Pink and blue balloons lined the hallways of Hewitt’s lobby and gymnasium on January 25th, as boys and girls from the metropolitan area scrambled to find seats. The gym was buzzing with people of all ages, primarily women, eager to see an exclusive “sneak peak” of Girl Rising, a movie featuring young women across the globe in search of finding the education they deserve.
Friday night’s event consisted of snacks, two chapters of the movie showing the emotional journeys of two young girls, and a scintillating panel discussion among four young women of all different ages who have followed their passion to improve education for girls around the world.
Hewitt’s Sofia Stafford ’13 moderated the event, facilitating questions for the panelists to answer and directing the discussion of the evening.
The most anticipated panelist was Monique Coleman, Girl Up Champion, the first ever United Nations Youth Champion, and actress in the beloved Disney film, High School Musical. Monique explained her self-initiated six-month tour around the world to empower young girls and meet with government officials. She inspired the audience members with her honest opinions. “We need to be models for women around the world. Just be nice to each other.”
She also mentioned the potentially life-changing role of social media.
“Instead of tweeting about what you ate for lunch, share something about a girl like the ones in the movie Girl Rising.”
Tara Abraham, Deputy Director of 10 X 10, sat on the panel as an expert voice for the women featured in Girl Rising. Abraham, a mother who devotes the majority of her life to nonprofit organizations and the importance of helping others, explained the necessity for change, one this movie will hopefully help people understand. When asked about her opinion on the recent rape of a young woman in India, she said that the only beneficial thing that came out of such a disgusting incident is that it started a conversation: the first step in creating change.
The two other panelists, Ines Renique, a Girl Up teen advisor, and Elizabeth Schweitzer, president of her school’s SWAN (Student Women’s Awareness Network) club, are both teenagers at local private schools who have devoted their extracurricular lives to Girl Up and women’s awareness.
The evening ended in a discussion led by the audience. Their questions ranged from panelists’ personal stories and goals to how men can get involved in this global movement. According to the four panelists, men are just as important to the movement as women, and a man’s support can make a huge difference.