She's the First

Our team has been hard at work creating a bold vision for the future of She's the First. We are thrilled to share the culmination of that effort: The Power Plan! This three-year strategic plan lays out our programmatic goals and the steps we'll take to get there. For the next three years, we’ll focus our efforts on two main goals to increase girls’ power at multiple levels. We’ll: • Build coalitions to positively impact girls’ agency, access, and equity in community-based organizations (CBOs). • Provide girls with the foundation they need to advocate for their rights in their families, communities, and societies. For this planning process, we worked with the experts: girls! We held a series of focus groups with girls to determine the issues they most care about in this moment, noting the ways they hoped She's the First could rise to meet the challenge. Everything our staff, CBO partners, and board members contributed to the process was based on this foundation, resulting in The Power Plan. Read it, share it, and let us know how you plan to shift power to the girls in your life: https://lnkd.in/gEcka3kA #girlsrights #genderequality #shiftpower

Thrilled to be included in this roundup for our Activism Program staff’s article about yielding power to youth by shifting to girl-led advocacy campaigns! ✨ Thanks, Stanford Social Innovation Review, for highlighting Kate Lord & Janae Phillips’ advice!

Our 2024 in a snapshot: convening practitioners in Uganda, amplifying voices in Liberia, building girls' power in Nairobi, launching the Girls First Institute, and witnessing girls speak truth to power at the UN. From local communities to global stages, these moments remind us of the unstoppable force of girls and their mentors. What was your favorite highlight in 2024? Share below! Swipe through to discover our team’s favorite moments from 2024—then check out more photos, videos, and stories here: https://lnkd.in/evCMj8K9

At our long-time partner Arlington Academy of Hope Uganda, 17-year-old Mercy’s dreams are nurtured. Her ambitions are resourced, and her curiosity is fed instead of silenced. She is respected, educated, and heard. "I’m able to express myself freely. I feel loved and protected at AAH because I am listened to. They are always willing to encourage me whenever I feel like giving up. Their love, care, and courage keep me going through the highs and lows." With your support, She’s the First partners with grassroots organizations like AAH to reach girls like Mercy, who have big dreams but need resources and a safe place to learn to turn those dreams into reality. Will you make a gift today to give girls like Mercy space to dream? https://lnkd.in/e3XsiQG4 💛

“I feel loved here." Meet Hulaymatou Jallow, a 17-year-old girl from our partner Starfish International in The Gambia. At Starfish, Hulaymatou's mentors have shown up for her time and time again, offering unwavering support. 💛 Hulaymatou feels free to embrace her true self, something she finds harder to do at home. "At Starfish, I am accepted for who I am and encouraged to express myself without judgment. This environment has taught me how important it is to surround myself with people who uplift and understand me." Hulaymatou’s dream? To become a journalist and share stories that inspire and create change. /// The Space to Dream Campaign is about ensuring that girls in every community have a safe place to go where they feel loved and empowered to change the world. She’s the First partners with grassroots organizations like Starfish International, training local women leaders on feminist mentorship, reproductive health education, and girls’ rights. As a result, girls feel loved, respected, and worthy. You heard it from Hulamayatou best, no matter how small the contribution, our gifts are valuable and important for creating the world girls everywhere deserve. Will you give a gift to The Space to Dream campaign to support a future where all girls feel loved like Hulamayatou? givebutter.com/girlsfirst ✨

Last week, our Board Chair, Tara Abrahams, kicked off Giving Tuesday in style by hosting supporters in her home. At this event, attendees raised the first $10K toward the $45,492 we raised together on Giving Tuesday to educate and mentor girls worldwide! ✨ Thanks to everyone who came together to support girls’ rights in the U.S. and abroad—your generosity makes a world of difference. 🌍💖 Let’s keep the momentum going this holiday season! To contribute, go to givebutter.com/GirlsFirst.

Today on #GivingTuesday, we’re sharing Yaneth’s story and her journey to get an education. Girls like Yaneth wouldn’t have the chance to follow their dreams without the support of strong women in their communities. One of those amazing leaders is Gaby, Program Director at our partner Sacred Valley Project. Her team works in the Southern Andes Mountains in Peru, offering girls housing, mentorship, and education far from home. Here, she shares how Sacred Valley Project’s partnership with She’s the First has strengthened their mentorship program and helped them reach more girls. This work wouldn’t be possible without you. You have the power to break barriers and help change lives. On Giving Tuesday, we come together to create a better world for girls. We’re close to reaching our $45,000 goal to support gender equality—will you help us cross the finish line? https://lnkd.in/eZ_kkqgx. 🌟

Nonprofits put a LOT of effort into their #GivingTuesday content (months!!) Here's a little perspective on the amazing 4-min video She's the First posted today. Like everything we do, it's co-created with a girl and community-based organization. You have to realize that for every single story, a girl had the bravery to say YES. Yes to cameras following her around (how often do you think that happens in a remote community?), YES to speaking up in a world that tells her to be quiet, keep her head down. Yaneth's story is a gem. I can hardly believe that just around the time I had the idea for She's the First, she was born, in the rural Peruvian Andes Mountains. Over the past 15 years, She's the First and Yaneth grew up, defying every obstacle in our path. Since Yaneth was 12, She's the First has played a role in her access to education and mentorship, through our longtime partner Sacred Valley Project. Yaneth is so proud of this video. In honor of her and all the girls who deserve to be heard, please watch and share it today. Even better, contribute something to our #GivingTuesday page: givebutter.com/GirlsFirst. Participation matters most. (Bonus: There's a 2x match today!) And I am so proud of Yaneth, our partners, the girls, the staff, and the community (YOU!) who make She's the First the unstoppable force for girls' rights that we are today. Let's keep going. Join me: givebutter.com/GirlsFirst

Yaneth’s school commute isn’t your average 18 minutes. Living in the rural Peruvian Andes, her journey to school takes 5 hours on foot through the mountains—an impossible daily trek. Thanks to our partner, Sacred Valley Project, Yaneth stays in a dormitory near her school during the week, giving her a safe place to learn and dream big. 🌟 She's the First partners with grassroots organizations like Sacred Valley Project to break down barriers to girls’ education. Together, we’re creating opportunities for girls to define their own futures. Today, will you give so that girls everywhere have access to the education and mentorship they deserve? Go to the link in bio or givebutter.com/GirlsFirst 💜 #GirlsEducation #EqualOpportunity

“I want to show everyone in my community that not only boys but also women can study and achieve many goals.” Yaneth, a teen from a rural village in the Peruvian Andes, is breaking barriers and showing her community that education isn’t just for boys. 🌟 Thanks to Sacred Valley Project and She's the First, she’s on her way to achieving her goals and transforming her family’s future. 💪✨ When educated, respected, and heard, girls have limitless potential. Yaneth will not only change her own future, she is already transforming her family's lives as well. That's the power of education and feminist mentorship. Will you give girls access to education, mentorship, and life-changing opportunities? Your donation will make a difference. https://lnkd.in/eZ_kkqgx 💜 #GirlsEducation #EqualOpportunity #PowerOfEducation