At YWCA, we know that one of the most compassionate things a person can do is to offer up their time.  That is why we are so excited to celebrate the birthday of Meghan Markle, The Duchess of Sussex, by giving our time to empower women across the globe.For her 40^th birthday, The Dutchess is asking 40 of her closest friends to donate 40 minutes of their time to help mentor a woman who is mobilizing back into the workforce. Unfortunately, we can’t all be friends with Meghan Markle, but we can all celebrate her and empower women by encouraging people everywhere to take action and join the movement to help them rebuild their confidence and economic strength as they prepare to reenter the workforce.In the past two years, and in large part because of the COVID-19 pandemic, tens of millions of women around the world have left the workforce, including over two million women in the U.S. So many of these women are also shouldering the brunt of the crisis when it comes to unpaid labor, including schooling and caring for family members. The latest research also shows that fewer women than men will regain work as we recover from the pandemic.The Duchess of Sussex, the Archewell Foundation, and YWCA believes that mentorship is one of many important ways to support women reentering the workforce. A mentorship relationship can take on many forms, but ultimately works to motivate, inspire, and support a mentee; helping women regain the confidence and practical tools they need to advance a professional life on their own terms.Join us in empowering women and helping them rebuild their confidence and economic strength by displaying #CompassionInAction. If you can, please participate in the global wave of service by committing 40 minutes of your time to a community service or mentorship initiative that uplifts women. With this time, we hope that each of us can help someone advance a professional life on her own terms, and inspire countless others to do the same. Follow along or join in on the conversation by following @YWCAUSA on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram using #40X40 #CompassionInAction and #EmpoweredWomenEmpowerWomen.When we see injustice, our mission to empower women and promote a world of peace, justice, freedom, and dignity for all compels us to act. We also believe, like the Archewell Foundation, that unleashing the power of compassion to drive systemic cultural change should be the priority. Together, we can contribute to a global wave of compassion and positive change. Are you with us?