Did you know that today is the “International Day of the Girl”?
I didn’t. I was unaware—culturally unaware.
My mother just texted me from the U.S. to tell me that Michelle Obama was on television talking about this unique day of celebration. If my mother had not turned on the “Today Show” this morning, she would not have known either.
I’m so thankful that my mother told me.
It’s all about cultural awareness and opening our eyes to the world around us.
I immediately put on my “Cultural Learner” hat and did some research. Here is what I learned about this international day.
It was declared by the United Nations in 2012 that October 11 would be the “International Day of the Girl.”
“We need to uphold the equal rights, voices and influence of girls in our families, communities and nations. Girls can be powerful agents of change, and nothing should keep them from participating fully in all areas of life.”
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres
“The day aims to highlight and address the needs and challenges girls face, while promoting girls’ empowerment and the fulfillment of their human rights.”
United Nations
GirlForce!
This year’s 2019 theme is “GirlForce: Unscripted and Unstoppable.”
Here is how the UN describes it:
“Nearly 25 years ago, some 30,000 women and men from nearly 200 countries arrived in Beijing, China for the Fourth World Conference on Women, determined to recognize the rights of women and girls as human rights. The conference culminated in the adoption of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action: the most comprehensive policy agenda for the empowerment of women.
In the years following, women pressed this agenda forward, leading global movements on issues ranging from sexual and reproductive health rights to equal pay. More girls today are attending and completing school, fewer are getting married or becoming mothers while still children, and more are gaining the skills they need to excel in the future world of work.
Today, these movements have expanded. They are being organized by and for adolescent girls, and tackling issues like child marriage, education inequality, gender-based violence, climate change, self-esteem, and girls’ rights to enter places of worship or public spaces during menstruation. Girls are proving they are unscripted and unstoppable.
This year, under the theme, “GirlForce: Unscripted and unstoppable”, we will celebrate achievements by, with and for girls since the adoption of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action.“
I’m so thankful that my mother told me about the “International Day of the Girl.” It’s all about cultural awareness and opening our eyes to the world around us.
“International Day of the Girl” celebrates girls’ rights—the right to dream, the right to be educated, the right to be protected, the right to be loved, the right to live . . . to live life to the fullest!
My mother is all about giving girls the right to dream. She gave me the right to dream and to chase after my dream. My mother listened to my little girl’s heart at the young age of nine when I caught my dream to go to France. She let me dream, she encouraged me to dream, and she never held me back.
You can read more of My Story here.
Let’s Celebrate Girls!
Let’s celebrate girls today, and let’s encourage them to dream!
Here are some other great articles about the “International Day of the Girl” if you would like to learn more.
10 Ways to Actually Help Girls on International Day of the Girl
Everything You Need to Know About International Day of the Girl
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—THE CULTURAL STORY-WEAVER
LET’S WEAVE CULTURES!
Did you know that today was the “International Day of the Girl”? If you did, great! If you didn’t, now you do! What can you do to celebrate girls today and to encourage them to dream and to live life to the fullest?
We invite you to tell us your own cultural stories and global adventures . . . as you engage with the world, breaking down barriers, building bridges, and “weaving cultures”! Write about them in the comment box below.
