Join girl !mpact in their effort to send Kenyan girls to secondary school.
TORONTO, September 17, 2009 – With a 12,411 km trek to Africa and a 5,893 m Kilimanjaro climb ahead of them, young Toronto girls in a program known as girl !mpact are issuing a plea to Canadians and corporations to donate funds to help them make a difference in the lives of girls around the world. With just days until their departure on September 26th, they are short of their $50,000 fundraising target. It is for this reason that girl !mpact is calling Canadians and corporations to help the girls meet their goal.
“For the past nine months, these 11 young women from some of Toronto’s priority neighbourhoods have been fundraising and preparing for an adventure that will greatly impact not only their own lives, but the lives of 10 other girls halfway around the world,” says co-founder Leanne Nicolle, girl !mpact. “Because of their hard work, the girls will send several other girls to secondary school in Kenya and they will also climb Mount Kilimanjaro - an experience of a lifetime that is designed to encourage them to continue contributing to a stronger, global community of women through education and mentoring.”
The local youth will travel to Kenya at the end of September to volunteer with UNICEF’s Kenyan Girls’ Scholarship Programme which aims to assist the millions of girls in sub-Saharan Africa who do not have the opportunity to go to school beyond standard grade 8. The Kenya Girls Scholarship Programme is the only programme in Kenya that covers all costs related to the girl’s secondary school education, including uniforms, school supplies, transport, housing, spending money and a volunteer mentor.
As part of the year-long preparation and training program, girl !mpact linked the 11 girls from Scarborough with executive mentors such as Olympian Marnie McBean, to gain learnings and insights otherwise unavailable to them. The goal of the mentorship element of the training was to empower the youth to champion each other and create the most direct route to positive social change at home and around the world. By giving young women the tools they need, be that education or experiences gained outside the school curriculum, we can inspire and build a community of women who support and champion each other.
About Girl !mpact:
Girl !mpact launched in early 2009 to empower girls to champion and support one another, creating a direct connection between them that fosters the roots of positive social change at home and around the world. Girl !mpact believes that by giving young women the tools they need — be it through education or extra curricular experiences — we can inspire and build a future community of women who are strong, educated, and highly esteemed, and who feel supported by their peers. Girl !mpact is a non-profit organization funded entirely by voluntary contributions from individuals, businesses, foundations and governments.
For more information, please contact:
Cathy Mitchell
APEX Public Relations
416-924-4442 ext. 236
cmitchell@apexpr.com
Girl !mpact starts a chain reaction to empower young
women around the world to help each other
TORONTO, February 4, 2009 – The new, Canadian-based, non-profit organization girl !mpact celebrated its official launch at Panorama Lounge last night, selecting 12 girls from schools in the east district of Scarborough to set out on a journey to motivate, empower and ultimately effect positive social change for other young women worldwide. The dozen youths were joined by girl !mpact founders Leanne Nicolle and Jane Shaw, as well as Olympic Champion Marnie McBean and Canadian Idol judge and humanitarian Farley Flex.
Girl !mpact strives to empower girls to champion one another’s causes, creating the most direct route to positive social change. The program provides each participant with mentoring and leadership skills so that they become equal partners in society, raise awareness and provide a positive influence on those around them.
“I’m thrilled at the level of support and encouragement Jane and I have received for girl !mpact,” said Nicolle, “This event really emphasizes our shared vision for girls across the world to champion each other. The outpouring of support for these girls from people like Belinda Stronach, g! mentors like Marnie McBean, and our corporate partners is a testament to the enthusiasm the community shares to help one another.”
Unlike other non-profit groups with similar aspirations, girl !mpact aspires to support young women both locally and globally. By empowering local Toronto girls (the g!’s) with the tools they need, they can champion the causes of other girls around the world. The first example of this global chain reaction in 2009 will be the g! Trek. The 12 young girls from five schools in Scarborough will be trained, coached and mentored for nine months to prepare for a Mount Kilimanjaro ascent. In turn, prior to the trek these 12 determined and bright young women will work alongside their executive mentors to collectively raise $50,000 in an effort to send 10 girls to secondary school through UNICEF’s Kenyan Girls’ Scholarship Programme. “There are millions of girls in sub-Saharan Africa who do not have the opportunity to go to school. I am delighted that girl !mpact is empowering Canadian girls to champion these Kenyan young women and bring their individual stories home.” says Nigel Fisher, President and CEO of UNICEF Canada. “Girl !mpact is the epitome of the ‘think globally, act locally’ model”.
“It is an incredible opportunity for me to work with the girl !mpact program, I'm so excited,” said McBean. “I believe I will see many similarities between this mentoring program and the one in which I work with Olympic Athletes. In both programs, the girls have incredible strengths of their own and just need a little help to achieve their potential."
The strong base of dedicated mentors that will support girl !mpact’s young women are made up of professional and successful executive level women who possess a great deal of accumulated knowledge and experience to share with young and ambitious women. Having achieved their own goals and aspirations, these women know first-hand the power that mentorship and encouragement holds.
“I am so pleased to have the Scarborough east region schools participating in girl impact, it’s a journey that will have a profound impact on the rest of their lives”, said Allan Wolch, Superintendent of Education, Scarborough East. “By learning to coach and encourage other girls, these young women will empower the agents of change and advance humanity in a global sense.
For more information, please contact:
Cathy Mitchell / Sonia Prashar
APEX Public Relations
416-924-4442 ext. 236 / 223
cmitchell@apexpr.com / sprashar@apexpr.com
