You might have been greeted with a lollipop, a smile, and a cheerful “Happy Day of the Girl!” on October 11, or seen the multiple flyers posted throughout the school. If you were wondering who was behind all of this, you can now know it was the work of the newest club at VHS: Girls Learn International, also known as GLI.
The VHS chapter of GLI is made up of approximately 15 students supervised by Dr. Marie Meyer, who launched it after her daughter was raving about her chapter at Montclair High School. There are approximately 90 chapters nationwide, aimed at both high school and middle school students. The focus of GLI is to discuss global issues involving girls.
“The GLI Program supports the empowerment of U.S. students as they discover that through their own creative initiatives, dedication, and passionate leadership, they can create real solutions that address the obstacles facing girls and women here around the world,” the GLI website states. “Student-to-student, and student-to-parent, GLI is building a movement of informed advocates for universal girls’ education and a new generation of leaders and activists for social change.”
A subdivision of the Feminist Majority Foundation, or FMF, GLI has been around since 2003. Since the VHS chapter is brand new, several of the senior members visited New York City on October 13 to learn more about the club, and how to initiate it properly.
“I met a lot of interesting girls during the trip but it was cool that we all have a common interest in GLI,” said Lynn Keating, Co-President of the VHS GLI chapter.
During the weekly club meetings, the students participate in activities that are simultaneously fun and raise awareness about specific issues girls face around the world. In many third world countries, girls are treated as second class citizens. These societies encourage arranged marriages at a young age, and discourage girls’ education. These disadvantages lead to girls without a purpose, and instead they become rape victims, causing further problems: malnutrition, diseases, and poverty.
“With all the problems in our world, the lack of girls’ education in third-world countries tends to be overlooked,” declared VHS Senior Amanda Langan, Co-President of the VHS GLI chapter. “It is a vital cause in improving and preserving a functional human race.”
To stay active, the VHS students in GLI will be at Fair in the Square collecting donations for the FMF and handing out homemade hemp bracelets to anyone who contributes.
Additionally, in March, several members will act as GLI delegates as they attend a week-long seminar at the United Nations in New York City, at the 57th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women. They will be listening to feminists advocating for the international policies concerning women and girls: specifically education, politics, rights, and gender equality. The delegates will get the opportunity to discuss these issues and potential solutions, while drafting them in statements to be shared by the end of the trip.
Girls Learn International is a fantastic fun and active opportunity for those at VHS to become enlightened about and respond to international issues, especially those that focus on girls.
If you are interested in joining GLI or have any questions about it, visit Dr. Meyer or talk to any of the senior members: Lynn Keating, Amanda Langan, Jane Spardel, Gabi Latimer, or Gabrielle Discafani. Feel free to check out http://girlslearn.net/ or http://www.girleffect.org/learn/the-big-picture for more information about the program. Spread the word, and look for us at Fair in the Square, December 1!