Friday, October 24, 2008

Rock 'n' Roll Camp for Girls (Raining Jane)

If you do not already know and love the band Raining Jane, I suggest you stumble over to my HoneysuckleBlossom blog to discover their talents.


For those of you who are familiar with their music, did you know that these women are also out to improve the world for young girls? Yeah, I thought that might interest you (or else you would not be reading this blog).


In August 2001 a summer program was developed on the Portland State University campus. This was called the Rock 'n' Roll Camp for Girls (RnRC4G). To understand how incredible this program is, check out their mission statement:

The Rock’n’Roll Camp for Girls, a 501(c)3 non-profit, builds girls self-esteem through music creation and performance.
Providing workshops and technical training, we create leadership opportunities, cultivate a supportive community of peers and mentors, and encourage social change and the development of life skills.

This amazing program has grown and developed with the help of many amazing people throughout the past seven years. The volunteers, teachers, musicians, and the community in general have established a place for young women to learn, not only music, but a safe and creative way to express and understand themselves.

In the summer of 2007, Raining Jane volunteered to teach and inspire these young women in Portland. I thank them for their contribution to this wonderful program, and even more so for introducing me to it. I am proud to spread the word about any course or group dedicated to improving the lives of young women.

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

The Girl Effect

Check out this amazing video at http://www.girleffect.org/




If you want to end poverty and help the developing world, the best thing you can do is invest time, energy, and funding into adolescent girls. It's called the Girl Effect, because girls are uniquely capable of investing in their communities and making the world better. But here are 10 things that stand in their way:



*Let's see some ID. Without a birthcertificate or an ID, a girl in the developing world doesn't know and can't prover her age, protect herself from child marriage, open a bank account, vote, or eventually get a job. That makes it hard to save the world.



*Illiteracy does not look good on a resume... 70% of the world's out-of-school children are girls. Girls deserve better. They deserve quality education and the safe environments and support that allow them to get to school on time and stay there through adolescence.



*...and pregnancy doesn't look good on a little girl. Child marriages are the norm in many cultures where women's bodies aren't considered their own property. Pregnancy is the leading cause of death for girls 15-18 years old. Girls have a right to be able to protect their health and their bodies.



*The face of HIV is increasingly young and female. When girls are educated about HIV, they stand a better chance of protecting themselves. but education is not enough. Girls need to be empowered and supported to make their own choices.



*A nice place to work would be nice. If girls have the skills for safe and decnet work, if they understand their rights, if they are financially literate and considered for nontraditional jobs at an appropriate age, if they get their fair share of training and internships, they will be armed and ready for economic independence.



*The check is in the mail but it's going to your brother. Only one-half of one cent of every aid dollar spent in the developing world is earmarked for girls. And yet when a girl has resources, she will reinvest them in her community at a much higher rate than a boy would. If the goal is health, wealth, and stability for all, a girl is the best investment.



*Adolescent girls aren't just "future women". They're girls. they deserve their own category. They need to be a distinct group when we talk about aid, education, sports, civic participation, health and economics. Yes, they are future mothers. But they actually live in the present.



*Laws were made to be enforced. Girls need advocates to write, speak up, lobby, and work to enforce good laws and change discriminatory policies.



*She should be a statistic. We won't know how to help girls until we know what's going on with them. Hey, all you governments and NGOs and social scientists: You're accountable! We need an annual girl report card for every country so we can keep track of which girls are thriving and which girls are not.



*Everyone gets on board or we're all overboard. Boys, girls, moms, dads. If we don't all rally to support girls, nothing is going to change. Not for them, and not for us. Change starts with you. So get going.



Ladies, we have got to do something! Please, PLEASE spread word about this amazing program. Send the link for the Girl Effect to every one you know. Talk to your daughters and sisters about what YOU can do.

Little Vitories

The community of Kapchorwa in Uganda has decided to outlaw female circumcision within their society!

Perhaps the most inspirational moment in this article was that "the campaign to end the practice has been alive in his community for several years, and that in the recent past, educated young women in Kapchorwa have shunned it."

The power of information and education should never be underestimated. I am proud to be an educated woman, and I want to celebrate my sisters in their accomplishment.

Monday, October 13, 2008

Dear Friends

I have neglected this forum, and I am truly sorry. I seek to focus more on these blogs and articles in the future. Right now I am throwing some ideas around:
*I want to write about Sarah Palin, as she is a woman in the spotlight, but I am not sure how to go forward with the blog: what do I say? Do I discuss her political leanings? Do I only highlight the good, but ignore the bad? I cannot do that, and so I must take much more time to figure out her blog.
*I think I will write a few in the near future focusing on the amazing women in my personal life. Many show amazing strength every day, and they deserve highlighting as much as anyone else.
*My good friend Kelly is a history teacher, and she has a passion for women's history and women's rights that make me feel completely ignorant! I want her to visit and blog about some famous (and some practically unheard of) women in history who have paved the way for us.

If you would like to suggest someone (preferably with a specific example of why they deserve mention, and/or a link) please feel free to comment.