Millennium Development Goals

Take a Field Trip to the United Nations: Girls' Education on Display

In September 2000, 192 United Nations member states announced 8 major world goals to be completed by the year 2015 — the Millennium Development Goals (or MDGs). You may remember how world leaders descended on NYC and the United Nations this past September to have critical discussions on reaching these goals — She’s the First was there (read Kaitlin Davis’ reports here). I first heard of the Millennium Development Goals during my sophomore year in college and the concept has thrilled me ever since.

The idea is that between all 192 member states, some awesome international organizations, and the general citizens of the world, we can make some major changes to the world by 2015.

Supporting education has a snowball effect, helping each goal be achieved.

The 8 goals are as follows:
1.    Eradicate extreme poverty & hunger
2.    Achieve universal primary education
3.    Promote gender equality & empower women
4.    Reduce child mortality rate
5.    Improve maternal health
6.    Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria, & other diseases
7.    Ensure environmental sustainability
8.    Create a global partnership for development

Last weekend I had the opportunity to tour the United Nations headquarters in NYC during my Fall Break. Most of the building is rather plain, but one bright display caught my attention. In bold, hot pink letters, “Education Counts” was printed across the wall. Naturally, I had to check it out — and if you’re in the NYC area you definitely should too! She’s the First field trip, anyone?

The display outlined the 8 MDGs in detail with fantastic graphics and blatantly pointed out the solution to reaching every single goal: educating girls. As you walk around the walls of this display, the United Nations outlines the benefits of educating young girls. Some of the information we’ve heard before, like the fact that girls statistically receive higher returns from a secondary school education than boys do.

Girls tend to gain more from a secondary school education than boys.

There were also some stats I had not heard, like the fact that all low-income children in the world could be sent to school for $16 billion in aid a year, which is about half what all Americans and Europeans spend on ice cream annually.

The only bit of information this display is lacking is a resource for inspired viewers to help in completing these goals through educating girls. I bet you can tell where I’m going with this…She’s the First.

This web showed how achieving universal primary education will help all the other Millennium Development Goals fall into place!

If you didn’t believe us before, you now have the United Nations as a reference.  Educate a girl, and the rest will fall into place.

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Girls Education Explored in Film at #UNWeekDML Day 3

Kaitlin, 24, has been reporting from UN Week Media Lounge for STF

“Part of the price of our own freedom is standing up for the freedom of others.” Day 3 at the United Nations Week Digital Media Lounge began with a live stream of President Obama’s remarks to the UN General Assembly. As I sat amongst some of the most passionate human rights activists in the world, that statement felt all the more meaningful. I am captivated by the selflessness of many of the attendees at the Lounge this week. Day 3 was no exception.

In discussing the Millennium Development Goals, one of the most interesting insights shared in the Lounge was how the advancement of technology is changing the way we think and feel about giving back. Facebook, Twitter, blogging—all of these tools make it easier to connect to each another on a global scale. The young girl in the classroom in Mali is no longer just a character written into a story you read on a piece of paper. She can be made real, and her hopes, health, and dreams are relevant to an international audience with the help of social media.

a screen shot from "Pedal=Sight"

The team from ViewChange.org made this point clear. By collecting films that demonstrate tangible progress in global development, ViewChange.org uses digital storytelling to connect people to the causes and issues that matter most to them. Attendees at the Lounge had an opportunity to view scenes from the films that were chosen as Finalists in the LinkTV/ViewChange.org Online Film Contest.

Each of the films brought to life the stories of inspirational people who are doing tremendous good all around the world. In particular, those pertaining to girls’ education struck a powerful chord within me.

In the film “Pedal=Sight,” we are introduced to a young girl in Sone Sangvi, India, whose education must take a backseat to the responsibilities of everyday life. Because she must walk the hour-long commute to school each day, she is unable to spend any time studying when she returns home. When her family was asked why they were willing to purchase a bicycle for her brother and not for her, they explained that it would be foolish to invest in the education of their daughter who will be married and living with her husband’s family within a few years. Bharati is an incredible young girl, and it is phenomenal to see how her potential has been unlocked by an education. Read on to watch for yourself and discover a ‘First’… Continue reading →

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United Nations Week Digital Media Lounge: Day #2!

If yesterday was an inspiring experience, I truly have no words to express how blessed and humbled I felt by my experience today at the United Nations Week Digital Media Lounge. Today’s sessions revolved heavily around the care and keeping of girls and women around the globe, and, again, much was made of the importance of education in empowering women and girls to stand up for themselves, for their health and well-being, and for the good of their homes and communities.

Meeting with Annie and Layne of Vivanista following the Girls Empowerment Panel

One of the greatest highlights of the day was a session entitled, “What Girls Can Teach the World.” Moderated by Vivanista CEO and Founder Layne Gray,  the panel featured an array of passionate and innovative women leaders, including Kim Perry, Director of Girl Up; Nancy Lublin, CEO of DoSomething.org; Zainab Salbi, Founder of Women for Women International; and Nancy Zhang, International Key Club Trustee. Each panelist was unbelievably articulate, and the entire audience was enlivened by the enthusiasm that came radiating off of the stage. These women so strongly believed in what they were saying– that young girls possess an incredible power to incite change; that education is the key to empowering girls around the globe to break free from the chains of poverty; that we must take responsibility for the well-being of our fellow women; and that we must continue our work until no girl is left without the ability to choose what she wants to do with her life. It was impossible to be in that auditorium and not feel an immediate urge to take action, and to encourage others to take action as well.

Following the panel, I had the incredible opportunity to speak with Kim Perry, the Director of the UN Foundation’s campaign, Girl Up. Much like She’s the First, Girl Up seeks to channel the power and influence of young girls here in the United States to educate girls around the globe who might not otherwise have the opportunity.

Naturally, this was an exhilarating experience– she has so much faith in the young women of our time to make a difference and to change the circumstances in which we live. She believes, as we do, that we can and must be the generation to ensure equal access to education around the globe. Kim was even kind enough to provide  a message especially for She’s the First friends and followers, so check it out!

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United Nations Week Digital Media Lounge: Day 1!

The first day of the United Nations Week Digital Media Lounge has come to a close, and the experience was every bit as inspiring and as meaningful as you might have imagined. Experts and innovators from a variety of backgrounds gathered to discuss the Millennium Development Goals and to examine the best methods for inciting social change.

Earlier in the day, there were discussions of the brilliant ways technology is being used to create sustainable projects that result in safe and healthy living environments for women and children around the world. For instance, one organization used mobile technology to determine the whereabouts of displaced Haitians last January; as a result, they were more quickly able to mobilize aid workers to locate them and provide relief.  Another panelist discussed the use of technology to ensure that corruption isn’t keeping aid money from reaching the right people. Similarly, these same technologies can be used to ensure that children who are enrolled in school continue to attend and participate, and that educators are providing the necessary tools for success.

Each and every panelist, regardless of their experience or expertise, was quick to highlight the importance of education in accomplishing the Millennium Development Goals. Economic security, health, peaceful communities, and family rights are all drastically improved when girls are receiving an education. They have fewer and healthier children; they are less likely to contract HIV/AIDS; they invest more of their income into the well-being of their families; they are more likely to ensure that their daughters receive an education. Simply put, the education of girls is so intimately linked to the health, safety, and prosperity of the developing world that is absolutely integral to seeing the Millennium Development Goals through to fruition.

One especially touching moment came during a session on the impact film has in tackling the unique challenges we face in developing countries. Digital storytelling is an incredible way to raise awareness of tragic issues around the world, but have you ever considered the simplistic joy you experience while watching your favorite movie? Caroline Baron, founder of FilmAid, spoke of watching as a group of children at an orphanage in Afghanistan experienced The Wizard of Oz for the first time.  No cultural barrier could prevent the feeling of joy as their tiny faces lit up while listening to Judy Garland sing of what was possible “over the rainbow.” In fact, it was the first time the children had ever heard music.

Tomorrow promises to be just as exciting—the founder of Vivanista, the go-to website for women bridging social and philanthropic goals—will be moderating a session on the impact of girls who have embraced social media to drive social change. As always, I’ll be keeping you up-to-date via Twitter, and you can check out the session via live stream by clicking here.

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Millennium Campus Conference: Highlights from Saturday

If David Letterman had attended the Millennium Campus Conference at Columbia this past weekend, he would have heard some of the greatest global advocates of our time speaking to an auditorium of college students, empowering them to help solve the Millennium Development Goals by 2015. And then he probably would have condensed all this overflowing inspiration into a Top Ten list. Since Mr. Letterman had other plans on Saturday morning, allow us to do the honors!

Top 10 Moments from the Millennium Campus Conference
 (Sat. 9am-1:30pm — we dropped by for a bit; get full weekend coverage via #MCC2010)

1. Scott Harrison’s speech: he received a standing ovation for telling the story of how and why he started charity : water, much like he says here (a BILLION people in our world don’t have clean drinking water). charity : water reinvented what charity means; put an emphasis on branding, transparency, truth; believed in the power of small donations. We strive to be like them:

2. Watching Kim Perry, the Director of the Girl Up campaign, present their PSA “Connecting the Dots.” Like She’s the First does for an audience of college and 20-something women, Girl Up gives a call to action to teens/tweens to creatively fundraise for sponsorships for girls in the developing world and spread awareness.

3. Discovering @allgirlsallowed, allgirlsallowed.org, which advocates against the injustice of China’s One-Child Policy. Keep an eye on this issue, because if mothers are pressured to abort their babies when they find out they are expecting a girl, how are we ever to achieve gender equality in schools? Continue reading →

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We've Got a Press Pass to UN Week in NYC!

Kaitlin, She's the First Ambassador in NYC, will be reporting live from UN Week Media Lounge!

From September 21st-24th, the 92nd Street Y and Mashable have teamed up to present the United Nations Week Digital Media Lounge, and She’s the First has been be selected to attend! As a She’s the First Ambassador, I am constantly humbled by the fervor and the vivacity of our team, and I am beyond thrilled to be attending as a representative and a reporter for all of you.

The week is chock full of fascinating sessions that will feature presentations from key leaders on important global issues and the chance to engage in conversation with like-minded changemakers. The schedule includes such relevant topics as new technologies tackling old challenges, the role of media in development, disaster relief, and the power of film to change lives. There is an especially exciting session on Wednesday discussing how girls worldwide are embracing social media to drive social change. Have you ever heard anything more distinctly She’s the First?!

The UN Digital Media Lounge was created to serve a number of purposes — first and foremost, to bridge the gap between traditional and new media in an effort to build awareness of the Millennium Development Goals. The Lounge will also provide fresh and new perspectives, and engage the online community in creating solutions for the world’s greatest challenges. The United Nations, much like She’s the First, has seen the significant strides that can be made when we engage our online networks for good.

If all of this weren’t enough, we’ll be in some seriously distinguished company, with representatives from ABC News, The Huffington Post, Nike Foundation, Time Inc., Vanity Fair, and more. I’ll be sure to keep you posted on the exciting things happening all week with blog posts, videos, and tweets galore.


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A Times Square Takeover

where the UN Foundation's PSA will play

From September 20-22, world leaders will gather in New York City for the UN’s summit on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). These are the 8 international development goals — end poverty & hunger, achieve universal education and gender equality, combat HIV/AIDS, etc. — that all 192 UN member states and at least 23 international organizations have agreed to achieve by 2015. No small task. Accomplishing them almost sounds like creating a utopia, and we’ve only got four years left…but that doesn’t mean we should give up.

In fact, more than ever, we need to take small steps to collectively make the big leap toward reaching these goals, especially those  for universal education and gender equality. At She’s the First, we’re proud to provide a platform for taking action — with your friends, you can creatively fundraise to sponsor a girl’s education. One girl at a time, we can find a solution.

To remind everyone to play their part, the UN Foundation is airing this 33-second PSA 8 times every hour on the Toshiba Vision screen in Times Square. Keep your eyes peeled for it, New Yorkers!

This month, follow the She’s the First blog to stay involved in September’s meeting of the global minds in New York City. We were selected as one of 50 Young Champions for Women to attend the Women: Inspiration & Enterprise (WIE) Symposium on September 20th, a dynamic new annual conference timed to coincide with the UN summit, and our Ambassador Kaitlin Davis will be reporting for us from the UN Week Digital Media Lounge, September 21st-24th!

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