Leadership Development
The problems girls face cannot be solved with charity alone. Gender equality can only be made a reality by breaking down socio-economic barriers and empowering young girls to work together for a brighter future.
Our plan for gender equality
No matter their background, girls have the power to transform themselves, their communities, and the world around them. The International Girls Academy is a global movement of empowered young women leaders who defend gender equality.
Through leadership development training, we give girls the platform and resources to start a social change movement wherever they are. There is no rest for those who stand with us in this movement until we achieve equal rights for every girl.
Girls are powerful, girls have limitless potential, and girls can change the world.
Tackling gender inequality in sports
From youth sports teams and professional athletes to the back-end business of sports, girls and women face discrimination, a lack of access, and limited opportunities. Gender inequities are everywhere in women’s sports. They face limited funding, lack of media coverage of female athletes and women’s sports, and pervasive body shaming, to name just a few.
Sports and team activities are a proven way to develop girls’ leadership skills and confidence. Until we level the playing field for girls in sports, we won’t fully realize gender equality.
40%
About 40% of teen girls in the US do not participate in sports, compared with 25% of boys.1
2x
By age 14, girls drop out of sports at twice the rate boys drop out of sports.2
61%
61% of the women executives believe that their personal involvement in sport contributed positively to their career success and advancement.3
Creating cultural awareness
Through our program, girls find their place in the world and make real differences. Whether they travel the globe or participate in local activities, they create a global impact.
The International Girls Academy’s activities boost girls’ awareness of the world through cross-cultural learning opportunities. These opportunities help them better understand critical global issues, giving them the power, inspiration, and resources to make the world a better place.
Ending the educational divide
It’s been shown that when you educate a girl, you advance a nation, yet, millions of girls all over the world lack the access and opportunity to go to school. You set a girl up for success by providing the resources and tools she needs to achieve her goals.
Why aren’t girls in school?
Worldwide, 131 million children are not in school—more than half are girls. In many countries, girls drop out before they reach the 6th grade.
School fees, the price of school supplies, mandatory uniforms, and long distances between home and school are just some of the many barriers that prevent girls from reaching the classroom. Other systemic issues, such as the lack of trained teachers, gender-based violence in schools, and cultural norms like child marriage and the stigma against menstruation, are keeping girls from receiving a quality education.
The benefits of girls’ education are far-reaching. For many girls, going to school can be more than just an opportunity to be educated. It can mean avoiding long work hours, delaying marriage and pregnancy, and staying healthy and safe. With an education, girls earn a higher income and can get jobs that otherwise would not be possible.
S.T.E.M. for Social Good
Girls and women are underrepresented in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. We’re bridging the gender gap in these fields by inspiring girl leaders to use S.T.E.M. skills to create solutions to their communities’ problems.
Our S.T.E.M. tours and camps help make science more accessible to girl leaders. From worksheets to workshops to international S.T.E.M. camps for girls, we’re building up the next generation of S.T.E.M. leaders and problem-solvers, one solution at a time.