On September 16, four Hewitt students, including me and Ms. Dore, traveled downtown to unite on behalf of girls around the world. The Girl Up: Unite for Girls event, sponsored by the United Nations Foundation and Clean & Clear, took place at the Times Center in New York City. This conference was just one of the ways Girl Up takes action in the ongoing fight for girls’ rights around the globe and increases the awareness of the need for social justice.
Girl Up’s mission is “to give American girls opportunity to become global leaders and channel their energy and compassion to raise awareness and funds for programs of the United Nations that help some of the world’s hardest-to-reach adolescent girls.” The organization focuses on the problems within education systems for girls around the world, mostly in developing countries, and the overall unequal treatment of young women. Girl Up reaches out to girls across America who can relate to the women struggling in countries such as Malawi, Guatemala, Liberia, and Ethiopia.
The Girl Up conferences, like the one that members of the Hewitt community attended, encourage active learning for its participants. Once registered and equipped with a pen and a ‘passport’, the Hewitt contingent traveled from one kiosk to another. Each kiosk represented a country and included frightening statistics about the injustices girls face. Some even allowed its visitors to experience the life they would have if they had been born there. Everyone experienced the task of carrying fruit or jerry cans filled with water on her head. We only carried these items for a meter or two, but girls much younger than we carry these essential cargos for miles everyday. Needless to say, these small moments of role-playing helped us better understand the struggles and inconveniences that some girls face in their day-to-day lives.
After our “worldly travels,” we headed into the auditorium for a spectacular presentation. Singer/songwriter Lily Halper sang songs of inspiration and women empowerment with the Project Girl Performance Collective on deck. They were both moving and informative performances. The Project Girl Performance Collective beautifully intertwined monologues with skits and songs, engaging the entire audience with their fantastic presentation.
The event concluded with a panel discussion. The panel consisted of Tamara Kreinin, the executive director of women and population at the United Nations Foundation; Louise Guido, the CEO of the Foundation for Social Change; Charlotte May, a 2011-2012 Girl Up teen advisor; and finally Nigel Barker, internationally renowned fashion photographer, author, and Girl Up champion.
The panel discussed crucial topics involving women and girls around the world. Nigel Barker provided a male’s point of view, adequately stating, “I am ashamed for men… We need to stand up… We need to stand up for equality. I’m here to man up, as well as girl up.” Nigel Barker’s comment suggested that it is not just women and girls who have the responsibility to help each other; men and boys also carry responsibility for the women and girls who surround them. The conference was a successful gathering of a vast range of people fighting for a common cause.
So, what can you do to help? You can “give a high five.”