International Day of the Girl
This year’s theme is “Invest In Girls’ Rights: Our Leadership, Our Well-being.”
October 11 is International Day of the Girl, and while a very important holiday, you may not know exactly what it entails or what International Day of the Girl activities you can do with your family. The theme this year is “Invest in Girls’ Rights: Our Leadership, Our Well-being,” which feels especially poignant. To celebrate International Day of the Girl, you’ll want to focus on teaching the girls in your life about their rights — how they historically came to be and what needs to happen in order to protect them..
International Days in general are “occasions to educate the public on issues of concern, to mobilize political will and resources to address global problems, and to celebrate and reinforce achievements of humanity,” explains the United Nations website. Essentially, they’re a powerful advocacy tool, the website says, and International Day of the Girl is no different. So what are some tangible ways for us to celebrate and try to engage in the above? These activities below can be something fun just to commemorate the day, or you can start small to enact the change you want to see in the world when it comes to women’s rights. Whether it’s brainstorming goals with the women in your life, or even joining a campaign, there’s much work and celebration to be done on this International Day of the Girl.
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Support women athletes.
Girl power can take over the world, but gender inequality is still stronger. This year, read some interviews with Serena Williams, who spoke openly and honestly about having to step away from tennis because she wants to have another child and why it’s impossible for a woman athlete to be both a mom and a professional. Big, empowering stuff to discuss there.
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Make a scrapbook of your achievements
Today is a day to celebrate you, girl. Women often don’t recognize or celebrate our own achievements, and we’re often told our achievements are small or unimportant in comparison to others. This International Day of the Girl activity includes some soul searching and self-love, as well as some glue, photos, a scrapbook, and other crafty things to celebrate what you’ve accomplished. Bonus points if you do this with and for your daughters as well.
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Watch movies or TV clips of inspiring women or strong female leads
Check out Doc McStuffins, Dora the Explorer, or Elinor Wonders Why for the younger crowd, and maybe work your way up to documentaries about famous women trailblazers for the older kids. Check out commonsensemedia.com for a list of TV shows and movies that inspire girl power that’s age appropriate for your kiddos.
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Discuss current events affecting girls across the world.
The death of Mahsa Amini has created a wave of protests in Iran after she was arrested for not allegedly not covering her hair and going against the country’s dress codes and then died in police custody. This is a story and a name that your own girls can hear, even the youngest ones. The fact that women in other countries can be arrested for not having their hair covered can feel so unreal, and discussing it, along with the protests, is a way to remind children just what it means to have rights.
No matter how you celebrate International Day of the Girl, make sure all the gals in your life know how important they are and how much they matter.
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