Girl Up has announced the 10th class of its Teen Advisory board, a group of 24 high school students who share the common goal of creating change to advance global gender equality.
The Teen Advisory board is comprised of passionate changemakers who organize in their communities to energize others to take action in support of the rights and opportunities of girls, and provide crucial feedback on Girl Up’s programming. These young leaders represent the most global class of Teen Advisors in Girl Up’s history, coming from 12 different U.S. states and eight countries – Australia, Colombia, India, Lebanon, Malawi, Romania, England, and the United States.
“Our Teen Advisors are the heart and soul of Girl Up. We incorporate their feedback into everything we do – from our partnerships to our leadership programs,” said Melissa Kilby, Co-Executive Director of Girl Up.
“This year, we are excited to welcome a class of changemakers that truly represent Girl Up’s global reach, allowing for more cross-cultural work to advance gender equality,” said Anna Blue, Co-Executive Director of Girl Up.
Teen Advisors are the backbone of Girl Up’s borderless movement, which has grown to reach more nearly a million supporters in more than 100 countries. Through Girl Up’s Club program, girls in more than 3,000 Clubs develop leadership skills through trainings in community organizing, advocacy, storytelling, and fundraising. As a result of these efforts, Girl Up has created a generation of girl leaders who have helped raise millions of dollars for United Nations programs and led advocacy efforts for global policies to stop child marriage, ensure that girls are registered at birth, and help refugee girls have access to education.
The application to become a Girl Up Teen Advisor is rigorous and highly competitive. The Teen Advisors are self-identified girls selected on an annual basis to serve for an academic year. When Teen Advisors graduate from the program they continue to lead efforts that drive global change on their college campuses and their communities around the world. Each Teen Advisory board includes two advisors from the previous class, to serve as Co-Chairs.
“The opportunity to serve as a Co-Chair this year is absolutely one of a kind – not only do I get to give back to the initiative that has given me so much through another year as a Teen Advisor, but I also get to lead a new Teen Advisor class to heights that we have never seen before,” said Eugenie Park from Washington state, USA. “I am beyond excited to see where the next year takes us, and I am more than honored to help spearhead this journey.”
The 2019-2020 class of the Teen Advisory Board includes:
- Alliyah Logan, 17, Bronx, N.Y.
- Angela Zhang, 15, Los Angeles, Calif.
- Aya Alagha, 17, Boise, Idaho
- Bethel Rebecca Kyeza, 17, Surrey, United Kingdom
- Claire Louise Duffy, 15, Chevy Chase, Md.
- Deborah Chumbu, 16, Blantyre, Malawi
- *Eugenie Park, 17, Bellevue, Wash.
- Felicia Xiong, 17, Omaha, Neb.
- Ganna Omar, 17, Ames, Iowa
- Georgia Shakeshaft, 15, New South Wales, Australia
- Isabelle Marie Hernandez Vargas, 17, Palm Bay, Fla.
- Laura-Julia Fleischmann, 15, Chevy Chase, Md.
- Mariam Mustafa, 16, Fremont, Calif.
- Misk Khalfi, 17, Fridley, Minn.
- Nora Caroline Di Martino, 15, Kensington, Md.
- Qinyue (Aria) Yang, 18, Strasburg, Pa.
- Quinn McGill, 17, Medina, Wash.
- *Rebecca Fairweather, 17, Rego Park, N.Y.
- Riya Goel, 15, West Orange, N.J.
- Rym Adnan Badran, 16, Beirut, Lebanon
- Salomé Beyer, 16, Antioquia, Colombia
- Sofia Scarlat, 17, Corbeanca, Romania
- Tanushah Ramadass, 16, Tamil Nadu, India
- Vanessa Louis-Jean, 17, Blythewood, S.C.
*Denotes Teen Advisor Co-Chair
