Girls Gearing Up International Leadership Academy

Get ready to be inspired! Our Youth Advisory Board, composed of nine GGU alumnae from seven countries, has independently conceptualized and is implementing the first ever Let's Talk Future Weekend, an event designed entirely by teen girls to empower and motivate their peers from around the world. Our YAB has put together a program that offers the kinds of sessions that the girls in their international network have requested, resulting in a unique opportunity for mentorship, networking, and career guidance. Participants will have the chance to: - Hear from inspiring role models: Learn from the experiences and insights of successful women in various industries. - Ask questions and seek advice: Get personalized guidance and support for their career goals. - Connect with like-minded peers: Build relationships with other young women who share their aspirations. One of the core pillars of Girls Gearing Up programs is preparing girls to take action on issues that are important to them. We love this example of teen girls working together to create opportunities for growth, development, and networking - and preparing for the future, both individually and collaboratively. At Girls Gearing Up, we know that investing in the next generation of female leaders is essential for creating a more equitable, sustainable, and peaceful world. By providing teen girls with the tools and resources they need to succeed, we are preparing them to become the changemakers of tomorrow. We are proud to be fostering a community where every girl has the power to shape her own future. If you or a company you know wants to join our mission to prepare tomorrow’ female leaders, get in touch! #GirlsGearingUp #LetstalkFuture #YouthLeadership #Empowerment

2024 Leadership Academy Wrap-Up: Empowering the Next Generation of Global Leaders! 🌟 What an incredible journey! 🌟 This summer, we sent a new cohort of changemakers out into the world! Our 2024 International Leadership Academies in Germany, Malawi, and India brought together 86 inspiring teen leaders from 20 countries across 3 continents. Together, these young women embraced diversity, learned public speaking, explored sustainability, and developed action plans to make a positive impact. It’s safe to say we all left with renewed hope, optimism, and a commitment to "be the change." 💫 A heartfelt THANK YOU to our incredible volunteer and freelancer team who make it all possible! 💫: Madelief Broecheler Lily Forman, Sophie Lang, Courtney Adams, Chineme Chi’Nnaya Ugbor, Christina Limbird, Ph.D., Sachi Patil, Lady Juliet Nyarko Adansi 🇬🇭, Poldi Kuhl, Tia Hardy Robinson, Eszter Magyar, Marie-Marie Laporta, Erika Crossley, Lena Sönnichsen, Golda Kavinya, Patience Ngunde, Thokozani Fortunata Mkawa, Vandana Srivastava, Angela Aram Alice Ngumbira, Joanna Damle, Gabriela W. Wells, Remington Arthur Together, we are shaping tomorrow’s leaders! 💪🌍 #GirlsGearingUp #LeadershipAcademy2024 #Changemakers #EmpoweringYouth #NextGenLeaders

“Never let anybody tell you that you can’t do it.” - Florida Kabasinga On the last day of our Leadership Academy, this inspirational message left our girls ready to take flight as changemakers in their own communities! Florida Kabasigna, Founder and Managing Partner of Certa Law in Rwanda, spoke to our Leadership Academy participants and teams in Germany and Malawi. Her impressive journey and motivating lessons touched our girls and showed them that with planning and perseverance, they can turn their dreams into reality. Her words left a lasting impact on all of our girls, and our team members too! Here are some of our favorite lessons: Key Takeaways from Power Mentor Florida Kabasinga’s Session:  💪 Perseverance is key: Barriers will come up throughout your journey as a changemaker, but pushing through them with an eye on your end goal is crucial. 🗣 Learn from others: Talking to people who have achieved success in your field is incredibly valuable. Learn from their insights and story to help shape yours. ⏰ Plan ahead and follow your strategy: While unexpected twists along your journey are inevitable, having a vision for your future and an idea of how to get there goes a long way! We can’t imagine a better way to end our Leadership Academy than hearing from a true role model who embodies the GGU spirit and our 2024 theme of Building Sustainable Peace. On behalf of our GGU participants and team, thank you so much to Florida Kabasinga for your inspiring session!

🧠Entrepreneurial Mindset Workshop💡 The participants in our Germany Leadership Academy became entrepreneurs for an afternoon, thanks to the guidance and expertise of Ira Philip! Ira led a fast-paced and interactive workshop on Entrepreneurial Mindset for our girls, where she walked them through the steps of Problem Identification, Solution Development, Feasibility Analysis, Testing, Validation, and Growth. The groups put their new knowledge to use through a mini Shark Tank activity, where they developed and presented a problem/solution relevant to their own lives. Their solutions included mental health support, physical health management, and job searching. They learned about the importance of a team, highlighting their strengths and identifying entrepreneurial skills within each of them. Our girls shared that Ira’s workshop demystified entrepreneurship, giving them tangible steps to take as they continue to identify solutions to problems in their lives. On behalf of the GGU team and participants, thank you so much to Ira for equipping our girls with the skills they need to become successful entrepreneurs, effective problem solvers, and powerful leaders! Courtney Plaza Chineme Chi’Nnaya Ugbor Christina Limbird, Ph.D.

As part of our week-long Leadership Academy focused on Building Sustainable Peace, our girls had the chance to hear from a panel of Power Mentors from a diverse array of fields about how they incorporate sustainable peace in their work. The panel featured: 🌟 Lonneke Lindhout, Corporate Social Responsibility Manager at 3PLEset and Production & Social Responsibility Coordinator at Honest Basics 🌟 Roseanna Watson, Counselor of Europe, Global, and Economic Issues at British Embassy Berlin 🌟 Meryem Korun, Curator at Natural History Museum Berlin 🌟 Moe Moe Aye, Senior Engineer at Ramboll Offshore Wind Foundations 🌟 Ilona Regulski, Curator (Egyptology/Papyrus) at Neues Museum Each of these inspiring women talked to our participants about their journeys, their professions, and what sustainability looks like in their respective fields. For our girls with big dreams and diverse passions, this panel was the perfect chance to learn about the many opportunities ahead of them. In a time when sustainability is both critically important AND can sometimes feel like an empty buzzword, it is so important for our aspiring changemakers to learn about concrete ways that real women make a difference through their professions and how they could do so as well. Akanksha, from India, said, “These women who have achieved so much in their respective fields were so empowering. Hearing from them not only broadened our horizons, but it also reinforced the belief that we all have the potential to rise above any obstacle and reach for our dreams.” Thank you so much to these Power Mentors for joining us in inspiring the next generation of female leaders! Sachi Patil Courtney Adams Chineme Chi’Nnaya Ugbor Christina Limbird, Ph.D.

During our 2024 Leadership Academy in Germany, our girls had the chance to take a trip into the city and visit Technische Universität Berlin for a day full of learning! With women still underrepresented in STEM in both education and the workforce, it is more important than ever that we introduce girls to the many ways they can make an impact in these fields. We’re so grateful to Professor Dr.-Ing. Julian Polte and Upen Barve for orchestrating this important and impactful visit for the third year in a row! At TU Berlin, our 38 Leadership Academy participants were introduced to some of the many different paths for women in STEM. They had a hands-on introduction to 3D printing, took a guided tour through the additive manufacturing facilities, and had the chance to speak with female leaders working in different STEM professions. Thank you so much to Franziska Heusler, Elisabeth Jahns, Dr.-Ing. Tina Schlingmann, Irene Selvanathan, and Pooja Mazumdar (She/Her) for inspiring our participants! After the visit, our girls were buzzing with excitement. For many of them, this tour inspired them to pursue a career in STEM. For Sara from Morocco, the experience motivated her to explore new paths. She said, “The mentors at TU Berlin made me so excited to follow my dreams. I was so inspired by the stories and lessons they shared.” Thank you so much to our partners at TU Berlin for inspiring the next generation of scientists, programmers, engineers, mathematicians, and more! And thanks to Formnext - Where ideas take shape for sponsoring this important outing! Sachi Patil Courtney Adams Chineme Chi’Nnaya Ugbor Christina Limbird, Ph.D. ABURY Foundation

“Success comes in different shapes and forms. If there’s something you’re passionate about, believe in that and trust the process.” Yolanda Sylvana Rother One of the things we love and value most about our Power Mentor program is the opportunity for teen girls to hear words of wisdom like these gleaned from real life experience. Yolanda Rother, co-founder of The Impact Company, had all of our participants AND the team at the Germany and Malawi Leadership Academies busy taking detailed notes as she shared insights gained from her varied professional roles, her journey as a founder working in fields of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, and as a parent. Our GGU girls in Germany and Malawi left the session with an image of what a truly impactful, diverse, and fulfilling career can look like. In response to the very many questions asked by our future leaders, Yolanda shared some incredible pieces of advice. These are some of our girls’ favorites: Key takeaways from Yolanda Rother’s Session:  💡 Hold on to your vision: Stay true to your mission, and work hard to make your dreams a reality. Always keep your end goal in mind as you embark on your journey. 💪 Perseverance is key: No matter what other people tell you or what barriers may stand in your way, stay true to your vision and success will come. 🏅 Success looks different for everyone: Don’t compare your own path to others. Instead, define success for yourself. We love how Yolanda encouraged our girls to keep going after their goals and to let go of any fears that may be stopping them. After hearing her message, they felt ready to go chase their dreams! From our GGU team and participants, thank you so much to Yolanda for your motivating message!

“Don’t solve it before you start it. Just start it.” These powerful words of wisdom from Maria Lorenz-Bokelberg, Founder & CEO of Pool Artists Podcast Productions, really touched our GGU Leadership Academy participants in Berlin last week. As young people with big dreams (and in many cases still several years of school ahead of them), it was so refreshing to hear from someone who encouraged them to get started doing what they’re passionate about, today, and gave concrete examples of how they can do just that. Our GGU 2024 girls loved Maria’s very authentic reflection on her path as an entrepreneur and her no-nonsense advice about showing up as your true self, finding collaborators whose skills complement yours, and getting started before you feel ready. Key takeaways from Maria Lorenz-Bokelberg’s Session:  💪 Don’t let fear or doubt get in the way of accomplishing your goals. Take advantage of the resources you have, and figure it out as you go! 🌈 There are many different ways to make change. No matter your skill sets or interests, you can be a changemaker and leader.  🤝 Lean on the people around you as you follow your dreams. Soak up all of the knowledge, skills, and resources you can from others in your communities. Our girls left Maria’s session ready to begin chasing their dreams, especially those related to journalism and podcasting. Maria even generously offered to give feedback on their concepts and pilot projects, so keep an eye out for the next generation of female podcasters! On behalf of our GGU participants and team, thank you so much to Maria Lorenz-Bokelberg for inspiring our girls to follow their dreams and sharing your insights about how to find success while doing so! 🎙️

“There are a lot of things going wrong, but individually each one of us can do something to make it better.” - Anka Feldhusen, Director for Crisis Prevention and Stabilisation, German Federal Foreign Office & Former Ambassador of Germany to Ukraine Ambassador Feldhusen inspired 68 participants in our Germany and Malawi Leadership Academies this summer in an open and engaging interview moderated by our aspiring leaders. Her professional journey and tangible advice resonated deeply with our participants and kicked off the Academy on an empowering note. In addition to sharing her inspiring story and giving the GGU girls insight into the life of a diplomat, Ambassador Feldhusen shared some incredibly valuable lessons learned with our participants. Here are some of their favorites: Key Takeaways from Ambassador Feldhusen’s Session: 💭 Stay curious and open: Sometimes, our path isn’t perfectly planned but rather evolves over time in spontaneous ways. Keep an open mind throughout school and your career, and let your interests lead you. You never know where you might end up! 🤝 Focus on making real connections: Building a strong network in both your professional and personal life is key to becoming an effective leader. Find people who you can count on and connect with, and people who will advocate for you! 🌍 Each of us has a role to play in building a better future. Find the creative ways you can make a difference. These words resonated deeply with our girls. Esther, from Ghana, said: “I have had mentors tell me to build a network and find a mentor, but today was the first time someone emphasized the importance of finding people that truly see me.”   Our GGU 2024 cohort and the whole team extend our heartfelt thanks to Ambassador Anka Feldhusen for coming to share her wisdom and message with our GGU girls! Her session was the perfect way to kick off a week that focused on building sustainable peace for ourselves and the world around us.

Meet some of the fantastic teen girls who are at our Germany Leadership Academy this week! Big thanks to ABURY Foundation for the collaboration that brought these incredible changemakers to the 2024 cohort.