Day of the Girl

Today is International Day of the Girl.  At Bonnie Jean (and in your life), it feels like everyday is the day of the girl, so what makes October 11^th any different? 

The International Day of the Girl Child is a very important day dedicated to addressing gender inequality and discrimination facing girls around the world.  This day showcases the efforts of the international community to ensure that each and every girl has the opportunity to grow and succeed.  The United Nations General Assembly declared October 11^th as The International Day of the Girl Child in 2011.  The committee has since been committed to seeing that every girl feels empowered and to addressing the unique needs of girls around the world.

The best part about the International Day of the Girl? It is a youth lead movement!  Around the world on October 11^th girls, just like the ones in your life, take on the serious issues facing the gender equality movement!  We have blogged about Malala Yousafzai, who became an advocate of female education at just 11 years old.  But there are many other girls like her around the world who are fighting against discrimination. 

So what can we do as supporters of girls (both the ones in our lives and around the world)?  I have always believed that any change starts with education, so start by talking to your daughter!  Tell her that she deserves to be treated equally regardless of her gender and that she can do anything she sets her mind to!  If you still want to spread the word, there are many social media campaigns that we can use to spread awareness of some serious issues- you can search for this using “#DayOfTheGirl”.  Still feeling inspired?  The Day of the Girl organization has an action kit that outlines how to contact legislatures, how to ensure equality in your daughter’s school, and describes how to start a club or organization dedicated to women’s rights- it can be found at http://www.dayofthegirl.org/ideas_for_action. 

 Here at Bonnie Jean, girls and female leaders around the world inspire us everyday.  We are dedicated to providing good role models for your daughter through our “A Girl, A Dress, and a Dream” Blog.  Our hope is that both you and the girl in your life can learn from and be inspired by the stories of these women and girls.