fruit Packing company was once the largest cannery in the world and by the 1930s, Santa Clara Valley's 38 canneries were the largest employers of women in California.To learn more about the important role of women keeping these these canneries afloat, watch the latest episode of Sourisseau News below.

To see an archive of past videos, head over here.

Sourisseau News August 2017 Women Cannery Workers from WMS media Inc. on Vimeo.

San Jose Women's March

Below is a beautiful photo that gives some idea of how many people showed up for the Women's March in January. This was taken by prawngeorge.

Source: cardinal2007 from the San Jose Development Forum