Ascend: Leadership Through Athletics’ Post

As we celebrate the International Day of the Girl child. “The International #Day of the #Girl Child reminds us that empowering young girls today means creating a more just, equal, and thriving world tomorrow. Every girl deserves the chance to learn, lead, and reach her full potential.” From our just concluded National #Population Census results showed that #Ugandas population is 45,905,417 53% being #females and 47% males and half of that population is of young people. As a country having more females than males calls for more empowerment of the women and young girls looking at areas like ; Economic #Empowerment Programs: Create vocational training and entrepreneurship programs for girls and young women, enabling them to gain financial independence and leadership skills. Support Leadership and Participation: Encourage and support girls’ participation in decision-making processes at all levels—from schools and communities to national governments—through mentorship, leadership programs, and civic education.

🌟 Celebrating Our Female Mentors🌟 Meet these remarkable young women who, as graduates, have embraced the role of mentors under our Secondary School Mentorship program. Their presence as mentors offers invaluable support and guidance, especially to young girls navigating their educational and personal journeys. Why does having female mentors matter for female students? 📚 Representation matters: When young girls see successful women who have walked similar paths, they are inspired to dream big and believe in their potential. Female mentors serve as living proof that barriers can be overcome and goals can be achieved. 🌸 Empowerment through connection: Female mentors provide a unique level of understanding and empathy, creating a safe space for girls to express themselves, ask questions, and seek advice. This connection fosters confidence and resilience, empowering girls to overcome obstacles and pursue their ambitions. 💪 Breaking down stereotypes: Female mentors challenge stereotypes and societal norms, demonstrating that women can excel in any field and occupy leadership positions. Their mentorship encourages girls to challenge traditional gender roles and embrace their aspirations without limitations. 🌍 Building a supportive community: Through mentorship, female graduates create a supportive network where girls can uplift and empower each other. This sense of community instils a sense of belonging and solidarity, fostering collaboration and collective growth. Today, we celebrate the profound impact of these female mentors on the lives of young girls in our community. We recognize and honour their dedication to empowering the next generation of female leaders through education, mentorship, and sisterhood. #YESI #FemaleMentors #EmpoweringGirls #RepresentationMatters #SisterhoodStrong 🎓✨ www.yesinitiativemw.org Inspiring A Brighter Future Through Education

According to a report by Plan International, if girls around the World can go to school until Grade 12, they would contribute $15 to $30 trillion to the global economy over their lifetimes. Now let’s think about this again, next time we decide where and how to invest. Obviously, we should also be investing in developed countries…there are many smart, skilled and talented experts. They simply do not have the resources…or the money to take their idea further. #girlpower #investment #educationforall #inclusion Plan International Canada ludci

🌟The Power of Meaningful Youth Participation🌟 Growing up in a community where young people's views, contributions, and ideas were often overlooked made me even more determined to change the narrative. With guidance from various organizations and the wisdom found in countless books, I've come to understand that I am not just a leader of tomorrow but a leader of today. Here’s why meaningful youth participation is so crucial: FRESH PERSPECTIVES: Young people bring innovative ideas and fresh perspectives to the table, driving creativity and progress. ENGAGEMENT AND OWNERSHIP: When youth are actively involved in decision-making, they feel a sense of ownership and responsibility towards their communities. SKILL DEVELOPMENT: Participation in civic activities helps young people develop essential skills such as leadership, teamwork, and problem-solving. DIVERSE VOICES: Including youth ensures that diverse voices and experiences are represented, leading to more equitable and effective solutions. SUSTAINABLE CHANGE: Engaging youth in meaningful ways ensures the sustainability of initiatives and policies, as they are more likely to continue advocating for causes they are passionate about. Our generation has the tools, the passion, and the drive to make a difference now. Let’s create spaces where youth can express themselves freely, contribute meaningfully, and lead the way towards positive change. Our voices matter. Our ideas matter. Together, we can make a difference today! 💪🌍💬 Violet Chifunda ❤️ 📸 Young Women With A Vision #violetchifunda #YouthParticipation #EmpowerYouth #ChangeMakers #FutureLeaders #YouthVoicesMatter #LeaderOfToday

Girls in ICT Day 2024 focuses on ‘Leadership’ to highlight the urgent need for strong female role models in STEM careers. Despite women filling 40% of high-skill jobs globally, their representation in ICT remains low. Women are notably absent from software development, engineering, and technology leadership roles, facing barriers that limit their advancement and entrepreneurial opportunities. Exposing girls to female STEM leaders is crucial to inspiring progress and breaking down industry barriers. Let’s empower the next generation and bridge the leadership gender gap in ICT. Happy Girls in ICT Day!🎉 #GirlsInICT #EmpowerTechGirls #STEMLeadership

Today, at an International Labour Organization and UN Women panel on "Barriers and Priorities for Women in the World of Work," I have had the chance to listen and reflect on the unseen barriers women leaders face everyday. The truth is, every woman who is trying to rise—within her organization, her family, her community—faces a journey marked by the same struggles and realities. We share these challenges, these silent battles, as we push forward against expectations and limitations, each of us striving to make a difference in our own way - to break free from the cycle of "always being the good girl." I was reminded why our mission at Teach For Bangladesh matters so deeply. As a young woman leader, my journey has been shaped by a commitment to amplifying the voices of students, especially those in remote areas who face barriers most can’t imagine. Education holds transformative power—not only for the children we serve but also for the next generation of female leaders we aim to inspire. Our purpose is to create opportunities for young women to rise, to break cycles of inequality, and to advocate for themselves and others. Each classroom, each child, and each empowered voice represents a ripple of change that can reach far beyond school walls.

Excited to announce that the Adolescent Girls Investment Plan (AGIP) recently launched the Girl Centered Accountability Charter! This Charter was launched at the Youth Power Summit on the sidelines of the UN’s Summit of the Future 2024. It aims to spotlight and promote girls’ leadership and inclusion in decision-making and advocacy spaces. The Charter outlines key commitments that provide a roadmap to practice meaningful accountability in policies and programs for adolescent girls. Read more here-https://lnkd.in/gJGfqgYv At International Center for Research on Women - Asia, we are excited to be a part of this initiative and are currently undertaking a project to understand girls’ engagement with existing accountability mechanisms. Our staff member, Radhika, shared preliminary insights at the event, emphasizing the need for stronger platforms and mechanisms to address barriers and to encourage girls to hold stakeholders accountable. Stay tuned as we continue to share insights on this critical work in the coming months! Till then, you can read more about an important study we did earlier to identify mechanisms that enable meaningful engagement and participation of adolescent girls and young people in accountability processes - https://lnkd.in/gA7xwgDA Let’s join hands to support, encourage and champion girl-centered accountability and meaningful engagement of girls in decision-making processes. #ICRW #accountabilitycharter #SOTF #girlsontheagenda #girlsleadership International Center for Research on Women (ICRW) I Ravi Verma I Pranita Achyut I Amajit Mukherjee I Abhishek Gautam I Sapna Kedia I ARPIT SINGH I Falak Raza I NITIN DATTA I Radhika Uppal I Deepannita M. I Anurag Paul

A Sunday afternoon read… “I know you’re still young, but I want you to understand and learn this now…. Marriage can wait, education cannot. You’re a very, very bright girl. Truly, you are. You can be anything you want, Laila…. I know that when this war is over, Afghanistan is going to need you as much as its men, maybe even more. Because a society has no chance of success if its women are uneducated, Laila. No chance.” — Khaled Hosseini, A Thousand Splendid Suns (Chapter 16) In a world where opportunities are abundant, education remains the cornerstone of progress. These powerful words from Khaled Hosseini remind us that investing in education, especially for women, is not just a personal choice—it’s a societal imperative. As we celebrate the resilience and determination of women worldwide, let’s champion education as the key to unlocking potential, breaking barriers, and shaping a brighter future. When women are educated, communities thrive, economies flourish, and progress becomes unstoppable. Let’s stand together, support one another, and ensure that every girl, like Laila, has the chance to learn, grow, and contribute. Because when women rise, entire nations rise with them. #EmpowerWomen #EducationMatters #WomenInLeadership #ChangeMakers

The 2022 STEM Equity Monitor shows that women represent only 27% of roles in Australian STEM-qualified occupations, with just 8% of CEO/Head of business roles being held by women. More worryingly, this trend starts early. In 2021, girls aged 12-17 years were less likely to aspire to STEM related careers than boys. Additionally, only 2% of girls and 5% of boys aspire to entrepreneurship. Was fantastic to spend last Thursday morning as a mentor at the Future of Female Leadership Program hosted by The Orbispace Initiative, who are making a difference for young girls in year 8 across NSW to inform them more about careers in STEM and Entrepreneurship, and paving the way to make change to these worrying statistics!! Find out more about their incredible work below: https://lnkd.in/gVwcqKGt #womeninstem

As the founder of The Female Co, my vision has always been clear: to create a platform where Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women are empowered with the best opportunities, resources, and support to reach their dreams—whether in sport, in the classroom, or in the workplace. Our First Nations Academy is that pathway. It’s more than just a program; it’s a foundation built to equip young women with the skills and confidence they need to step into high-performance spaces and thrive. Through sport and high-performance principles, we’re helping our young women prepare to stand among the best—giving them the tools, mindset, and support to be high performers in life, not just in sport. Together, we’re setting our young women up for success, ensuring they have every skill, every support, and every chance to make their dreams a reality. Not just as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women within the parameters of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander programs, but as strong young blak women who can compete with the best of the best and achieve anything they put their minds to. #TheFemaleCo #FirstNationsAcademy #EmpoweringExcellence #PathwaysToSuccess