A Critical Issue: Gender Inequality Across the World

One of the most pressing issues of today is gender inequality. Across the world, women have far fewer economic opportunities than men, less access to education, greater health and safety risks, and significantly less political representation. This presents an immense issue that needs to be addressed. As a result of this inequality, two thirds of the world’s illiterate are women, women’s participation in the labor market falls far behind men regardless of education and skills, and one in three women worldwide will experience sexual assault in her lifetime.

Achieving gender equality is crucial to creating a better functioning world. Ideally, achieving gender equality would mean that men and women have equal power and opportunities, and are equally capable of achieving financial independence, personal development, and attaining a quality education. This goal necessitates empowering and guaranteeing basic rights for women worldwide.

Gender Inequality
                c/o http://www.hertalk.com

Across the world, countless women are incapable of reaching their full potential because of obstacles created by the prejudices of gender inequalities. This starts from the moment they are born, keeping them at a disadvantage consistently throughout their lives. Empowering women and breaking down these obstacles has a beneficial ripple effect that ultimately benefits the world as a whole. Once empowered, women and girls positively contribute to the well-being of their families, communities, countries, and so on.

The most effective way for students to combat this issue is simply advocacy and education. Raising awareness amongst peers and communities about the issue of gender equality is a great start. As citizens of the United States, we are at a great advantage that few others in the world have. We have a much wider range of resources at our disposal; thus, we have a responsibility to take advantage of our privileged standpoint to advocate for and raise awareness about pressing global issues such as gender inequalities. The inequalities experienced globally tower in size compared to those faced in the U.S., which needs to be brought to light. Advocating, educating, and motivating people to make a change is an extremely effective and easy way to work towards solving pressing global issues such as gender inequality.

This post was written by NGC Team Mentor Kirstyn Rowen.

Why NGC Team Mentor Kamrie Supports NGC

“I Support New Global Citizens because NGC teaches young adults to be globally aware and gives them tools that can be applied to everyday life. It gives its members experience, confidence, leadership, and passion unlike any from other organizations.” -Kamrie Yeung, NGC Team Mentor

Why NGC Board Member Sakena Yacoobi Supports NGC

“I support New Global Citizens because they are working with young people. Young people are a good investment for the future because they are the light which shines in every nation which leads in good governance, good citizenship, good rule of law and is pro-democracy. The active young people that I have worked with are so honest, so trustworthy. They want to see positive change, and organizations like NGC can help them. When the youth are involved, people in society will enjoy a good life. If we were to follow the brightest of the young people, there would not be any war like what we see today.” – Sakena Yacoobi, NGC Board Member and Founder of Afghan Institute of Learning (an NGC Global Project)

Why Lucy (NGC Alumna & Former Board Member) Supports NGC

Lucy tabling to raise awareness about global issues in high school.

“I support New Global Citizens, because as a youth, NGC taught me that no matter what I go on to do, whatever I put my passion behind, I have a responsibility to use it for the greater good of society. I am pursuing a master’s in speech-language pathology, and my passions include caring for individuals who have been born with severe disabilities or who have gone through physical trauma that has rendered them unable to effectively communicate. I am working to turn this passion into a skill. I plan to work with and advocate for underserved populations in my own country, as well as in countries abroad.

My goals and dreams have been very much shaped by what NGC taught me so many years ago. They changed what I would have done anyways—found what we love—and ensured that I went on to use those skills and passions to solve the world’s greatest challenges. To me, this is the most incredible piece of NGC. New Global Citizens takes the new generation, and turns their minds and their eyes to the pressing issues of their world. They raise awareness, they instill passion, then they release mobilized, equipped, and influential young leaders into the world. How fantastic is that?” – Lucy Hardy

Why do you support NGC? Send your response to Maggie@newglobalcitizens.org.

Kirstyn’s Experience on the Tolleson Union High Team 2014

NGC Tolleson Team: educating their community and raising funds for GWWI.

This is the sixth year of the Tolleson NGC team. In the past they have advocated on behalf of organizations such as the Afghan Institute of Learning, A Ban Against Neglect, and the Nirvanavan Foundation. This year the team has chosen to sponsor The Global Women’s Water Initiative. This semester, the team has been hard at work raising funds and awareness on behalf of the organization.

The Global Women’s Water Initiative responds to the struggles and burdens that women in East Africa face related to their water collecting practices. GWWI provides training for these women in order to better their communities. They teach the women water, sanitation, and hygiene skills that greatly benefit their communities as a whole.

The Tolleson NGC team has already held multiple events to raise awareness about the organization and its goals. In the beginning of the semester, the team held an “Awareness Week” in which team members dedicated a week to teaching their peers facts about the pressing issues addressed by GWWI, delegating a different focus for each day. They also solicited donations during this event, raising about $160 total. Another event held by the team recently was a “Documentary Night,” in which the team screened the documentary, “It’s a Girl,” which explores the practice of female infanticide around the world. The team used the relevance of the film to advocate further for the GWWI.

NGC Tolleson Team at their Documentary Night.

For the remainder of the semester, the team plans to hold one more large event called “Poetry Night.” The team has hosted this event in the past, usually once per semester. This staple event attracts a large crowd and brings the community together. The purpose of the event is to not only raise funds, but also to educate the community and peers about literacy, education, and the GWWI.

This post was written by NGC Team Mentor Kirstyn Rowen.

#ISupportNGC Student Contest 2014

We are in the middle of the “I Support New Global Citizens” Campaign and we hope that you will participate in one or more of the following ways:

1. Display to the world that you support NGC by hanging this sign in public.
2. Engage in the campaign by recording a video of you completing the following sentence: “I Support NGC because…”, then post the video on your Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram.
3. Send picture of you holding the sign or a video explaining why you support NGC to Maggie@newglobalcitizens.org, and we will share it with our networks.

NGC students also have the opportunity take part in our “I Support NGC” Contest. Students can take part in the campaign by sharing their video on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram (#2 above).

The contest rules of engagement are as follows:

+ Students choose one platform to compete (Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram).

+ Students must like or follow us via the social media platform on which they choose to compete.

+ Entries tag @NGCitizens and use hashtag #ISupportNGC on Twitter, OR tag New Global Citizens and use hashtag #ISupportNGC on Facebook (you must like our page before you can tag/mention us in a post), OR tag @NGCitizens and use hashtag #ISupportNGC on Instagram. NOTE: Facebook privacy settings may prevent us from seeing your post! Please send the Facebook entry link to maggie@newglobalcitizens.org to make sure we see it.

+ The contest begins on November 17, 2013. No entries or social media interactions with entries will be considered after 12:01 AM PST on January 1, 2014.

The top 3 NGC students who garner the most likes (Facebook, Instagram) or retweets (Twitter) will win the following NGC swag:

1^st Place: Choice of poster + Set of wristbands + Buttons + Choice of NGC shirt

2^nd Place: Choice of poster + Wristbands + Choice of NGC shirt

3^rd Place: Choice of poster + Choice of NGC shirt

If you have any questions about the “I Support NGC” Contest, please contact Maggie Broderick at Maggie@newglobalcitizens.org.

Chiao Reflects on Education: A Pressing Global Issue

NGC Global Project, Sunshine Charity

Education is a right, like the right to have proper food or shelter. Education serves as a passport to human development and it expands opportunities and freedom for everyone. It contributes to democracy and economic growth as well as improving health and reducing poverty among the people.

Since 2000, more girls have been enrolled in school than before, measuring from primary education to tertiary education. The number of secondary students has also risen substantially, more than four times that increase in the number of primary students. A major reason for the rise in school enrollments in Africa and Asia is the abolition of school fees and the prospect of a midday meal. However, it is also clear that many challenges still remain in creating opportunities for children to receive an education. Poverty remains as the major marker of disadvantage. Other disadvantaged populations include indigenous populations, street children and migrants, the disabled and cultural minorities. There is also an issue with the inability to recruit female teachers and supporting poor families to making the schools more girl-friendly.

Literacy and the equality of education remains among the most neglected of all education goals with about 796 million adults lacking literacy skills. Two-thirds of this number are women. Millions of children are leaving school without acquiring the knowledge and skills that will help them succeed in their futures. There are currently many different measures in increasing the number of enrollment to schools, like the United Nation’s Education For All program. They are striving to increase enrollment and subsequently increase literacy rates globally. Every citizen deserves a right to education and to be able to gain the proper skills and knowledge to succeed in life.

This post was written by NGC Team Mentor Chiao May Lee.

Westwood High School + The Colorful Girls Foundation

Westwood High School Warriors in action at Homecoming! c/0 m.eastvalleytribune.com

New Global Citizens programs are designed to introduce students to a global perspective and use that knowledge to help solve the world’s greatest challenges. The students at Westwood High School, in Mesa, AZ, are very passionate about being involved in the NGC programs; they are doing what they can to help make a change in the world we live in now.

The NGC team at Westwood High chose to get involved with a great organization called the Colorful Girls Foundation, who serves as a support system for girls between the ages 11 and 17. This foundation was created to help young girls get the resources they need to succeed in the future. Westwood High has done a tremendous job at helping this foundation as they have participated in their high school’s homecoming parade and tailgating event. During this event, the students have created a parade float, flyers and brochures to create awareness among their peers.

Also, being very creative, they started an advocacy campaign in school by writing facts about NGC and the Colorful Girls Foundation on sticky notes and placing them all around their high school campus. The NGC team at Westwood High has shown great initiative to heighten awareness and they are currently very eager to plan their next fundraising event for the Colorful Girls Foundation.

This post was written by NGC Team Mentor Chiao May Lee.

Kamrie’s NGC Journey

When I first entered high school, my idea of community service involved volunteering at the library and collecting cans for a food drive. Although these are undeniably good deeds, they are restrained to a local scale; I had no idea what was going on globally. Why would I? It was not like a mere 9^th-grader could have made a change big enough in the world anyway. Global issues were for the big characters in the world to deal with.

Each of the years I have been in NGC has taught me how very wrong I was. NGC has truly made me a global citizen, one who is not only aware of the global issues, but also that strong individuals all around the world are making improvements, and that I too, can be one of these individuals. I learned the power of awareness, and how it can spark more individuals to make a change. I learned the importance of sustainability, without which, change would be temporary. From the advocacy and community education projects for NGC, I have developed strong leadership and public speaking skills. Such skills have proven to be extremely helpful beyond high school.

New Global Citizens is not an ordinary school club. We are youth teams spread nationally, reaching internationally, promoting a positive outlook on global change.

Kamrie and her fellow NGC Team!

This post was written by NGC Team Mentor Kamrie Yeung.

I Support New Global Citizens: Niki Karandreas

“I support New Global Citizens because Lisa Glenn (NGC Director of Programs) has been an invaluable resource. Her exuberance, knowledge, and understanding of the New Global Citizens program and what it offers high school students via any course curriculum is truly amazing. It is a joy working with someone who understands my students’ interests so well.”
– Niki Karandreas, NGC Educator