Girl Up

Estimated reading time: 4 minutes

Girl Up’s Coalition & Regional Leaders unite Girl Up Clubs and their communities in the movement for global gender justice. They are fearless and motivated activists committed to supporting, mentoring, and activating a powerful generation of changemakers taking action for girls worldwide.

Typically high school and college students, Coalition & Regional Leaders are responsible for supporting the advocacy and fundraising efforts of Girl Up Club and Campus chapters in their Coalition or Region and representing the organization globally—showing to the world the power and value of youth.

A Girl Up Coalition is composed of at least ten Girl Up chapters at the city, state, or sub-regional level in the United States. Coalitions Leaders recruit and work with a team of club members to manage the Coalition’s collaborative efforts, compile action plans and budgets, and host at least two events during their tenure plus an annual Coalition Summit.

A Girl Up Region is composed of all the Girl Up chapters found in that geographic area. Global Regional Leaders support the programmatic, outreach, recruitment, and all other efforts of the Regional Manager or affiliate team in their Region. Their responsibilities may include, but are not limited to planning and hosting events, creating social media content, recruiting new Clubs, and supervising existing Clubs.

“Recently, our Coalition has hosted a variety of events, including a feminine products drive where we raised over 4,000 menstrual items for a local transitional home in Los Angeles,” said 2023-24 Southern California Coalition Leader Tanya Vidhun. “This year, our goal is to host leadership and professional development workshops for our Coalition members.”

There are 47 young changemakers in the 2023-24 class of Coalition & Regional Leaders, chosen for their demonstrated leadership, activism, and passion for Girl Up’s mission. This year’s cohort supports Girl Up Clubs in 20 countries: Argentina, Australia, Bangladesh, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Indonesia, Kenya, Malawi, Mexico, Namibia, Nigeria, Peru, South Africa, Tanzania, Tunisia, Uganda, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, and the United States.

In my role as a Girl Up Regional Leader, I hope to empower young women in my country to be agents of positive change in their community.
Martina Gómez, Argentina regional Leader

“I am grateful to be a part of the Girl Up community because it embodies the spirit of solidarity and resilience, connecting young women across the globe,” 2023-24 Regional Leader for the Middle East & North Africa Lina Ben Haj Yahia said. “I am excited to be a part of the Coalition and Regional Leader program, as this will be an opportunity for me to foster cross-cultural understanding and continue the fight for equal opportunities for girls and women.”

Coalition & Regional Leaders are key to Girl Up’s movement, operated by a global network of regional affiliates impacting 195,000 girls and youth leaders in 152 countries and all 50 U.S. states. They serve with Girl Up for a one-year term, advocating for social good and driving global change.

“In my role as a Girl Up Regional Leader, I hope to empower young women in my country to be agents of positive change in their community,” said 2023-24 Argentina Regional Leader Martina Gómez. “I am also looking forward to improving my own understanding of girls’ rights, growing my leadership skills, and carrying out activities that reduce the gender inequality gap in my region of Latin America.”

The 2023-2024 class of Girl Up U.S. Coalition Leaders and affiliated Coalitions include:

Aarushi Kodakalla, Texas
Alexandra Taratorina, Rocky Mountains (Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah & Wyoming)
Anoushka Kapur, Illinois
Anvi Padhi, Illinois
Ameena Atif, Pennsylvania
Brianna Shaw, Rocky Mountains (Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah & Wyoming)
Denia Smith, DMV (District of Columbia, Maryland, & Virginia)
Divya Natarajan, Arizona
Elizabeth Gillies, Tri-State (New York, New Jersey, & Connecticut)
Gia Panesar, Tri-State (New York, New Jersey, & Connecticut)
Ilinca Drondoe, New England (Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, & Rhode Island)
Lamya Butt, Northern California
Lana Mello, New England (Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, & Rhode Island)
Lara Cakir, Tri-State (New York, New Jersey, & Connecticut)
Maria Tracy, Ohio
Nadia Knoblauch, Florida
Poorvaja Rao Joganpalli, Georgia
Stacy Liu, DMV (District of Columbia, Maryland, & Virginia)
Tanya Vidhun, Southern California
Willow Miller, Texas