Photos: Girls Inc. members meet influential female community leaders
Teens prepare for UnBought & UnBossed Awards
For the first time Thursday night, 10 Girls Inc. members met the female community leaders who inspire them to be strong, smart and bold.
Girls Inc. is a nonprofit organization that promotes young women through mentorship and a variety of programs, such as summer camps. The organization aims to help young women navigate gender, economic and social challenges—and become "strong, smart and bold."
Every year, community members nominate accomplished female leaders for the UnBought & UnBossed Awards.
After public nominations come in, Girls Inc. leaders take information about the women—omitting identifying information—and let the 10 members of Girls Inc. who are participating in the Women's History Project go through the information and pick the most inspirational women to be their mentors.
Thursday night, the girls met their picks for the first time.
Through the project, the girls learn about women's history through an array of resources.
Leaders said Thursday that, so far, the girls have learned about the first wave of feminism, which includes women's suffrage.
Other topics include Abigail Adams' "Remember the Ladies" letter to John Adams, Sojourner Truth, Betty Friedan and women's liberation.
They also learned about Shirley Chisholm, who coined the title phrase of the awards. They learn about why she referred to herself as “un-bought and un-bossed.”
The next step is for the girls to set up a time to interview the nominee they chose for the awards. They will conduct research about the nominee, interview other people who know them and create presentations about their mentor.
Girls Inc. leaders said the Women's History Project helps participants increase self-confidence and develop public speaking and leadership skills.
The girls will work on their presentations between now and March 15, which is the day of the ninth annual UnBought & UnBossed Awards ceremony.
