Confidence and Community: Miami Women’s Power Series – The Purist Online

Report on the Women’s Power Series Initiative and its Alignment with Sustainable Development Goals

Introduction: An Initiative for Gender Equality and Empowerment

The Women’s Power Series, founded by Dayssi Olarte de Kanavos and Sophia Kanavos, is an initiative designed to address systemic barriers faced by women in professional environments. Launched in response to the observation that female-focused events often lacked structural impact, the series provides a platform for mentorship, education, and community connection. This report analyzes the initiative’s contributions to several key United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 5 (Gender Equality), SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth), SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities), and SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals).

Core Mission: Advancing SDG 5 (Gender Equality)

The primary objective of the Women’s Power Series is to empower women, directly aligning with the targets of SDG 5. The initiative seeks to ensure women’s full and effective participation and equal opportunities for leadership at all levels of decision-making in economic life.

• Addressing Systemic Challenges: The series was created to counteract issues that hinder gender equality, including the significant loss of confidence reported in adolescent girls and the underrepresentation of women in male-dominated industries such as luxury real estate, hospitality, and finance.
• Fostering Leadership: By featuring C-suite executives and successful founders as speakers, the platform provides tangible role models and actionable advice. The founders advocate for providing women with more opportunities to manage, lead negotiations, and participate actively in workplace meetings.
• Building Confidence and Community: The initiative creates a supportive environment where women are encouraged to invest in one another emotionally, socially, and professionally. This communal support system is crucial for rebuilding confidence and fostering a collective sense of power.

Promoting Economic Empowerment and Decent Work (SDG 8)

The Women’s Power Series contributes to SDG 8 by promoting inclusive and sustainable economic growth and productive employment for women. It functions as a catalyst for professional development and economic opportunity.

1. Network and Opportunity Creation: The events facilitate connections between early-career professionals and established industry leaders, leading to tangible outcomes such as brand collaborations, business partnerships, and media recognition for attendees.
2. Skill Enhancement and Education: Through candid conversations and expert panels on topics including wellness, technology, AI, and finance, the series provides valuable educational content that helps women navigate and excel in their respective fields.
3. Investing in Female-Founded Ventures: A marketplace for female-founded businesses is integrated into the events, with proceeds directly benefiting nonprofit partners. This model promotes women’s entrepreneurship and creates a cycle of women investing in women.

Addressing Inequality Through Inclusive Access (SDG 10)

A foundational principle of the Women’s Power Series is to reduce the inequalities that have traditionally barred many women from accessing high-level business conferences. This commitment directly supports SDG 10.

• Accessible Pricing Structure: Unlike exclusive conferences with high financial barriers to entry, the series offers a tiered pricing model, with tickets available for as low as $250. This ensures that women from various economic backgrounds have a “seat at the table.”
• Inclusive Event Format: The half-day structure of the events is designed to accommodate the schedules of working mothers and other professionals with significant time constraints, promoting greater participation.
• Intergenerational Dialogue: The initiative actively fosters an intergenerational spirit, bringing together women in their 20s with seasoned executives and grandmothers, ensuring a diverse exchange of perspectives and experiences.

Fostering Partnerships for Sustainable Impact (SDG 17)

The operational model of the Women’s Power Series exemplifies SDG 17, which emphasizes the importance of partnerships to achieve sustainable development goals.

• Multi-Stakeholder Collaboration: The series connects thousands of women, influential speakers, corporate sponsors, and nonprofit organizations, creating a powerful network dedicated to a common goal.
• Transition to Nonprofit Status: The initiative is in the process of becoming a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. This transition will formalize its mission and enable the establishment of a board of advisers, allowing for the strategic distribution of proceeds to a wider range of partner organizations aligned with its mission.
• Financial Reinvestment: One hundred percent of all ticket sales and marketplace proceeds are directed to nonprofit partners, demonstrating a clear commitment to strengthening the civil society organizations that support women and girls.

Analysis of Sustainable Development Goals in the Article

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

1. SDG 5: Gender Equality
   • The article’s central theme is the empowerment of women in the business world. It directly addresses the lack of female representation and confidence, citing that women are “usually the only women in the room for many of our meetings.” The creation of the Women’s Power Series is a direct response to “level the playing field in the business world” and promote gender equality.
2. SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth
   • The initiative described aims to “help lift them [women] up and elevate where they are today on their path in business.” By providing mentorship, education, and community connections, the Women’s Power Series promotes productive employment and economic empowerment for women, contributing to their career growth and success.
3. SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals
   • The article highlights the collaborative nature of the Women’s Power Series. It brings together women from diverse industries, partners with nonprofits by donating “100 percent of all ticket sales proceeds,” and is in the process of becoming a 501(c)(3) nonprofit to “spread proceeds out to organizations that we feel inclined to partner with.” This demonstrates a multi-stakeholder partnership model to achieve its goals.

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

1. Target 5.5: Ensure women’s full and effective participation and equal opportunities for leadership at all levels of decision-making in political, economic and public life.
   • The article directly addresses this target by identifying the problem of male-dominated conferences where speakers and honorees were “mostly men.” The Women’s Power Series was created to counter this by elevating women, featuring “C-level executives” as speakers, and providing advice for leadership to “Provide women more opportunities to manage, and to lead negotiations and meetings in the workplace.”
2. Target 8.5: By 2030, achieve full and productive employment and decent work for all women and men… and equal pay for work of equal value.
   • The initiative’s goal to “level the playing field in the business world” and help women “gain their confidence” so they don’t “become invisible” in meetings directly supports the aim of achieving full and productive employment for women. The focus on career advancement and building professional networks is a means to achieve better economic outcomes and opportunities.
3. Target 17.17: Encourage and promote effective public, public-private and civil society partnerships, building on the experience and resourcing strategies of partnerships.
   • The Women’s Power Series is a prime example of a civil society partnership. It connects “thousands of women” and influential names across various sectors. The model of donating all proceeds to nonprofit partners and the plan to become a 501(c)(3) to formalize these collaborations perfectly aligns with the spirit of this target.

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

1. Indicator related to Target 5.5 (Proportion of women in managerial positions):
   • The article implies a low proportion of women in leadership by stating, “We’re usually the only women in the room for many of our meetings.” An increase in the number of women attending, speaking at, and being honored at business conferences, as well as the success stories of attendees like Nicoline Roth, serve as qualitative indicators of progress toward greater participation and leadership.
2. Indicator related to Target 8.5 (Full and productive employment):
   • The article provides anecdotal indicators of economic empowerment. It mentions that after the events, “We see a lot of women who start getting press accolades on their own, or start collaborating together and doing brand deals among one another.” These outcomes are tangible measures of increased economic activity and career advancement for the participants.
3. Indicator related to Target 17.17 (Amount of resources committed to partnerships):
   • A direct financial indicator is mentioned: “100 percent of all ticket sales proceeds and the female-founded marketplace proceeds directly benefiting nonprofit partners.” While a total dollar amount isn’t given, this commitment itself is a key indicator. The number of attendees (“more than 200 women,” “more than 250 women”) and the growing number of partnerships with nonprofits are also measurable indicators of the partnership’s scale and impact.

4. Summary Table of SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

Source: thepuristonline.com