“My Voice, Our Equal Future”

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“My Voice, Our Equal Future,” this year’s International Day of the Girl theme, celebrates the possibilities of a better world inspired by girls and young women. Girls around the world are lifting their collective voices to impact social change. As a generation of activists, they are leading the rally cry to create a world that is equal for all.

Girl Up and girls’ schools are dedicated to giving girls the skills and resources to make the world a better place for every girl, everywhere. This means making sure every girl sees a place for herself in the version of the world we are working together to create. Diversity is a critical component of this work—and our true strength comes from engaging the power of many voices to enrich our schools, societies, and the world and from developing communities that value justice and inclusivity.

Each and every girl has something unique to offer that makes our institutions stronger. If any one of our girls does not see herself as part of our communities, we have failed not only that girl, but the heart of our missions as places founded to address inequity. It is not enough to simply include a diversity of people if we are not listening to, learning from, and honoring their breadth of experiences.

Inclusion builds a culture of belonging and it starts with acknowledging that all Girl Up girls and girls’ school students are not the same. It is understanding that girls come to us from a variety of backgrounds and experiences, and when they suppress parts of their authentic selves in order to conform, we all lose.

We must keep actively working to create places of belonging for our girls that reflect the world and future they envision. As we help our girls actualize their leadership potential, they challenge us to consider our own notions of what it means to lead in building diverse, equitable, and just communities. We are fortunate to be educating—and learning from—Gen Z girls, the most inclusive generation in history, because they tell it like it is. When we don’t get it right, the girls let us know.

The work of building inclusive, equitable communities is never done. It is not a box to be checked. The work must be ongoing—in the choices we make and the policies we enact. Like we teach our girls, we must listen and learn, grow and adapt as we support our girls in using their voices to create our equal future.

Megan Murphy, Executive Director, National Coalition of Girls’ Schools (NCGS) and Melissa Kilby, Executive Director, Girl Up, United Nations Foundation