Happy International Day of the Girl!
By: Emily J.
Today, is none other than International Day of the Girl! At YSBnow, we all know that growing up can be a tough experience especially when you’re trying to map out your future. So we’ve rounded up 8 AMAZING nonprofit organizations and included links where you can find out more information or even join!
Amy Poehler’s Smart Girls
Founded by funny girl herself, Amy Poehler and her producer, Meredith Walker, Amy Poehler’s Smart Girls is a place where girls can go to be their true authentic selves. They value intelligence and imagination over petty gossip and “fitting in”. They have a YouTube channel where they talk about multiple topics including feminism in their sub channel She Said, Modern Manners, and Smart Life Hacks.
The Girl Project
Glamour Magazine’s initiative, The Girl Project, is dedicated to providing girls all around the world a proper education. By using donations to the cause, they are taking on the big and controversial issues (such as child marriage, poverty, and teenage pregnancy) that keep girls from going to school.
Girls Who Code
Tech jobs are the some of the fastest growing in the country. When girls are around 6-12 years old, they express a high interest in computing. However, by the time they reach college freshman age, only 4% of them declare their major in computer science. Well Girls Who Code is here to change that! With After School Clubs and Summer Immersion Programs, the large gender gap in the technology industry is finally closing. Watch their hilarious video with Buzzfeed’s Try Guys to see more of what they do.
Girls Write Now
Founded in 1998, Girls Write Now is New York’s first and only writing program for girls from under privileged neighborhoods. High schoolers are paired up with accomplished women writers to find their voice in their community. Girls Write Now has been acknowledged twice by the White House and the President’s Committee on Arts and Humanities as one of the nation’s top after school education programs. Some of their mentees have performed at the United Nations and have published original work in Newsweek, Elle India, and The Huffington Post. And to top it all off, 100% of their high school seniors go to college.
Step Up
Did you know 1 in 3 teens don’t finish high school? It is mainly because there is a vicious cycle in neighborhoods where gang violence and teenage pregnancies are rampant, a teenage girl is expected to raise her siblings, work a minimum wage job, and help her parents provide for the family. Her studies are pushed to the side and she has no way of going to college. Step Up is here to change that. By giving girls an instructor that helps them prep and apply for college and introducing them professional women role models who give them an internship, girls are ready to face college and pursue their dream careers.
Girls For A Change
Girls For A Change is a nonprofit organization that helps black girls and other girls of color, find their voice and what they can do for their communities. With programs in the Fall and Spring, middle and high schoolers gather to find solutions about certain problems they find in their communities. It helps them find their voice, have confidence, and create problem-solving skills to realize their full potential.
Girl Talk
It is no question that the middle school years are rough and full of drama. Which is why Girl Talk keeps it simple. This organization is a peer to peer mentoring program in which high school girls mentor middle school girls and listen to whatever is going on in their lives and help them gain self-confidence and self-worth. High school mentors build positive leadership skills and have the opportunity to become a positive role model. Middle school girls realize that they are not the only ones in their situation and find that understanding, kindness, and compassion lead to better relationships with others.
Let Girls Learn
In March 2015, First Lady Michelle Obama launched a campaign to let girls in poverty ridden countries have a fighting chance at an education. With programs like the Peace Corps, the US Agency for International Development (USAID), and the Millennial Challenge Corporation (MCC), they address the range of challenges that girls face to get a basic education and empowers them to reach their full potential and become successful. TONIGHT, they are collaborating with The Girl Project to answer your questions and talk about what YOU can do to help. Believe us, you DON’T want to miss this!
Now, get out there and show the world what you are really made of! Happy International Day of the Girl!
