The Positive Impact of Archewell Foundation Continues
More Developments for Girls Inc
Plus a Visit to Capitol Hill
(Episode 104)
I received an email this week from Girls Inc outlining a few developments. I consider it to be worthy of a podcast on its own. In the email there was a link to a Newsletter relating to the 2023 inclusion on the Top 50 Non Profit Organisations in the USA, and details of the respective CEOs. Here is an extract from that Newsletter.
We are thrilled to announce that Girls Inc. President & CEO, Stephanie J. Hull, has been named to the 2023 Nonprofit Times Power and Influence Top 50 list.
Stephanie’s remarkable leadership, vision, and work to equip a new generation of leaders to reach their full potential earned her a well-deserved place among the top nonprofit leaders of 2023.
Read more about the award and how Stephanie has distinguished herself as an initiator, innovator, and true trailblazer The link to the Newsletter is at the end of the article.
Extract from the Newsletter, written by Pal Clolery:-
JUST WHEN THEY THOUGHT IT WAS SAFE TO BREATHE,
EXECUTIVES HAD TO ADJUST — AGAIN
(The Newsletter makes reference to the Pandemic and the time when Covid restrictions started to be lifted, and the impact on businesses, and mentions the work of the non profits in such an environment).
The honourees have distinguished themselves as initiators, innovators and leaders who can redirect and rebuild vital nonprofits and their operations. An important criterion of the list is that the honoree must be a working day-in, day-out executive.
The 2023 honourees were selected from a group of roughly 300 nominated top executives.
Committee of the NPT Editorial staff, contributors and a few Leaders plugged into executive movement were involved in the selection process. This is not a lifetime achievement award. The executives must have had an impact during the previous 12 months.
The fine china will be rolled out for honourees and their guests as they are feted in Washington, DC, next month during the annual NPT Power and Influence Top 50 Gala at the National Press Club. The event is sponsored by Mitch-Stuart and Moore.
One of the honorees will receive the NPT Influencer of the Year Award.
The 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution gave women the right to vote in 1920, and yearly, in August, we celebrate Women’s Equality Day. The world of politics is filled with rich opportunities for girls to become engaged with how decisions are made at all levels of government, as well as learn about the impact these decisions have on our lives. Yet, women, and particularly women of color, remain underrepresented in the political realm.
Women vote more than men, but they are less likely to contact elected officials, contribute to political campaigns, or say they are interested in public affairs. While progress is being made, the halls of power still largely do not reflect the populations they represent. We can change that.
At Girls Inc., we are guided by our vision, Powerful Girls in an Equitable Society and believe that recruitment of women into political leadership—as with sports, science, and leadership— must start with girls. The Girls Inc. She Votes program is designed to capitalize on girls’ sense of possibility by engaging girls in specific activities to become more savvy voters, engaged citizens, and potential future candidates and elected leaders. Through our Girls Inc. leadership and advocacy programming, girls build leadership skills and create lasting social change through community action and advocacy projects. As history continues to be written, Girls Inc. provides the people, programming, and environment that gives girls the skills and confidence to see themselves as future voters and as future leaders.
Girls Inc. was thrilled to host the 7th cohort of the National Teen Advocacy Council (TAC) in Washington DC this July for the annual TAC Fly-in! The four-day event marked the culmination of the TAC members’ participation in the year-long advocacy and leadership program, and provided a meaningful experience for TAC members to build upon their skills and grow as advocates. While in DC, the TAC members lobbied on Capitol Hill, passionately voicing their opinions and advocating for critical issues affecting girls, specifically school discipline reform and comprehensive sex education.
“To have had this experience broken down and organized for me was very empowering because now I can go back to my community and do it on my own,” Tiegan of Girls Inc. of Lincoln said. “I can now advocate for and institute the change in my community that I want to see without relying on other groups or people.”
Witnessing the TAC members’ growth in their confidence, skills, and themselves during the Fly-in was a reminder of exactly why Girls Inc. does this work. We are so grateful to have had the opportunity to learn from and uplift our new generation of leaders. For a more detailed account of the 2023 TAC DC Fly-in
The link to the Girls Inc Blog is shown in the Reference Sources at the end of the article. Here is an extract from the Blog:-
The Annual Washington, D.C. Fly-in
After engaging virtually throughout the year, the TAC members were elated to have this in-person gathering and opportunity to voice their desire for change at the highest level of government.
During their time in DC, the TAC members came together to build sisterhood, strengthen their advocacy and leadership skills, and lobby on Capitol Hill. The group passionately voiced their opinions and advocated for critical issues affecting girls, specifically school discipline reform and comprehensive sex education.
*The TAC is a leadership body of Girls Inc. girls (grades 10-12), who advise and inform our organization’s advocacy by sharing their life experiences and views about issues facing girls and youth in their schools and communities. Throughout this year-long leadership position, TAC members develop their advocacy skills from National staff and issue experts, represent Girls Inc. in different ways, and lead Girls Inc. advocacy efforts through activities such as social media campaigns and lobbying Congressional offices.
The 2022-2023 Teen Advocacy Council is composed of twelve inspiring girls passionate about advocacy representing ten Girls Inc. affiliates and all Girls Inc. regions across the U.S. and Canada.
Alumnae – Their Stories – 3 Examples
Tai Muldoon who was feaured in detail in the last podcast No 103 (along with Imani Reynolds and Caroline) are also featured in the Blog. There was no need for me to repeat it here in this podcast but their comments are very illuminating. Well worth a read, either in the Newsletter or in the SGUK podcast 103..
Meet Tai Muldoon, the CEO and alumna of Girls Inc. of Wayne County, Richmond, Indiana. She shares her favorite memories at Girls Inc. and her reflections on how Girls Inc. changed her life for the better.
Meet Imani Reynolds, a Girls Inc. of Central Alabama Alumna. Imani attended Girls Inc. for 7 years. She is currently a Senior Marketing Analyst at an Atlanta media company and writes & distributes her own women’s empowerment newsletter – a passion project of hers! She shares her favorite memories at Girls Inc. and gives advice to young girls to grow up strong, smart, and bold.
Caroline, an Alumnae of Girls Inc. of Columbus & Phenix-Russell, shares how Girls Inc. helped grow her love of STEM and the arts. (STEM = Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths). I am a Global Program Manager at UL, LLC, one of the most recognized safety testing laboratories worldwide.
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Meetings on Capitol Hill
Leading up to the Fly-in, TAC members learned from experts in the field, gained skills training, and got first-hand experience advocating for policy change at the local level. Once prepared, they convened in Washington, DC, where they lobbied three Congressional offices to advocate for and raise awareness about the Ending PUSHOUT Act of 2023 (H.R. 2690) and the Real Education and Access for Healthy Youth Act of 2023 (H.R. 3583 and S. 1697).
During their meetings (pictured above), the Girls Inc. TAC members met with several key congressional staff members, including Judith Teruya, Senior Legislative Assistant for Congresswoman Grace Meng, and Chloe Anduiza, Legislative Correspondent for Congresswoman Grace Meng. The teen advocates also met with Meagan Thompson, Senior Adviser to Congresswoman Robin Kelly, and Nicholas Pennington, Legislative Director for Congresswoman Nikema Williams. TAC members laid out the case for their request – that the Members of Congress cosponsor these bills and prioritize the needs of students in their districts. They briefed the congressional staffers on the importance of the Ending PUSHOUT Act and the Real Education and Access for Healthy Youth Act, shared their own personal testimonials, anecdotes, and stories to further highlight how these issues impact themselves and their peers. Staff members universally commented on how valuable it was to hear directly from those impacted, which resulted in positive remarks from staff.
Reflecting on Lobby Day
The lobby meetings on Capitol Hill left the TAC with a profound understanding that their voices can indeed be heard and acknowledged; lobbying at the federal level turned out to be much more accessible and reassuring than expected. Trinity, of Girls Inc. of Chattanooga, reflected on how she learned that anyone can raise their voice and that one story can lead to instrumental change. With Representative Meng’s office, Trinity spoke about the history behind the inspiration for the Menstrual Equity for All Act and how the bill “started with a teen who simply wrote a letter to the Congresswoman. You’d think it has to be extremely formal, but it can be as simple as a phone call or letter that can grab their attention and affect change.”
As testament to this, we learned in the days following the Fly-in that the TAC had succeeded in convincing Rep. Grace Meng to cosponsor H.R.3583 – the Real Education and Access for Healthy Youth Act of 2023! The TAC’s passion and hard work created positive change.
Several TAC members had the opportunity to meet with various media outlets the next day to share their Girls Inc. experiences and raise their voices once more – shedding light on the issues and policies they advocated for at the federal level.
The TAC’s Lobby Day experience left a lasting impact on the members, fueling their motivation to be change agents now and in the future. “To have had this experience broken down and organized for me was very empowering because now I can go back to my community and do it on my own,” Tiegan of Girls Inc. of Lincoln said. “I can now advocate for and institute the change in my community that I want to see without relying on other groups or people.” Calen from Girls Inc. of Chicago also talked about this, stating, “As I am about to start college, being able to talk to people working in our government really informed what I want to pursue in my future. I’m now motivated to study political science and possibly go to law school, too.”
Ivy Barrow
130823
Reference Sources
https://thenonprofittimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/npt2023top50.pdf
Girls Inc | Girls Inc. National Teen Advocacy Council Lobbies for Change at the Federal Level
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