By Francesca Turner | Communications Lead
“You’re not ready.” “You’re not good enough.” “That’s not for someone like you.”
Over the past few months, women around the world have shared moments like these through #ThankYouForTheNo, our latest digital campaign. More than 90 stories came in from 10+ countries. Almost every woman we heard from had been told a version of the same thing: don’t go into engineering, don’t apply to university, don’t make a big deal of your achievements.
Girls are still hearing these messages today, which is why our work matters as much now as it did when we began ten years ago.
Inspiring Girls exists to expand girls’ career aspirations and break down barriers such as gender stereotypes. By meeting diverse women role models, girls discover that careers are rarely linear and that there is more than one way to succeed. Through practical workshops in areas such as financial and digital literacy, they also build the skills and confidence to act on what they’ve discovered.
Over the past three months, this work has continued across our global network. Including:
Girls told us what these experiences meant to them:
“I think it’s really great that you organise this, because it’s important to show us young people early on that women can achieve anything they want. It really inspired me.” —15 year-old participant,
“I loved the activity. Seeing [the role models] made me feel that I could do it too. Listening to them and hearing their stories also made me feel embraced and supported.” — 16-year-old participant
“I really enjoyed being part of the Financial Club because I learned things we hardly ever talk about at home and that we sometimes don’t learn at school either. Talking about money, how to manage it, and how we can become independent made me think about my future in a different way. Now I know there are many things I can start learning today to help me achieve my goals.”
— 15 year-old participant.
Different countries, different sessions, yet the same result: a girl who can picture herself somewhere she couldn’t before.
Looking ahead to 2027
As we mark ten years of Inspiring Girls, we are looking ahead to our second decade with even greater ambition. In 2027, our priorities include strengthening global partnerships to reach more girls, expanding opportunities to develop essential future skills, and supporting our local teams to deliver sustainable, high-quality programmes.Our goal is to change expectations, so every girl has the confidence, skills and freedom to imagine, pursue and define her own future.
The first ten years were about showing girls what’s possible. The next ten are about making sure nothing stands in their way.
Your support through GlobalGiving helps make this possible. It allows us to develop shared resources, safeguard programme quality, and support and connect local leaders across our network.
To everyone who has been part of our story so far: thank you for helping girls see a different future for themselves.
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