Newsletter 6
June 30, 2006

Welcome to GIF's Electronic Newsletter!

In this issue, you will find more information about the International Girls Summit coming up this July in St. Paul, Minnesota. You will also meet the girls team from Washington D.C.; hear about exciting events happening before and during the Summit; and learn more about how you can help!

Meet the D.C. Team!

This United States group is from Kensington, Maryland, with an organization called School Girls Unite. School Girls Unite works to empower girls and women in Africa and America to make education a top priority worldwide. It organizes youth-run entrepreneurial activities to help provide immediate educational opportunities for girls in Mali.

So far, School Girls Unite is sending 40 girls to school in Mali and plans to continue to sponsor these students until they complete high school. They are working to increase the amount of funding that the United States gives to help educate girls and boys in developing countries. School Girls Unite wants everyone to know that educating girls is the best way to reduce poverty and AIDS. They are working to get people to ask the President and Congress to do more to help fulfill two of the U.N. Millennium Development Goals - gender equity and universal primary education. At the summit, School Girls Unite plans to further develop its plan to work to increase girls' education in Mali by influencing US policies that can help effect such change. Read on to learn about the amazing girl members of this team.

Danielle is 13 years old and has been working for over two years to try to make people aware of girls' right to education. She enjoys activism because she wants to make a difference in the world. She is very proud that she is going to the Girls International Summit. One of her favorite quotes comes from her mentor Wendy Lesko, "If you think you are too small to make a difference, you've never been in bed with a mosquito."

Mira is 14 years old and says her work with School Girls Unite has given her a new outlook on life. She dreams of helping fix what is wrong with the Earth by helping the children in Mali get an education. She believes if everyone in the US could see what is really important, live a little more simply and share some of their wealth, the world would be a much better place.

Anika is 14 years old and one of the founding members of School Girls Unite. She believes strongly that girls should have the same rights as boys, and that education is very important for success in life. Anika also enjoys reading, writing, making music and hanging out with friends.

Molara is a 9th grader, a native DC resident, and the daughter of a Sri Lankan mother and Nigerian father. She has been extremely active with School Girls Unite since she joined in January 2005, attending the Global Campaign for Education Action week in 2005, and speaking on several TV and radio shows about the group's cause.

Joanne just finished her freshman year of high school and is another of the founding members of School Girls Unite. With this creative group of girls she has worked on skits and protests to inform the community about the important issues of global education, poverty and hunger. Joanne is also interested in theater, cartoons, comics, and she loves to laugh.


Join us for the Summit Closing Ceremonies with a special performance by Ann Reed!

Saturday, July 15 from 7-9:00 p.m. at the Weyerhauser Chapel, Macalester College

Following a presentation by the International Girls Teams, singer/songwriter Ann Reed will perform "Heroes" and other songs to inspire the girls as they prepare to return to their home countries. Reed, a native Minnesotan who has appeared on programs including "A Prairie Home Companion" and "Good Morning America," donates one quarter of her time to support nonprofit organizations that benefit women and children. We're excited that she will help us celebrate the summit!

Please join us for a great show and an uplifting sendoff!

Thanks to our Raffle Donors!
Dunn Brothers, Urban Outfitters, Fairy Godmother, Coat of Many Colors, 10,000 Villages, Karma, Danish Bohemia, China Institute of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Wyrd Sisters, Stems and Vines, Loring Pasta Bar, the Ann Bancroft Foundation, Juut/Aveda Salon, the Bibelot, C'est Fou, Orr Books, Magers and Quinn, Paper Source, Punch Pizza, Espresso Royal Caffe, Subway, Izzy's Ice cream, Grand Ole Creamery, Walgreens, Ace Hardware, Cafe Latte, Lunds, Trade Winds, Booksmart, Intelligent Nutrients, Spalon Montage, Smart Women, the Minnesota Twins, the Minnesota Lynx, and Nina's

Buy your tickets soon for the Raffle at our Closing ceremonies on July 15th!

Look for GIF at The Taste of Minnesota!

The Girls International Forum will have a booth at the Taste of Minnesota to spread the message about the cause of girls!

Come visit us at the Taste, June 30th to July 4th. We'll be there
from 11 a.m. - 8 p.m. near the Wabasha Bridge.

Updates and Opportunities

Girls, ages 12-18: Attend Global Girls Day on Friday, July 14 at Macalester College. Join girls from around the world to participate in workshops on issues ranging from leadership and fundraising to HIV/AIDS and girls' education. Click here to download the Registration Form.

Also, help us welcome our international delegates, and have a great volunteer experience by becoming a Girls Summit Ambassador! Download the Ambassador application and look forward to a unique summer opportunity.

Women of all ages: Find the volunteer opportunity that works for you. From assembling gift bags before the Summit, to helping with logistics during the Summit week, to helping at Global Girls Day or the Closing Ceremonies, find out how you can get involved!

Meet More of OUR Team

Here at the office we've had several interns and volunteers working hard to help get ready for the Summit coming up in just a couple weeks!

Tricia just finished her sophomore year at Davidson College in North Carolina. She has been working hard all summer getting things ready for the girls' arrival, including organizing outings, transportation, and welcome baskets. Eleanor just finished her freshman year at Warren Wilson College in North Carolina and she has been working on fundraising and event planning for the Summit. Betsy just finished her freshman year at Rice University in Houston and she has been working on fundraising and these newsletters. Reshma just graduated from Swathmore college in Philidelphia and is working hard with GIF all summer before she moves to New York in the fall. Besides working on organizing Global Girls Day, she is one of the woman mentor leaders for the Summit. Micki recently returned from living and working in Shanghai, China and has been working on the documentary we are hoping to put together about the Summit. Yongling is a Ph.D. student in the Department of Educational Policy and Adminstration at the University of Minnesota. She is developing the evaluation plan for the Summit and helping with the documentary.

Wish List!

With the Summit now just weeks away, there are many small things we need to make it a success. Right now we are looking for items for the scrapbooks the teams will make at the end of the Summit. Help send the girls home with a book of memories! If you can donate any of these items or know anyone who can, please email us at gif@girlsforum.org or call us at 651-645-3636.

• Disposable Cameras
• Scrapbook Paper
• Scrapbooking Paper
• Tape/Glue
• Markers/Pens
• Stickers/Decorating Materials
  Pass on the Word!
  

Pass on the Word!

Tell your friends about Girls International Forum! We are so proud of the work we are doing here at GIF with the International Girls Summit and we want to get the word out to all our friends. So please take a minute to forward this newsletter to any friends who you think might be interested in the work GIF is doing and the cause of girls! Subscribe to Girls International Forum Newsletters to receive them via email.


Opportunities and Links to Our Partner Organizations

AFS is looking for families to host an exchange student in the upcoming school year! Student will arrive in mid-August 2006 and stay through mid-June 2007.
Interested? See "Host A Student" at www.usa.afs.org

Subscribe to Girls International Forum Newsletters to receive them via email.