Bahiya does not want to be striped like all the other zebras in the Serengeti. She wants to stand out and be the most special little zebra in the whole of Africa! Determined to reach this goal, Bahiya and her friend come up with a creative idea for a unique new look. The result ... is not what she expected! Will Bahiya realise how special she is, even with her stripes?

Fatima was tired of people treating her like a child. Determined to prove her worth, she sets off to complete the tasks on Grandma's to-do list. She resists all distractions. However, when she reaches her first destination, she realizes she has lost the list. Fatima is certain she remembers everything on the list and doles out instructions to her family accordingly. But as the family sits down to dinner, they slowly realize that, perhaps, Fatima didn't remember quite as well as she had thought. SEL connections in this story include accurate self-perception, recognizing strengths, self-confidence, and empathy.

Ivory Stars is Tanzania’s first ever all-girls football team, but what makes this team even more unique is that they are people with albinism. Disregarded by society, the team is determined to show the world that they won’t be held back. As International Albinism Awareness Day approaches, climbing Mount Kilimanjaro would defy stereotypes and prove that they are extraordinarily capable. Join Tatu, the team leader, and the Ivory Stars on their quest to reach the summit of the highest peak in Africa. Find out whether their determination will meet the challenges ahead. How will they manoeuvre through the twists and turns that lie in wait for them? What would it mean for them if they failed?

This is the first world-wide, comparative study of the controversial new trends of gender quotas now emerging in global politics, presenting a comprehensive overview of changes in women’s parliamentary representation across the world. This is important reading for all those working to increase women’s influence in politics, because it scrutinizes under what circumstances gender quotas do increase women’s representation – and why they sometimes fail. These distinguished international scholars also show how gender balance in politics has become important to a nation’s international image and why quotas are being introduced in many post-conflict countries. They present key case studies of Afghanistan, Iraq, Argentina, Sweden, South Africa, Belgium, covering almost all major regions of the world: Latin America, Africa, the Arab world, South Asia, the Balkans, The Nordic countries and Europe, New Zealand, Australia and the USA - and Rwanda, which in 2003 unexpectedly surpassed Sweden as the number one country in the world in terms of women’s parliamentary representation. Using a comparative perspective, this book contains analyses of the discursive controversies around quotas; it gives an overview over various types of quotas in use from candidate quotas to reserved seat systems, and it throws light over the troublesome implementation process. When do gender quotas lead to actual increase in the number of women parliament? When are quotas merely a symbolic gesture? What does it imply to be elected as a ‘quota woman’? Tackling these and many more key questions, this is a major new contribution to the field. Making an important contribution to our knowledge of gender politics worldwide, this book will be of interest to NGOs, students and scholars of democracy, policy-making, comparative politics and gender studies.

Never has the world experienced greater movement of peoples from one country to another, from one continent to another. These seismic shifts in population have brought about huge challenges for all societies. In this year’s Massey Lectures, Canada’s twenty-sixth Governor General and bestselling author Adrienne Clarkson argues that a sense of belonging is a necessary mediation between an individual and a society. She masterfully chronicles the evolution of citizenship throughout the ages: from the genesis of the idea of the citizen in ancient Greece, to the medieval structures of guilds and class; from the revolutionary period which gave birth to the modern nation-state, to present-day citizenship based on shared values, consensus, and pluralism. Clarkson places particular emphasis on the Canadian model, which promotes immigration, parliamentary democracy, and the rule of law, and the First Nations circle, which embodies notions of expansion and equality. She concludes by looking forward, using the Bhutanese example of Gross National Happiness to determine how we measure up today and how far we have to go to bring into being the citizen, and the society, of tomorrow.

Adrienne Clarkson grew up in Ottawa after her family escaped Japanese-occupied Hong Kong in 1942. Decades later, she would become Canada’s 26th governor general. Clarkson reached out to Canadians everywhere, refashioning Rideau Hall into a real home and welcoming the public. Her determination to invest meaning in her official actions created controversy, and in her memoir, Clarkson reflects on the behind-the-scenes political machinations. Heart Matters is more than a public life remembered—it chronicles an astonishing journey through triumph and turmoil. Remarkably insightful and inspiring, it is an extraordinary work by an extraordinary Canadian.