InHer City

Goal To Social Change

The country of Afghanistan has struggled immensely with issues of oppression and worse, unequal rights for women. There have been serious reconsiderations on political issues that infest this country. As we know though, there is always a powerful woman to jump right into the turmoil and speak her mind to create positive social change. The person this time is a woman by the name of Awista Ayub. She was born in Kabul but her family escaped to the United States during the Soviet war. Ayub has a deep passion that lies within athletics adn she decided that she would use this as an outlet for many other Afghan girls. This was her way to give them an opportunity to be leaders and work as a team while creating change. Ayub says, "Athletics was a very positive experience throughout my entire life that really helped me to become the adult that I am today. I knew that children in Afghanistan needed the same vehicle to overcome their own obstacles after 30 years of war."

This is a great example of social change. This community has dealt with many years of violence and inequality and yet we have a dynamic woman who has stepped up to the aftermath and successfully reached out to young women. She has brought the sport of soccer to Afghan girls, who not too long ago could not even attend school. Ayub brought eigth Afghan girls with her to the United States in 2004 to the International Children's Games so they could represent their country. This plan has lead to young women learning how to get involved to create change. These girls are now playing a sport that is stereotypically male dominated and they come from a culture that allows them little freedom. If this is not change, then I do not know what is. They are doing something that their country would forbid just a few years ago! Ayub speaks about the recruiting process,"Two years ago when I was recruiting for the girls there were absolutely no girls' soccer teams to recruit from, and so we were recruiting girls based on their leadership potential. To be able to equip girls with just a ball and to have them go back as ambassadors for the athletics is the key to create social change." There is obviously so much diversity within social change. Not only is the world diverse, but we can see here that the ways people create change are all different. Can you imagine our world being changed through the different passions people have?

This woman has taken an everyday "male" sport and turned it into the first Afghan girl's soccer team that advocates social change and truly helps these girls find something to believe in for their futures, something they never had before and probably were not allowed to have. These girls are being able to have a mind of their own and little by little they do not have to be afraid to speak it. This sport revolution gained recognition in April when Ayub went back to Afghanistan to teach girls soccer in their homes. This social change success was recognized by ESPN's Espy Awards. Two girls received special recognition who are now on the Afghan national team. Ayub concludes this all by saying, "Afghanistan is at a breaking point where we're on a seesaw that can take the country in either direction. We have to be able to grab that country and move forward in a way that really helps improve the lives of children." Changing the world has become a revolution for women. Evetually young women all over the world will be interacting globally to create positive change and stop the suffering of so many. - Steph                                                                                                                                        

Women's Day

                        

Every year on March 8^th political and business leaders, artists and social change makers come together and celebrate an international day. These leaders are not just anyone, they are women. March 8^th is International Women’s Day. I know we’re a little late, but it’s never too late to celebrate being a woman. The theme this year was equal participation for women at the decision-making tables. This year women researched how often their voices are heard in courtrooms, boardroom and parliaments. 

For women in business participation in high-level decision making still remains low even with advanced education that women receive today. Only 20 to 40 percent of women hold managerial jobs. More women work lower status jobs than men and fewer women own businesses than men. In developed countries, women make up less than one-third of total employers.

For women in academia participation in high level positions has increased, but resources that men are receiving are much more than what women receive. More women are graduating from universities with better results than men, yet they do not receive the same amount of funding for research like men do. Women are underrepresented in positions such as Chancellor.

Although these results seem negative, numbers seem to only increase for us women. International Women’s Day is a day to celebrate being a woman but to also speak out loud about issues we face and the results of where we are at in decision-making positions for this year. The more women we have every year that recognize issues of equality end up speaking loud and clear about them, especially the ones who are at the decision-making tables today. The more we all speak for our sisters, together we will change our world, even at an international level. - GFC

Ms. Apprentice

An international show on NBC, The Apprentice has candidates which hold degrees from places such as Harvard and

Cornell

University

and have occupations such as attorneys and business owners competing by doing tasks which involve some of the biggest corporations internationally. Whoever is the most successful as an entrepreneur wins the dream job with Trump Organization.

In season 5 of The Apprentice there was one candidate who stood out. The way this woman presented herself made the world have no doubts that she is a leader.

Andrea

Lake

is a multi-millionaire who skipped college to finance a business on her own. Andrea started a toy company and then moved on to clothing. Andrea has founded and is the

CEO

of: StickerJunkie.com, T-ShirtJunkie.com, Delinquent Distribution, Zoko, Inc., and Luxury Wedding Packages, Inc. This woman is a dominant person in the business industry. She lives in

Santa Fe

,

New Mexico

where she is active in social change for her community. In an interview for The Apprentice Andrea was asked:

What are the most important qualities in a leader, and do you possess them?” Her reply: “The ability to remain in your center under pressure, creating a clear direction and be flexible with readjusting your direction when necessary, being very decisive and making decisions quickly, accepting full responsibility for decisions and never passing off blame for failures, being honest and maintaining integrity. Those qualities are what make me successful in business.”

Andrea is a woman of power making the decisions in the business market today. She is one of the many women that inspire young girls to want to take on leadership positions. Her website is www.andrealake.com. Check it out and to Andrea, you go girl!- GFC

Portrait of Creativity

How does our society define art? A more important question is how do we as individuals define art and what does it mean to us? I have been an artist since I was a little girl. I come from a family that has deep roots in art and creativity. I have family that play musical instruments, write poetry, and create visual art. One of my favorite artists is my father David Ramirez. He is my biggest inspiration. My dad is a tattoo artist and has been since he was 12 years old. He also builds motorcycles and does paint jobs on them. Growing up in Eastside San Jose means trouble for most teens. My dad made sure I was focused on positive activities and when he realized that art came natural to me, he made sure to encourage my dreams.

I started drawing at the age of seven. I would look at Disney characters and try to duplicate them as best as possible. When I got into middle school my skills progressed a little more, but I still had no discipline or any sense of identity. My high school years I felt determined to dedicate my time with my art. I wanted to grow within my creativity and my maturity. I worked it out so that I would be able to take art all four years of high school, and I did. I was in Mr. Stachnick’s class. He became a teacher of four years and our relationship reminded me of Mr. Meyagi and his students. He was a mentor and pushed me beyond artistic limits that I could not imagine. During my junior year I became an AP Studio Art student. This meant hours of dedication a day and a major portfolio due by my senior year. I entered the AP exam my last year of high school and Mr. Stachnick warned me that the judges were very strict. I did not pass. All my hard work of four years seemed meaningless and destroyed. I was disappointed and discouraged. Then I entered UC Santa Cruz the next year as a pre-art major.

I realized after high school what my art meant to me and its purpose. The AP exam was not significant. My art progressed the most during my years of high school. My art allowed me to see myself in a different light and to truly discover my identity. When I ran away from home, my art was my way of expression. I can write a book through my art, make a movie through my art, and tell a message. I believe that art is a way to define the things around you, send a message out without having to say it in words, and it is also very personal to the artist. I create visual art. The mediums (materials) I use are: acrylic paint, oil paint, charcoal, graphite, mixed media, conte crayon, oil pastel, and colored pencil. I do not now if I have created a personal style that has my signature visually, some friends say I do, but believe me, I am my biggest critique and most the time artists are never satisfied with their own work. I am hoping to write a separate blog on my art during my first year of college. I feel that the art classes I did in college and the art I created is a whole new kind of progression. So I will write about that experience soon. Here are some photos of my art; please if you have any comments feel free to write them. As for all you artists, which include everyone from musicians to poets: Never give up or stop your passions. Fight for your talent. The hardest part is the battle with yourself. It is worth the battle. - Steph

the REAL HOT 100

This is the coolest website ever! We nominate this site and the women who run it as this weeks "It" Girls!!!  Keep up the great work!

the Real Hot 100
These 100 young women are breaking barriers, fighting stereotypes, and making a difference in their communities and the nation. These women are smart. They work  for change. They aren't afraid to speak their minds. They are the REAL hot 100.

Founded in 2005 in an effort to combat the lack of positive, strong images of young women in the media, the REAL hot 100 promotes positive, realistic images of younger women in the name of media justice. It celebrates the amazing work young women are doing and helps them realize their goals.

Check out these women who are just 2 of the 100 women they are celebrating as truly HOT!

Who is she? Kathryn V. Hobbs, 24, Brooklyn, NY

What makes her REALLY hot? Kate Hobbs is a dedicated educator and an engaged member of the community. As a bilingual educator who has recently been asked to teach three (yes three!) grades at the same time, Kate is committed to her students both in the classroom  and outside. She teaches in a weekly after school program and    spends her personal lunch hour correcting homework and hosting RESPECT parties for students who have shown respect in her classroom. She lives in the same neighborhood, shops in the same delis and plays in the same parks as her students and their families.  She is out at work! She is a Teach for America corps member and she regularly attends the program’s events and gathers with other teachers to talk and strategize; additionally, she has volunteered to help new teachers and to recruit for TFA at Smith College (her alma mater) and in New York.  While spending 40-60 hours a week teaching and planning, she is also studying for her Masters in education. Kate gives her free time and her money to progressive organizations and, as if this schedule weren’t bruising enough, she plays on the New York Women’s Rugby team. Kate is definitely REALLY hot.

Who is she? Yas(min) Ahmed, 25, Chicago, IL

What makes her REALLY hot? Yas is the Director of Sisters Empowering Sisters (the girls program of Girl’s Best Friend Foundation). Yas defines her role in Sisters Empowering Sisters (SES) as adult ally to the dozen Sisters (ages 14-18) who’ve joined the program to make feminist social change, as grantmakers and as youth leaders. In the past two years, Yas has supported the Sisters in creating requests for proposals, reviewing and visiting prospective funding projects, and selecting grantees who’ve been awarded $70,000 for girl-led projects.   One of the projects she helped create was an investigation of the impact of images of women in popular music videos on young women and young men.  Their findings are captured in a video they made last year with Beyondmedia Education. The engaging video, Respect Me, Don’t Media Me (www.beyondmedia.org/catalog) has been shown to enthusiastic crowds in Chicago and at media festivals. In the spring, three Sisters and Yas together wrote a chapter about SES for an anthology about gender and philanthropy that will be published by Palgrave/McMillan in 2006.

Yas has been working with young people since she was sixteen years old, and is   pretty sure she'll still be doing it when she's sixty. Always ready to cause a ruckus,  this REALLY hot woman considers herself a radical queer girl whose love of writing and politics parallels only that of pizza. Her current projects are learning to carry a spoon on her nose...and undermining the oppressive systems that divide us. Rumor has it she’s also involved in a few national, grassrootsy crews like AMWAJ (Arab movement of women arising for justice) and Incite! Women of Color Against Violence, as well as more locally-based folk like the Chicago Girls’ Coalition and the Chicago Youth Freedom School. Prior to her Chicago adventures, Yas lived several different lives all centering around the health, well-being and    power of young people. She fiercely believes that living (and laughing) out loud is the only way to do it. - GFC

Steph Goes To College

Stephanie has returned from her first year at college where she is double majoring in Astrophysics and Art! We are so proud of her. She is interning with GFC for the summer and we asked her to write about what her first year was like.

A Little Taste of a Banana Slug

I actually did it. My first year of college is complete.  I am Stephanie Ramirez, once a runaway and rebel. I attended Willow Glen High School and have been part of Girls For A Change for four years. During my senior year I was accepted to UC Santa Cruz; the first in my Latino family to attend a university.  I did not know what to expect. The summer right before my first year of college was interesting.  I was nervous, anxious and sad that I would be leaving the only life I knew in Eastside San Jose. I could not stop thinking about how many kids in my community who have never been encouraged to go to college. I was getting out of my “ghetto” neighborhood, but I would miss it dearly.

I arrived in Santa Cruz, home of the banana slugs, to face many other freshman (or as the university calls us, Frosh) moving into the dorm. I lived in Casa Huerta dorm, my soon to be home and a place where I would meet long time friends.  I had two roommates in the smallest room you could imagine. We all happened to get a long very well and had so many good times. My college experience has become a part of my life and will be for the next four years. Staying in the dorms is a unique experience. I remember telling my parents that I wanted to live off campus my first year, and I am so glad that I didn’t. The community of friends that I met became one of the most important parts of my college experience.  We would do work together pulling all-nighters, go to events and volunteer for causes we believed in, and party on the weekends.  The beach was our neighbor, so on a beautiful day we would take a gang of friends and take a break. It is no lie; Santa Cruz is one of the most beautiful campuses ever and the sky puts a person in awe.

The whole reason I was accepted to a UC was because of my academic record. I have always loved school and felt that education is priority. It takes so much dedication to succeed in college. College classes are so much different than high school classes and everyone looks forward to picking classes every quarter. They offer everything from Philosophy classes to Film classes. Some classes had over 200 students. We are so independent in college; it can be a positive thing or a negative.  The professors do not get on your case and force you to go to class. You have the responsibility to do your work, nobody else cares but whoever is paying for you to be there.  I learned to balance my time with work and friends. I would spend over 40 hours per week studying. Finals week is hectic. Everyone is stressed out and it is a huge toll on your mind.  It takes much potential to get through that week, but it is worth it. I ended up excelling in my grades and doing very well. I am a double-major in Art and Astrophysics. Creativity and the study of the universe seem to go hand-in-hand for me. The knowledge I have gained from my first year is unbelievable. I have matured and this experience has shaped my personality and my mind.  - Steph

GFC Participant Awarded Scholarship

Terralynn with her Mom and Bertice Berry at the PBWC Conference

Terralynn has been involved in GFC for three years. Terralynn’s team has completed several social change projects including: a violence prevention campaign, educating themselves and then their community about pregnancy prevention, and creating self-esteem workshops for students on campus. Terralynn has been a leader and visionary through every step of each project. She has gained, practiced, and shared her skills such as project management, fund-raising, networking, and teaching. Terralynn has also overcome outrageous violation and tragedy to achieve what she has in her life. In May of 2006 Terralynn was the recipient of this year’s 2006 Professional Business Women of California's scholarship in the category of female high school senior. Terralynn is a leader and a rising social entrepreneur in the healthcare profession. In her leadership of the Girls For A Change team project on pregnancy prevention, she identified gaps in access to information on pregnancy prevention and found a new way to deliver that information to the youth in her community. Recognizing that there is no community resource center and that most youth in her community lack access to the internet; parental support; or transportation, Terralynn found a new way to disseminate information. She researched and contacted several health care professionals and coordinated presentations for her Girls For A Change team. She then led the team through the process of creating a campaign to teach other students and community members about pregnancy prevention. The goal was to teach students and the community basic prevention methods and where to go for additional support. Terralynn saw a problem, provided a new method to move out and forward from that problem, and spread the knowledge widely to fundamentally change her community.

Terralynn accepts her scholarship in front of 5000 women!

Terralynn is an awe-inspiring young woman in all regards. Her goal is to become a healthcare professional and return to her community to serve those in the direst situations when she graduates from college. Congratulations Terralyn, we are so proud of you!  -GFC

Call for Creativity!

Gunderson High School's Girls for a Change Girl Action Team has decided to take on a project tackling the issue of body image and the effects it has on society. Many of us, at one point or another, have experienced an obstacle dealing with body image, and many of us can relate to it, whether it be through putting ourselves on diets to be skinny, or wondering how we can change our bodies to fit the criteria that society seems to lay out. One way our Girl Action Team is trying to change the overwhelming issue is by putting together a compilation of letters and poems addressed to girls about the topic. We are hoping that those who would like to help us conquer this obstacle of society will help by sending in letters or poems that can be left anonymous, so that we may add them to our compilation. When finished, all letters and poems will be put together in a book and then distributed out to the community when done. Please be a part in helping us change the community by contributing to this project - GHS Girls for a Change Girl Action Team

Letters and poems can be e-mailed to [email protected]
Ideas to talk about:
Life experiences
Media Influences
Friendships
Appreciation of your body
and much more...

More Girl Voices!

What would you like to change in your community? What I would like to change is that I don't want any killing or shooting. - Erendira, 11yrs old.

How has being in GFC made a difference in your life? It has taught me to be proud of who I am and realize my potential - Audrey, 15 yrs.old

What would you like to change in the world? I would like to change my community by making it a safer place. My community is not really dangerous, but I would like to feel more comfortable when I walk aroudn town and cross paths with someone. - Sarah, 18 yrs old.

What is one thing that you want adults to know about young people that you don't think they know? One thing I want them to know about young people is that some of us care what happens in the world. I think most adults think that teens only think about themselves and things directly relateing to them, but for some of us that's not true. - Celeste, 15 yrs old. 

  What would you like to change in your community? More equality towards women. I want domestic violence to stop. I want discrimination against women to stop. I want to not worry about walking down the street at night. - Fred, 15 years old.

Donors Choose & GFC

Girls For A Change Team #41, at Burlingame High School, has decided to get involved with an organization called DonorsChoose. DonorsChoose helps regular individuals fund projects for students in our public schools.

Grants are submitted by teachers who are requesting materials or experiences to help their students learn. The teachers can’t afford to pay for these materials themselves, as they often have to do in public schools. People are able to browse the DonorsChoose website, search by using different criteria like income of the majority of students, region, sort of project and other variables. Then, people can choose to fund all or part of a project and get feedback from how the project went!

All the girls in our team found this organization inspiring because we can make a significant difference for young students in our area by choosing projects to support. We met once to discuss criteria for projects, and then met again to fund projects throughout the Bay Area ranging from play ground equipment to theater class field trips to plays. We were able to fund these projects due to an anonymous donor to Donors Choose.  DonorsChoose is an effective way for teachers to get support from the community, people like you and me, so that education will be more enriching, fun, and memorable. - GFC Team 41