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

Today, National Intern Day, we highlight and celebrate our amazing interns and all their hard work to ensure girls everywhere are educated, respected, and heard. Here are our current interns: 💗 Olivia Barbara is our Advocacy Intern; she works to keep our chapters program and Girl Activist Fellowship running smoothly for girls around the world. 💗 Sabrina Zheng is also an Advocacy Intern. As a peer to the girls we serve, she helps us create content for special programming events and is producing the next edition of The Girl Gazette. 💗 Stellah Otunga joined the team as our Program Intern assisting with our community-based organization programs. She works closely with the organizations in our Girls First Network and assists with the administration of the Girls First Institute. We also want to extend our heartfelt gratitude to all our past interns. Each of you has played a vital role in helping She's the First fight for a world where every girl chooses her own future. Your hard work, creativity, and dedication have left a lasting impact on our organization and the communities we serve. Thank you for being part of our journey and contributing to the success of She's the First. We couldn't do it without you! #NationalInternDay #ShesTheFirst #InternSpotlight #Empowerment #FutureLeaders

"I tell girls whenever I talk to them that they can be successful in whatever field they choose." Congratulations to our Director of Programs & Impact, Catherine Kiama, for being named a "Top 40 Under 40" by Business Daily Africa! We're proud to work with her every day. Read Kate's story: https://lnkd.in/djtrDE2C

📣 Exciting News! We are thrilled to announce the relaunch of our Girl First Institute with an all-new certification program designed to empower women leaders who uplift girls in their communities. Our Girl-Centered Design Certification Program offers grassroots leaders cutting-edge training, equipping you with essential skills to create effective programming, host ethical focus groups, and develop life-changing mentorship programs for girls. With two levels of certification—Essential and Advanced—your organization will gain recognition and tools to make a significant impact: ⭐️ Essential Certification: Foundational training in girl-centered program design, facilitation skills, and impact measurement. ⭐️ Advanced Certification: Intensive three-year programs featuring tailored training, funding, and coaching, including initiatives like the Girl-Centered Incubator. Complete our training, earn your certification badge, and showcase your commitment to transforming girls' lives. 🌎✨ Join us in building a world where every girl chooses her own future. Learn more and get started today: https://loom.ly/EhoQ__w #GirlsFirst #WomensLeadership #YouthEmpowerment #ShesTheFirst #GirlCenteredDesign

Congrats to our superstar She's the First colleague Catherine Kiama, for being named a "40 Under 40" -- her feminist leadership deserves to make headlines and be shortlisted like this! https://lnkd.in/eNY2dHPD

Last Thursday, we held our 8th annual Girls First Summit in Nairobi, Kenya! This one-day professional development event is for courageous women working with underserved girls in their communities -- and opens the door to long-term networking and certification with She's the First, 80 women attended (at no cost), bringing 32 girls, from all over Kenya. Many traveled several hours from rural communities to access this rare opportunity. In practical ways, we tackled issues of teaching sexual health and reproductive rights, designing programs with girls' voices and decision-making at the forefront, and pursuing funding. There is so much more to share -- but we're off to Uganda to do it all again in Kampala on Thursday! So for now, see what attendees had to say. 😀 📸: Sarah Waiswa

Pride Month 🌈 may be ending, but our commitment to all girls having the right to choose whom they love, regardless of gender, and to express their sexuality without censure will never end. Today, we're proud to shine a light on the RANG Foundation, one of the community-based organizations we serve in our Girl-Centered Incubator Fellowship Program. This India-based community organization, led by Ausmiita Sarkar, is dedicated to empowering gender, sexual, and romantic minorities (GSRM) by creating safe spaces, advocating for rights, and providing access to support systems. RANG's initiatives have sensitized over 200 adolescents on sexual and reproductive health, engaged 300 GSRM individuals in meaningful online conversations, and created safe, supportive spaces for over 100 queer individuals through storytelling and social activities. Our Girl-Centered Incubator is a 3-year program for young, visionary founders like Ausmita, who are under the age of 30 and started a community-based program within the last 3 years. The goal is that over the next 3 years, we can strengthen them for long-term success and growth, so they can reach thousands of girls who need safe spaces and education. Thank you to RANG for your bravery in leading the way.

Safiya is making waves in Southeast Asia! Co-authors and previous She’s the First Girl Activist Fellows, Anya Legarda and Allison C. have been making strides in Southeast Asia to introduce the children's book, Safiya Speaks Up!, to more girls across the globe! Their incredible work with Safiya Speaks Up! is making waves across the Philippines and Malaysia to inform girls to educate young girls about how to combat sexual violence and use their voices. From distributing books to receiving prestigious awards, their dedication is truly inspiring. Check out the full story and see how they're changing lives: https://loom.ly/i7VYmK0 #SafiyaSpeaksUp #Empowerment #Education #EndViolence #SoutheastAsia

Our Director of Advocacy & Communications Kate Lord and Advocacy Manager Janae Phillips have an article in the Stanford Social Innovation Review today with five lessons for organizations making the leap into youth-led advocacy campaigns—special thanks to our Girl Activist Fellows who inspired this piece!

Follow the inspiring journey of our Senior Programs Manager, Ceci Arriaza, from her time working with our incredible partner, MAIA Impact , to her role today at She’s the First, where she leads Ellas al Frente, our joint three-year program to improve outcomes for girls in the Northern Triangle . Through it all, MAIA has been a steadfast partner at the forefront of empowering Indigenous girls through education and leadership. Discover how MAIA's innovative approach and local expertise have transformed lives, celebrated with every chant of "Empowered Woman, Infinite Impact!" The appointment of Indigenous Mayan women Andrea Coche and Lidia Oxí as co-executive leaders showcases the powerful impact of community-led efforts. Read Ceci’s full story and learn about the transformative work happening at MAIA Impact: https://lnkd.in/eeZBfPQn Together, we continue to champion the rights and potential of girls everywhere. #ShestheFirst #EmpoweringGirls #GirlsRights #GenderEquality 📷: 1 & 4: Kincho Films, 2 & 3: Silent Images for MAIA Impact