Picture this: a tech company deploying projects built and developed by survivors of human trafficking and gender-based violence. It may seem like a long shot in a world where those individuals so often find themselves stuck in cycles of abuse and exploitation, but nonprofit tech incubator AnnieCannons has achieved a self-sustaining and scalable system of economic empowerment for survivors. 

Breaking vicious cycles of human trafficking

As every nation struggles to contain COVID-19, one of the most pressing challenges for governments, public health officials, and humanitarians has been the fact that misinformation about the pandemic seems to spread almost as quickly as the virus itself. In nearly every country, conspiracy theories and false narratives abound, from rumors about the origin of the virus and how it is spread, to false advice about how to treat it.

While the human and environmental costs of climate change play out before our eyes — from a devastating wildfire season on the U.S. West Coast to severe storms brewing in the Atlantic — an alarming new report makes the future economic costs all the more clear.

In the midst of a global pandemic, an economic recession, and a historic racial equity and justice movement, the idea of business-as-usual has become obsolete as many deal with feelings of isolation and concern about the future.     

The workplace itself has become a reflection of the current environment, requiring leaders to reimagine how they strengthen and sustain inclusive work cultures where employees feel like they belong and can thrive, a function typically led by the diversity and inclusion (D&I) teams within a company.