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1871 AND YWCA METROPOLITAN
CHICAGO LAUNCH COMMUNITY-WIDE SEXUAL HARASSMENT AWARENESS INITIATIVES
WITH JOINT PROGRAM
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1871 Partners With
Leading Women’s Organization to Create Safe and Healthy Workplaces With
Sexual Harassment Training, Education, and Awareness; Program Will
Require Annual Mandatory Training of all Members; Will Offer Six Public
Facing Events; Will Establish Anonymous Hotline.
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PRESS RELEASE |
Chicago, IL | March 21, 2018
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CHICAGO (March
21, 2017) -- 1871 joined YWCA Metropolitan Chicago on Wednesday to announce a joint initiative
that will expand efforts to prevent and address sexual harassment in
the workplace throughout Chicago. The partnership affirms 1871’s
commitment to its values of diversity and inclusion along with its
mission to support and empower Chicago’s entrepreneurs and business
leaders of all backgrounds.
As a result of this
partnership, 1871 has added a section to its Member Code of Conduct
requiring all of its members to take a sexual harassment training
course at least once a year. 1871 will also host one optional YWCA-led training course on sexual harassment
each month as a benefit for its members; courses will cover preventative
education topics to help members better recognize and prevent abusive
behaviors.
“As the number one
incubator in the world, we have an obligation to lead the way when it
comes to gender equality in the workplace,” said 1871 COO Tom
Alexander. “This partnership withYWCA Metropolitan
Chicago ensures that we’re expecting our members to observe and
implement the highest standards in terms of diversity and inclusion,
and also helps further the discussion on significant gender issues in
today’s workforce.”
In addition to its
training courses, the YWCA will
host six public events at 1871 throughout the year to educate and equip
the 1871 community with strategies and best practices to identify,
prevent, and report sexual harassment in the workplace. The first event
will take place in April to commemorate Sexual
Assault Awareness Month.
The partnership will
also provide access to a YWCA hotline
for all of 1871’s members, tenants, partners, and staff. The hotline
will operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and will provide
support and crisis intervention for individuals who have experienced
harassment or discrimination. All hotline users will remain
anonymous.
“Sexual harassment,
misconduct, and abuse is unacceptable in any
industry, at any level,” saidYWCA Metropolitan
Chicago CEO Dorri McWhorter. “When it comes to diversity and inclusion,
1871 is taking significant action and provides a model for other
businesses in how to effectively advocate and empower women in the
workplace. The YWCA is proud to
stand side-by-side with the 1871 community to advance safe and healthy
workplaces for all.”
Along with its
collaboration with the YWCA Metropolitan
Chicago, the largest provider of sexual assault support services in the
Midwest, 1871 has launched extensive efforts to support women in the
workforce including WiSTEM,
a 12-week, curriculum-based accelerator for women entrepreneurs, whose
companies have raised more than $10 million in capital and created over
250 jobs, and ChiBuys,
which supports women- and minority-owned food vendors in the
Chicagoland area.
In addition to its diversity initiatives and programs,
1871 has also built two nursing rooms on its premises to support
working mothers, worked aggressively to achieve gender parity among its
mentor roster, and continues to reflect its values of diversity and
inclusion in all of its organizational efforts including membership,
events, recruiting, and programming.
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About YWCA Metropolitan
Chicago
YWCA Metropolitan
Chicago is the oldest and largest women’s organization in the region,
with a mission to eliminate racism and empower women. For more than 140
years, YWCA Metropolitan Chicago
has been committed to serving the evolving needs of women and families.
Today, they help more than 200,000 individuals annually through Safety
& Wellness, Education & Training, and Economic Sustainability.
The organization is the largest provider of sexual assault support
services in Illinois, offering crisis intervention, counseling,
education and medical and legal advocacy services. They administer the
state’s largest Child Care Resource and Referral program offering
services to families seeking child care and a variety of support
resources for child care providers. They also offer career, financial
management, digital literacy and business services to help youth and
adult members achieve financial stability and obtain training to enter
high-growth fields. To learn more, please visit www.ywcachicago.org.
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About
1871
1871 is the home of
over 500 high-growth technology startups and more than 1,500 members
supported by an entire ecosystem focused on accelerating their growth
and creating jobs in the Chicagoland area. Visit www.1871.com for
more information. Located in a 150,000 square-foot space over three
floors in The Merchandise Mart, 1871 has more than 600 current mentors
available to its members, as well as more than 100 partner
corporations, universities, education programs, accelerators, venture
funds and other organizations that make its extensive matrix of
resources possible. For more on our partners, visit www.1871.com/about/partners,
or become a partner by reaching out to contact@1871.com.
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