Tag Archives: education

It’s Chime for Change!

hp-chimeforchange

Source chimeforchange.org

Education.
Health.
Justice.
For every girl.
For every woman.
Everywhere.

If you know me, you know that I love me some televised musical entertainment in the form of awards shows, music videos, reality TV and benefit concerts from time to time.

And on Sunday night live from the Twickenham Stadium in London the sold out benefit concert Chime for Change aired on NBC featuring the musical stylings of J.Lo, Ellie Goulding, Beyonce, Florence and the Machine, Mary J. Blige, John Legend and many more. Wish I was there! There were also celeb spokespeople: Selma Hayek, Frida Giannini, Blake Lively, Ryan Reynolds, Madonna, Jada Pinkett Smith and others who spoke about specific causes close to their hearts. The concert was televised in 150 countries in 6 continents. Talk about a movement! Heyyo!

Why were they coming together? To raise their (high profile) voices to make a change for every girl and woman all over the world. It’s Chime for Change (I love a good play on words!)

Chime for Change founded by Gucci (yup, you read that right…more on that later), co-founded by Beyonce Knowles, Selma Hayak and Frida Giannini (Gucci designer), is a new global campaign to raise funds and awareness for girls’ and women’s empowerment. The campaign focuses on three key areas: Education, Health and Justice.

Through the crowd-funding organization Catapult, nonprofit organizations post their campaigns, people can then search, find and fund the project that means the most to them. Simple, easy, to the point—I like it.

What I don’t like is the fact is Gucci is the founder of this campaign. They’re using their international brand recognition for the benefit of making change. I get that and I think it’s great. BUT they should probably practice what they preach, amiright? A great first step in this Chime for Change is to change how they objectify women in their print advertisements, to which they have received controversy over in the past. (Exhibit A & Exhibit B) I have to be honest when I say I was super pumped about this televised concert aimed to empower females around the world, but discovering that it was a project of Gucci I pulled back, I was disappointed, which is an understatement. Until…

Jada Pinkett Smith presented the project “Jessica’s Story.” Three years ago Jessica escaped sexual abuse and trafficking, a nightmare that she had lived since she was six years old. She is just one of the hundreds of thousands of children who are sex trafficked in the United States. For Jessica there were not a lot of resourced to turn to as she sought to escape, that’s why today, Jessica is helping other girls break the stigma, empower them and provide them with resources.
Click to watch her story below!

Support Systems Lead To “Girl Rising”

Last Thursday my friend Jill and I went to a screening of the documentary, Girl Rising, a film by 10×10 productions telling the stories of nine girls from nine different countries and the strength they inhabit while overcoming challenges they face to get an education.

“When girls go to school and get an education, they stay healthy. They save money. They speak up. They build businesses. Then they pass it all on…and poverty declines. Challenges become opportunities; progress happens”
-Richard Robbins, the Girl Rising Director

Between Jill and I playing “name that narrator,” I found myself questioning the predefined theme of the film—“one girl with courage is a revolution.”

I’m not sure that’s quite right.

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Who’s the First? She’s the First!

Earlier this week I attended a seminar via webcast on Girls Education and Women’s Empowerment in Real World Social Networks as part of Social Media Week in NY.

The speakers were from BRAC USA and Bangladesh, Pro Mujer, and She’s the First.

The organizations focus on helping girls who live in developing countries succeed and develop life skills through education, During the event the panel of development practitioners discussed how building real social networks through education both inside and outside the classroom, particularly for women and girls, leads to both social and financial empowerment.

I'm the first…to graduate college. Photo by Jessica Dodds http://jessicasheaphotography.com/

I’m the first…to graduate college. Photo by Jessica Dodds http://jessicasheaphotography.com/

Out of all the organizations that participated in the event, She’s the First I really felt connected with because I am the first of my family to graduate college. Founded by Tammy Tibbetts in Nov. 2009, She’s the First is a not-for-profit that sponsors girls’ education in the developing world, helping them be the first in their families to graduate, not just college but high school. In the process, STF fosters leadership and global awareness in young Americans, by inspiring them to lead creative fundraisers and correspond with sponsored students throughout the world. Pretty cool stuff. Their efforts shape a rising generation of well-educated global leaders, future philanthropists and cross-cultural communicators.

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