500 million people around the world go without access to basic menstrual products. This is why Girl Up has decided to rise together and take action to change these women’s lives one step at a time.
What is Girl Up?
Girl Up is a women’s empowerment club that aims to aid women in need, spread equality, and create leaders in the process. Girl Up is part of the United Nations Foundation:
¨We give American girls the opportunity to become global leaders and channel their energy and compasses to raise awareness and funds for the United Nations programs that help some of the world’s hardest-to-reach adolescent girls.¨
¨Girl Up is a girl-centered leadership development initiative focusing on equity for girls and women in spaces where they are unheard of or underrepresented. We believe when girls and women are in positions of influence, they work to create a more just and equitable world for everyone. ¨
November Feminine Products Drive at Santiago
The feminine products drive is one of the first big projects that Girl Up puts into action annually. Santiago Girl Up, along with the other schools in the SoCal Coalition, from Valencia High School to USC (about 20 clubs total), are advocating for donations before November 21st. The donations will be sent to a women´s shelter in LA, where members and leaders of each of these clubs will meet one another and past residents of the women´s shelter to hear their stories and tour the shelter and USC after donating.
Here at Santiago, Girl Up is hoping for a huge turnout, where all students, teachers, parents, and more can partake in a meaningful drive by donating pads, tampons, hand sanitizer, travel-sized soap, shampoo, lotion, toothbrushes, deodorant, and even clothes/jackets to room P200. Santiago Girl Up´s next meeting will be held on November 16th (in room P200 during office hours– sign up on Minga!), the preferred date to turn in all donations, where they will be packaging the donations in preparation to be sent to the women´s shelter in LA on November 21st from 11 am to 3 pm. Further information on the location will be discussed at the meeting, so be sure to make it! Community service hours will be given to packaging participants and anyone who can come to the meetup in LA. Reach out to @santiagogirlup on Instagram for clarification or text 951-768-2378. Please let the officer team know if you are interested in/can make it to the meetup. This won´t only be a life-changing drive but a life-changing experience along with it.
Girl Up calls upon all of us to make a difference in a community of women´s lives by partaking in this drive because ¨When girls rise, we all rise.¨
Future Events
Girl Up is planning on hosting a Barbie Doll Drive to inspire young girls attending lower socio-economic elementary schools next semester. They are also planning a women´s ¨running event¨ fundraiser to advocate for women´s health and strive to end the year off strong by supporting women who have been subjected to domestic violence, following Girl Up´s provided leadership course throughout– so stay connected with this action-driven, passion-driven club here at Santiago. Make a change.
