City Chapters

She's the First Attends Girl Up Pep Rally in Los Angeles

I had a chance to speak with Los Angeles Mayor Villaraigosa about She's the First. I told him we just celebrated our first birthday! As someone with a young daughter himself, I feel he really understands the importance of our mission.

Last week, Girl Up held the Girl Up Pep Rally at Marlborough High School in Los Angeles, and I am honored to have represented She’s the First at the event! The Pep Rally featured a keynote by Her Majesty Queen Rania Al Abdullah of Jordan, as well as appearances by Los Angeles Mayor Villaraigosa, Olympic gold medalist and swimmer Rebecca Soni, actress Amber Heard, singer David Archuleta, and actress and Special Envoy to the United Nations International Year of the Youth, Monique Coleman.

Her Majesty Queen Rania Al Abdullah of Jordan

If you didn’t read about the Girl Up campaign when She’s the First attended its launch in NYC on October 1, here’s a quick refresher: Girl Up was created by the United Nations Foundation to address the needs of adolescent girls in developing countries. It prides itself on being a “for girls, by girls” campaign that mobilizes girls in the U.S. to raise awareness and funds to help other adolescent girls become educated, healthy, safe, counted and positioned to be the next generation of thought leaders.

To walk around and visit the various booths that drew attention to the more than 600 million adolescent girls living in developing countries who still struggle for the opportunity to go to school, see a doctor, or even be included in their communities, was humbling.

Some stats worth pointing out to She’s the First supporters (as our mission closely aligns with Girl Up):

• Less than half a cent of every development dollar goes to programs for girls, particularly those ages 10 to 14.
• Girls make up more than half of the 143 million out-of-school children and youth.
• One in every seven girls in the developing world are pregnant before the age of 15.

Monique Coleman put it best when she concluded the evening’s events by saying (and I’m paraphrasing), “You are not the future. You are the present.” So, join us in making our present count: Sponsor a girl!

Did you know that medical complications from pregnancy are the leading cause of death among girls ages 15 to 19 worldwide?

Girls were asked to send cards of inspiration to girls living in Liberia who have no health care, are often married by age 11, and who don't get the opportunity to go to school.

Girls were encouraged to visit five different booths -- Malawi, Guatemala, Liberia, Ethiopia, and the United States -- to write down one thing they can do to take action right now.