Girls for Gender Equity: 5 Things We're Grateful for in 2018

 

The following statement was submitted by Joanne N. Smith, Founding President and CEO of Girls for Gender Equity.

With Thanksgiving on the horizon, we wanted to share our reflections of gratitude.

Girls for Gender Equity (GGE) is a Brooklyn-based inter-generational grassroots organization committed to the physical, psychological, social and economic development of girls and women. We love and are fueled by our work, and we're grateful for the opportunity to do these 5 things…

1. Organize campaigns centering young girls and TGNC youth of color to achieve safety and equity in the communities where they live, learn and work, building towards institutional change through research and policy. This is our Movement Building work.

2. Create a national impact through programming which engages young cis and trans girls and gender nonconforming youth of color in civic engagement. This is our Young Women's Advisory Council (YWAC) program.

3. Provide young women of color who have been directly impacted by sexual violence with participatory action research training, counseling, college preparatory services and advisement in academic and career pathways in advocacy and organizing. We call this program Sisters in Strength (SIS).

4. Run holistic after-school programming designed to advance academic achievement, leadership skills and social justice values in young people of color of all genders. This is our Urban Leaders Academy (ULA).

5. Lead the conversation on what comes next after #metoo alongside our Senior Director, Tarana Burke, who has gained global recognition for her tireless work on her decade-long ‘me too.’ movement that supports the healing of survivors of sexual violence. And...

[BONUS] We're grateful to have a community of amazing allies like yourself! Thank you for the ways in which you make this critical work possible.