|
|
Welcome to the Summer 2010 edition of the Girls Learn International newsletter!
We are thrilled to be going green with our new "e-newsletter," which will be published online four times every year. This spring, GLI Chapters have been very busy. In March, members attended and even presented at the 54th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women at the UN. During April, the Junior Board organized a student-run and -produced media event called "Beyond Borders: A Cross-Cultural Vision." And in May, Chapter members, Faculty Advisors, GLI staff, parents, and friends participated in GLI's 3rd Annual 5K Walk & Picnic in Carl Schurz Park. Throughout the entire spring semester, Chapters also worked on their GLAMs, which are activism, fundraising, and cultural exchange projects. This year, Chapters got to choose from among 5 different projects for their GLAM, many of which are featured in this newsletter. Spring was a busy and productive time for GLI, and we cannot wait to begin working again in September! Happy summer!
- Kathryn MacNaughton
Junior Board Chair & Riverdale School Chapter Leader
|
Junior Board Hosts "Beyond Borders" Media Event
By Vanessa Vecchiarello, Glen Ridge High School (NJ)
GLI Chapter members at the "Beyond Borders" event at NYC Lab School
 |
On Sunday, April 25th the GLI Junior Board hosted a new and successful event at the NYC Lab School, titled "Beyond Borders: A Cross-Cultural Vision." All attendees had the opportunity to hear presentations by GLI Chapter members who had visited their Partner Country. These girls shared their learning experiences and discussed the importance of cross-cultural communication. Additionally, the event explored ways in which girls are using and creating media as a platform to investigate social issues through presentations by those GLI members who are participating in the GLI & Women's Media Center project, Girls Investigate.
Event presenters included Nadia Tareen, who had the wonderful opportunity to visit her Partner School, the Khanott School in Pakistan, and Carlin Ryger-Wasserman, who created a film of her own, Cambodia: A Woman's Right to Learn. Following this, I, along with other members of the Glen Ridge Chapter, shared a slideshow of pictures and our personal reflections about the visit that we received from Sunita Rathore, a graduate of our Partner School, the Veerni School in India.
Those taking part in the GLI & Women's Media Center project titled Girls Investigate, about social networking and the effects it has on young women, included Julia Lo, Nadia Tareen, Claudia Zurlini, and Culley Schultz. Nadia, Claudia and Culley discussed the project, and shared their experiences about making their films and what they learned about girls in the media.
The presentations were followed by a Q&A session in which audience members were invited to ask the speakers any specific questions, and the event concluded with a light reception in the main lobby. The event was very successful and allowed all those who attended to learn more about the important subjects of girls' education and girls in the media.
|
|
A Life Changed in New York
By Erin Butterfield, Sonoma Academy (CA)
Chapter Leader Erin Butterfield and Ambassador Susan Rice
 | About two months ago I missed a week of school to attend the 54th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW). I knew that being invited to the CSW was the opportunity of a lifetime for me because I would be attending workshops and hearing speakers talk about human rights, especially those of women and girls. All of this happened at the United Nations, which made it even more thrilling. The first day the UN was packed with people of all ages. There were some men and boys, but the majority of the people were women and girls from all over the world! It was inspiring, empowering, and very eye-opening. And that was only the beginning.
One event that stood out the most for me was the reception at the U.S. Mission for the United Nations, where U.S. Ambassador Susan Rice spoke. I got to converse with many important and highly respected people like Director of the White House Office of Public Engagement Tina Tchen, U.S. Ambassador Rick Barton, and NGO Liaison to the U.S. Mission Peggy Kerry. (Peggy Kerry is also John Kerry's sister!) During that evening, I thought, "This is what I want the rest of my life to be like"; it was one of the best experiences of my life, and it will definitely be hard to top.
Being at CSW reminded me that one action in a local community can grow and affect the global community; even though we live in our bubble of the United States we still are a part of the world. We must remember that we are not 195 worlds; we are 195 countries in one world. Each person can make a difference, but there is power in numbers, and at the CSW I certainly saw that.
|
The Girls-Only Workshop
By Petra Hahn, Davenport Central High School (IA)
Student Leaders Petra Hahn, Jonathan O'Leary, and Erin Butterfield, with GLI Chapter Director Julie Salthouse
 |
"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed people can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has."
These words, spoken by Margaret Mead, accurately describe the events that occurred at the Girls-Only Workshop during the 54th Convention on the Status of Women at the United Nations this past March. A small, thoughtful group of girls from around the country, representing every organization from Girls Learn International to Girl Scouts to The Grail, gathered together to discuss the rights of the "girl-child." I was fortunate enough to be a part of this influential group. Together, we wrote the "Girls' Statement," which was later submitted as an 'oral intervention' to the official proceedings of the CSW. Our Statement encourages government delegates to keep the girl-child and the protection of her rights as a number-one priority. Click here to read the Girls' Statement.
We used our voices to speak for girls worldwide. We used our words to write in hope of sparking change in the lives of girls everywhere. Most importantly, we used our commitment to uplifting the girl-child to bond us together - reminding each of us that we are part of a global sisterhood of girls.
|
The Boys-Only Workshop
By Jonathan O'Leary, Davenport Central High School (IA)
As an attendee at the 54th CSW in March, I had the opportunity to go
to a Boys-Only Workshop headed by Quentin Walcott. Mr. Walcott is the Director of
the Community Empowerment Program at CONNECT NYC, a New York City organization
that is
dedicated to preventing interpersonal violence and promoting gender justice.
Mr. Walcott started the workshop off
by introducing the topic of domestic abuse, a sad and frequent occurrence in
many relationships throughout the world. The other boys and I were asked to
come up with possible motives and causes of abuse, among which were
frustration, dominance, anger, and a lack of self-esteem. But in essence, the
men and women who perpetrate this violence simply make a choice to do so. Mr.
Walcott also helped us learn about the crisis in masculinity around the world.
We discussed ways in which boys and men attempt to demonstrate or prove their
masculinity, and the problems associated with this. Typically, guys who appear
to be the strongest, meanest, toughest, and scariest are considered to be the
most masculine. This, we all concluded, needs to change. The Boys-Only Workshop
presented a chance to address abuse and examine a new view of masculinity, and
I valued the opportunity to discuss such an intriguing topic.
|
GLAM #4: Girls' Rights are Human Rights
By Carolyn Lipp, Bronx High School of Science (NY)
Bronx High School of Science Chapter members and guest speaker Susan MacLaury at the War Dance screening
 | For our GLAM project, we organized a human rights film screening at our school. We showed the documentary War Dance, which follows refugees from the Acholi tribe displaced by the war in northern Uganda and living in the Patonga Refugee Camp. Some of the children were orphaned by the war and others had been kidnapped and forced to become child soldiers by the rebel forces. Later in the film, the audience saw how their love for music and dance at Patonga Primary School helped them cope with the psychological traumas of war as they trained to compete in the National Music Competition. After the film, the executive producer of War Dance, Susan MacLaury, led a Q&A session about the film, and we also held an iPad raffle sponsored by the Bezos Foundation.
Proceeds from our film screening went to our Partner Program, Soccer for Success in Argentina, which focuses on empowering girls in impoverished areas of Buenos Aires through soccer. Like the refugees in War Dance, the girls in our Partner Program learn to cope with problems in their lives by engaging in an extracurricular activity that involves teamwork and collaboration. After our film screening, we will begin working on a human rights book, which we will send to our Partners over the summer. |
Girls Going Global: Art & Activism at Baldwin and Beyond
By Nadia Tareen, Baldwin School (PA)
Baldwin School Chapter members with their quilt at the Girls Going Global art show
 |
2010 has been an exciting and productive year for the GLI Chapter of the Baldwin School, and the 25 Chapter members looked forward to culminating the year with an art exhibition and musical fundraiser, "Girls Going Global: Art & Activism at Baldwin & Beyond." On May 14th, the local community was invited to attend this showcase of the cultural exchange project between Baldwin and our Partner School in Pakistan, the Khanott School. Guests had the chance to see the beautiful handmade crafts sent to our Chapter from Pakistan in January and the quilt that our Chapter plans to send to the Khanott School girls this summer. Each square of the quilt was made by Baldwin students and features an inspiring word that emphasizes the importance of girls' education, like "future" and "empower." Those who attended the event also heard singer Romeena and guitarist Sami Kureishy perform traditional Pakistani music live, and watched GLI Chapter member Anjalie Field perform Indian classical dance. Guests of "Girls Going Global: Art & Activism at Baldwin & Beyond" felt like a part of the Baldwin and Khanott School partnership, which has blossomed over the past 3 years, while also experiencing a taste of the culture of the Indian subcontinent.
|
GLAM #2: Feed Your Mind
By Julia Choudhury, James Madison High School (VA)
James Madison Chapter members at their Hunger Banquet event. |
For our GLAM project, the James Madison High School GLI Chapter in Vienna, VA, decided to get involved in the battle against hunger in the world. We decided to do this by hosting an Oxfam America Hunger Banquet® to visually represent hunger inequality. Upon entering the event, participants randomly drew a ticket. There were three types of tickets: one representing the world's high-income population, one for the middle-income population, and one for low income. The ration of tickets was roughly representative of income distribution in the real world. Those who drew one of the high-income tickets were seated at nice tables and received a nutritious meal. People in the middle group sat on modest chairs and were served a modest meal consisting of rice and beans. The last group, representing the impoverished majority of the world, sat on the floor and was served meager portions of rice and water. This Hunger Banquet was a powerful and easy-to-understand experience that both brought life to the inequalities in our world as well as educated people in our community about this very basic need.
|
GLAM #5: Sports for Change
By Olivia Pecora, Westfield High School (NJ)
Kean University basketball players speak with students during the clinic. (Credit: Vadim Rud) | The Westfield High School and Roosevelt Intermediate School Chapters of Girls Learn International held a basketball clinic on May 6, 2010. The fundraiser, called Hoops for Hope, was conducted by the Kean University Women's Basketball Team as part of our sports-themed GLAM. The nationally ranked team organized a skills training clinic for girls in grades 4-12. Girls from the High School and Intermediate School opened the clinic with an explanation of GLI's goals for girls' literacy. After the skills and drills portion of the clinic, the Basketball Team held a question and answer session, emphasizing the importance of women in sports. The team took pictures and signed tee- shirts for all the participants. The successful fundraiser raised money for our Partner School, Abdullah Bin Omar, in Afghanistan.
Click here to read more about the GLAM event in the Westfield Patch! |
GLI's Junior Board Hosts 3rd Annual 5K & Picnic
By Sasha Goodfriend, NYC Lab School (NY)
Members of the Baldwin School Chapter enjoy the 5K Walk |
Despite a cloudy and rainy forecast, on Sunday, May 23rd Girls Learn International raised over $1800 in its 3rd Annual 5K Walk/Run and Picnic, organized by the Junior Board. If you happened to be passing by Carl Schurz Park in Manhattan's Upper East Side, you would have witnessed girls with their families and friends from all over America walking together in a mass of white tee shirts enjoying bagels, fruit, and snacks. Some shirts were artistically cut, some were worn on top of long sleeve shirts, but all identified them as members of Girls Learn International, "taking strides in support of girl's education!" Passersby also had the opportunity to enter to win one of the twelve gift baskets created and donated by GLI students and local businesses and organizations. Some very lucky winners went home with digital cameras, others with make-up galore, some with everything one could want for a day at the beach. Regardless of whether you were one of the lucky ones who walked home with a huge gift bag, everyone went home with a new friend and new memories of an afternoon spent celebrating the movement for universal girls' education.
|
|
|
|
|
