Today, we’re giving a huge “High Five” to the U.S. Senate! Last Wednesday, a bill that will protect kids from being married off before they are old enough to know any better passed in the Senate unanimously.  This is the first time that the Senate has backed legislation related to this issue.

In countries like the U.S., you have the right to marry who you chose to, but in some developing countries, girls are becoming brides as young as age five!

Earlier this month I stepped (way) outside of the United Nations and nonprofit world in which I live and spent a couple of days with the leadership and employees of Henkel North America at their campus in Bridgewater, New Jersey.

Since the UN Foundation launched Girl Up earlier this year, we’ve been amazed at the support you’ve shown for girls around the world like you.  You have really made this a “for girls, by girls” movement.

Over the past few weeks, you may have seen some of our blogs on violence against girls. Every day, a woman or girl is a victim of violence. Did you know that violence kills or harms as many women and girls between the ages of 15 and 44 as cancer?

This week, we are talking about the issue of violence against girls and what Girl Up is doing to help make a difference. Some of the most at-risk girls are forced into marriage or relationships when they are still young children.

It’s High Five Friday again, and this Friday we want to High Five the winner of our Teen Advisor contest, Lily Kaplan!

The day before the Louise S. McGehee School campaign was set to launch, students of the “Global Issues” class had finally decided on a name for their project.

I grew up in the U.S., in a small house with a backyard and a dog, in a safe neighborhood (as a kid, I thought it was kind of boring) in Tampa, Florida. I knew the basic rules about safety — don’t talk to strangers, never get in a car with someone you don’t know, look both ways before you cross the street, and as I got older, there were of course all sorts of rules about boys.

I had a very cool opportunity to attend a Girl Up pep rally in Seattle today. Over 150 girls came through to learn about the life of some of the girls in Africa and Latin America. I carried jugs of water with girls today who experienced first hand how heavy and exhausting it is to carry gallons of water for hours, which many girls spend their days doing in these countries. 

Girl Up has come to Seattle! Tonight we hosted a reception at the WNBA Seattle Storm office. When guests arrived, they got their picture taken on the pink carpet with a Girl Up background and the Storm’s championship basketball trophies...

It’s High Five Friday again! This Friday, we want to recognize Tabby Biddle from The Huffington Post for being an awesome Girl Up supporter and a champion for women around the world.

Here are some ladies who took action and organized a Girl Up event in their city - they planned an amazing GirlRaiser called Bites & Beats, and showed their community in Austin how to Girl Up!

Last night, I was lucky enough to attend Glamour magazine’s Women of the Year event, honoring some of the most celebrated women of 2010. The awards program — which celebrated its 20th anniversary last night — was held at Carnegie Hall in New York City. I was in the company of five of our incredible Girl Up teen advisors for the evening!

As a teen in the U.S., you are more socially connected today than ever before.  A study by the Pew Internet and American Life Project found that 75% of 12-17 year-olds now own cell phones, up from 45% in 2004, and one in three teens sends more than 100 text messages a day – or 3,000 texts a month!  Teens instant message and connect on social networking sites with friends almost as much as they connect in person. 

Girls and boys from all over LA joined us at the Unite for Girls Pep Rally in Los Angeles to learn about the lives of girls in Malawi, Liberia, Guatemala, and Ethiopia, and to start to take action by getting involved in Girl Up.

The Unite for Girls tour is in Los Angeles this week, and we got off to a great start with a high-energy event at Variety last night. Over 200 people came together to celebrate Girl Up and give a High Five for girls around the world.

When I tell people that I work for the United Nations (UN) Foundation, one of the most common questions I get is, “Do you work in the UN building?” I don’t. And in fact, many people who work for the UN work in office buildings other than the UN headquarters building located on the East River in New York City.

When I was little, my sister and I would sit down after trick or treating and would spread our candy all over the living room floor so that we could count and sort it.

Inspired by our opportunity to win tickets to the Glamour “ Women of the Year” awards (visit Crowdrise now to give two “High Fives” and enter!), this week’s High Five Friday recognizes some past Glamour “Women of the Year”...

Victoria Justice - teen actress, singer and Girl Up champion - was honored on Sunday, October 24, at Variety magazine’s annual Power of Youth event for her work with Girl Up.

We are so excited here at Girl Up that the 65th United Nations Day is this Sunday, October 24, so for this High Five Friday, we want to High Five the United Nations!

Last week I was given the most amazing opportunity -- a chance to interview a Prime Minister on BBC Radio! I received a phone call late one night asking if I was up for this and I said YES!

One of the Girl Up campaign’s strongest partners in its work to improve the lives of girls living in developing countries is the United Nations (UN)... With more than 600 million adolescent girls globally – each of whom has tremendous potential to impact their family, community and our world – it’s critical that the UN address the rights and needs of girls.

As our Unite for Girls Tour continues across the country (this week we’re in Denver), we’re getting more emails everyday from girls asking about more ways to get involved to support the campaign.

One great way to help is by using Facebook and other social networks to spread the word about Girl Up with all your friends.