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Crowdfunding Campaign: 25k to run GGU in 2018

12/6/2017

Today we launched our first crowdfunding campaign at betterplace.org. The goal is to raise money to help finance our 2018 programming.

We need to mobilize enough people who believe in our mission to raise EUR 25,000 - the first step to make Girls Gearing Up sustainable and scalable. If we reach that goal by the end of January 2018, we'll be well on our way to launching our GGU 2018 programs.

3 Things you can do to support GGU now
We need to reach people who believe in our mission of equipping the next generation of female leaders. So far, we’ve impacted the lives of over 200 diverse girls and their communities from 25 countries around the world. Around 30% of our participants come from conflicted regions.

But this is not enough. Not only are there too few women in leadership roles today; too few girls are being equipped with the skills and resources to change that in the future.

You can make an immediate difference by:

Investing in the future of female leadership and donating money to our crowdfunding campaign

Sharing this post on social media and motivating your network to spread the word and invest in a great cause

Sharing the link within your company and encouraging your colleagues to contribute (a great pre-christmas activity!)

Seriously, every Euro counts and brings us closer to our goal of equipping the next generation of female leaders!

Donate now

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3.5 billion ways to change the world

6/28/2017

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On Wednesday, June 21st, Girls Gearing Up went to Munich to meet amazing women from all over the world at the G(irls)20 Summit. They talked about the same topics as the G20 leaders: Digital Economy, Energy and Climate Change and Migration. We heard Malala's father, Ziauddin Yousafzai speaking about the importance of education and the author Sandra Uwiringiyimana told us about her experience as a refugee and gave us some tips about how we can help people seeking refuge to feel welcome. Some of our #GGU2016 superstars came along to meet all these inspiring people. It was so much fun!

We were so proud of the GGU delegation for speaking up with questions and connecting with women they found inspiring.

We also found a minute to get a quick glimpse of Munich!

All in all, it was inspiring, exciting, and fun day for all of us! We can imagine some of our girls will be interested in applying to represent their countries at the G(irls)20 in the coming years!

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Women Teach Girls Tech Hackathon - win a ticket!

1/27/2017

Want to learn from a panel of important female role models in the tech industry?

Then enter to win a ticket to our invite-only panel discussion - as part of our Women Teach Girls Tech (WTGT) Hackathon.

At the WTGT Hackathon, hosted at SoundCloud HQ on February 11th, 2017, we're inviting girls ages 13-17 to learn how to code with women teachers from Frauenloop.

In addition, we are hosting an exclusive panel discussion where we'll talk with Caoimhe Keogan, SVP People, Places & Community, Soundcloud and Raffaela Rein, Founder and CEO of CareerFoundry, about challenges and wins, fears, and advice they have for women in tech. (PSSSST: A third special guest will be announced soon!).

We believe role models are critical for providing inspiration, showing what's possible, and guiding toward making better decisions.

Don't miss this chance to join us for an intimate, invite-only discussion with female tech role models!

Join our invite-only panel discussion with:

Caoimhe Keogan, SVP People, Places & Community, Soundcloud

Raffaela Rein, Founder and CEO of CareerFoundry

The panel discussion will take place at Soundcloud HQ on Saturday, February 11th, from 15.30-17.00.

For the chance to win a ticket, follow one of these simple steps:

Tweet to @girlsgearingup using #WTGThackathon
Follow us on Instagram (Girls_Gearing_Up) and comment on one of our posts using #WTGThackathon

Winners will be announced on 08.02.2017.
Hope to see you there!

***Girls ages 13-17 can sign up to participate in the entire all-day workshop. The hackathon is FREE and open to ALL interested girls, but spaces are limited. Tell any teen girls you know to save their spots by sending an email to info@girlsgearingup.org! ***

Women Teach Girls Tech Hackathon Partners & Sponsors

GGU 2016 Recap

12/21/2016

It’s December already! Can you believe it?! We took some time to look back at the year and felt a great amount of gratitude.
That’s why we'd like to say THANK YOU for joining our mission to equip the next generation of #changemakers!

30 GGU girls. 1 inspiring power mentor. $500 raised for Students Rebuild.

Hosted by Berlin Metropolitan School, Kimberly Marteau Emerson joined us as power mentor for our Unite - Inspire - Act event. The group made 250 pinwheels for the Students Rebuild Healing Classroom Challenge which resulted in $500 for Syrian refugee children.

26 girls. 9 countries. 8 amazing power mentors. 1 empowering week

GGU's 2016 camp has been an unforgettable week full of inspiration, empowerment, and SOUL ENERGY!

Thanks to our power mentors for being wonderful role models for our girls: Kerstin Wagner (Head of Talent Acquisition @ Deutsche Bahn) Anna Alex (Co-Founder @ Outfittery), Dr. Nakeema Steffblauer (Founder @ Frauenloop), Syd Atlas (Senior Coach @ Own the Room), Susanne Rodeck (Founder @ Avidere), Madeleine Gagne (Founder @ The Collins Miller Project), Núria Tous (Engineer @ German Aerospace Center), Kave Balumbo (Founder @ Women Across Borders)!

Globally connected via Skype, WhatsApp, Facetime & in person.

In October we came together to reconnect and see what the girls learned at camp and are now applying in daily life. We were speechless! Don’t miss hearing these inspiring stories - follow us on Facebook & Instagram to hear about GGU's #changemakers stories.

WOW! We’re so grateful for every single moment with Girls Gearing Up.

Especially in the context of today's world, we're more committed than ever to building bridges of understanding and friendship and help create a wave of positive change!

What was your favorite moment with GGU? Let us know in the comments!

With much love and gratitude,
Courtney, Chi & Tina

Throwback Thursday: Kimberly Marteau Emerson Power Mentor Event

6/16/2016

It’s been a few weeks since we held our first Power Mentor event, but the joy we experienced after seeing our girls come together still has us feeling especially excited for camp and future GGU events! The afternoon, which featured human rights advocate and civic leader Kimberly Marteau Emerson, was an opportunity for girls to come together, take on leadership roles, and spend an afternoon getting to know each other before many of them attend camp in August. Lots of our girls encouraged their friends to come to the event as well, which we were so excited about.

We loved watching the GGU network expand to include these new superstars, who so readily jumped into the GGU spirit. We’re also looking forward to continuing our Power Mentor event series, featuring impactful, talented, and game-changing women. This past Thursday, we attended the “Fempreneur Summit” which had keynotes from female founders, coaches, and business experts and we scoped out future power mentors for the series… stay updated with us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter because there’s so much to look forward to!

GGU Interview #3: 2016 Power Mentor Syd Atlas

5/31/2016

When the group of #powermentors we have coming to camp seems to be as diverse as the group of girls, that must serve as an indication of just how amazing our week is going to be. Our next power mentor reveal is Syd Atlas, who among her many distinguishable attributes is a globetrotter, mother of two, creative genius, and maybe most notably, a professional coach and driver of creative concepts. We were lucky enough to be able to conduct an email interview with her where she shared her insights on new experiences, what she was like as a teenager, and her take on confidence. Read on!

GGU: How did you get your start?
Syd Atlas: I started doing one-woman shows and making documentaries. I went from telling my story to helping others tell their stories.

GGU: You’ve been living in Berlin for about 22 years, correct? What was it like establishing yourself in a foreign industry and what inspired you most to become a business oriented global (expat) citizen?
S.A: I tried out many things and still am. Every job is a new experience and your relationship to that experience is what separates the men from the boys, or the women from the girls. Try things, don’t be afraid of making mistakes. Making mistakes is the quickest way to learn.

GGU: What were you like at fifteen?
S.A: I was confident. I always loved being a girl and now a woman and never saw a disadvantage. My face looked much older than my body and I had a terrible perm so needless to say, awkward.

GGU: What advice would you give a teenage girl today?
S.A: There is a reason people fall in love on their last day of vacation. That “what do I have to lose” attitude will get you far.
The energy wondering what other people will think about you is wasted energy. Do things. Take chances. Be kind.

GGU: What do you love most about what you do? What are you most proud of?
S.A: I love that my job balances perfectly how much I need to learn and how much I can give. If you are in a job where you are always giving, you feel burnt out quickly. And if you are always on a learning curve, then you feel insecure. I love watching the ever so slight changes that take place with clients and people having the courage to try things that make them feel uncomfortable.

We owe a huge thanks to Syd for taking the time to answer our questions, and we could not be more excited for August because I’ll let you in on a little secret… she has lots of things in store for us as a power mentor who aims to teach! And we most certainly are eager to learn.

April 18th, 2016

4/18/2016

Get to Know #GGU2016 Power Mentor: Madeleine Gagne!

Often times, when people think of magical book characters, their mind jumps to fictional ones. Earlier this week, we had the chance to speak to a young woman who was a magical character in her own right, and the book that she could seemingly be a character in is nonfiction. The best part about it? She’s a power mentor for #GGU2016. Check out what scientist Madeleine Gagne, cofounder of the Collins Miller Project and the New Age Girls initiative has to say about her inspirations, aspirations, and motivation; as well as her push to get girls involved in STEM. Also, did we mention that she’s only seventeen?

Cailey Newton: How did you get your start? What would you say inspired you and how did the Collins Miller Project and New Age Girls initiative come to life?
Madeleine Gagne: I grew up a dreamer. I love reading and I always wanted to be one of those amazing, smart book characters that I read about. It’s always been about bringing magical books to life for me. My mom says, “magic is just science we don’t understand” and while both my parents are English professors, in seventh grade I began to make the shift from English to science after participating in my school’s science fair. I continued pursuing the project I was working on which was comprised of using alternative algae-based energy sources and it’s grown from there!
CN: That is SO cool! Can you tell us more about the New Age Girls initiative?
MG: Of course! The amount of help and support I’ve received from so many people throughout my work with the Collins Miller Project made me really want other kids to have that same opportunity. The goal is to get girls around the world into the lab. NAG is a way for girls to make some amazing discoveries even though they don’t have the chance in their own homes.
CN: What were you like at fifteen or, I guess maybe a better way to phrase it, how would you say you’ve evolved?
MG: As a tiny freshmen walking into a lab that housed college students - both undergraduate and graduate, it was definitely an intimidating environment. I learned that fear is not something that just goes away though, you’re not born without it. It’s okay to be afraid. It’s amazing how all of these little things that I daydreamed about became real. Now, for me, it’s about turning dreams into reality. I am no longer that timid little freshmen, I’ve grown into a much more confident person.
CN: What advice would you give a teenage girl today?
MG: I think if you’re doing something no one else has done before, it probably means you’re doing something right. You have to be willing to take a chance. When I called Ohio State University, I had to be confident. Make your own path!

Besides being a scientist and always wanting to get her hands on a good science book, Maddie also shared with me her involvement with Girl Scouts; her passion for playing the piano and composing semi classical music; how she’s always looking to connect with new and different people and expand her network; and her love for flying planes (which she learned how to do last summer). By the end of the interview, I felt as if I was talking to a friend and I concluded that not only will she be an incredible role model for the girls, but she’s one of mine as well.

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4/8/2016

5 Ways You Can Make an Impact in 60 Minutes or Less

Take Part in the Healing Classrooms Challenge
The healing classrooms challenge is a way to get involved and gain knowledge about the Syrian refugee crisis. The first step is registering a team (don’t be shy to enlist help from a teacher or parent/guardian)! Next, follow the few easy steps provided here to make a pinwheel. Finally, package them up and send them in! Each pinwheel made will be matched with a $2 donation to the International Rescue Committee’s Healing Classrooms program. Quick, easy, and impactful.
Visit DoSomething.org | Volunteer for Social Change If you’re looking for a way to make an impact while also doing something that you’re passionate about, check out DoSomething.org for some great ideas! There are plenty of projects to get involved in that take 60 minutes or less, but if you have time for longer term projects, there are plenty of those as well. The wide variety of activities, causes, and time spent on them is what makes this one of our favorite go-to sites when we’re looking for a cause to get involved in!
Neighborhood Clean-Up Whether you have a park nearby you, live close to the beach, or simply have a neighborhood that you think could use a little bit of tidying up, grab a bag- of course one that’s made out of 100% organic or recycled materials- and go! We continue to be so, so inspired by the Bye Bye Plastic Bags Campaign and think their goals and initiative provide the perfect motivation to become more mindful and take action towards a more environmentally friendly world.
Team Up, Take Action, and Make a Pledge Is there something that you feel particularly passionate about? Something that really makes you say, “I want to take action and I want to take action now”? Use resources such as the internet, colleagues, friends, family, etc. to find a group of like-minded individuals that are interested in the same cause. Girls’ education is something we are especially passionate about (check out the #62milliongirls campaign, Let Girls Learn & Girl Rising- a global campaign for girls’ education. While it can be overwhelming to consider all of the world’s problems and how to even begin tackling them, by taking a pledge and equipping yourself with knowledge about something you care about, you get the ball rolling!
Start With Your Own Community
There are so many ways to get involved within your own community whether it be at your school or at your church, and in 60 minutes or less you could:
- Tutor, mentor, or coach someone
- Play games with or read to someone at a retirement home
- Volunteer your time at a local soup kitchen or food bank
All are quick ways to assist individuals in your own community.
BONUS! Check out the tool kit at the Girl Effect to find some more inspirational and practical ways to make an impact!

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2/26/2016

Hello, my dazzling, wondrous, and talented girls! We are so excited to announce that we have officially welcomed Anna Alex, co-founder of Outfittery, on board as a #GGU2016 power mentor. Outfittery is a menswear brand that has stylists who put together custom outfits that get delivered straight to customers’ doorsteps. It has grown from a small start-up to a company that spans across eight European countries and has 300 employees. We visited Anna at Outfittery’s home base and sat down with her for an interview. Here’s what she had to say.
Power Tips From Anna Alex:
Power Tip 1- Getting Started…. Just do it!
After working for two different tech start-ups, she really wanted to prove to herself that she could do it on her own. “It’s not a rocket science,” she replied after I asked about her initial motivation to get the ball rolling on Outfittery. “While it’s important to have experience,” she explained, “there’s so many aspects about business that you figure out and learn about as you go. A lot of it is about having the energy and courage to just start.”
Power Tip 2- Focus on Your Next Step
When Outfittery was in it’s beginning stages and she and her co-founder were working out of their living rooms, she told me how at first, it was about focusing on their first customer and asking, “How do we make them happy?’ As time went on and each new challenge presented itself, it was about finding solutions and solely focusing on where to go next.
Power Tip 3- Embrace a Culture that is Open to Failure
Growing from a start up to a company that consists of 300 employees required learning from every mistake and also embracing them. She shared how, “it’s important not to push mistakes aside,” and how as time progressed and the company grew, they learned how to deal with setbacks on a small scale to managing them on a much larger one.
Power Mentor Questions:
1.) What were you like at fifteen?
“I was interested in horses, and at some point it changed to boys. I was very into horseback riding though, did it for years, and I really loved the complete power that came from it. I was always someone to be really into what I was doing, fully invested. That has continued throughout my life.”
2.) What advice would you give a teenage girl today?
“Learn how to code! In an industry dominated by men, it’s such an important skill to have as a woman."
3.) What do you love most about what you do? What are you most proud of?
“The freedom that comes with running my own company is that you can really choose to surround yourself with a great team, and when we have happy customers it’s such a great feeling. Being passionate and having the ability to be creative in my work every day makes me proud of what I do.”

On my way out, I asked her what her vision is for the company, in terms of where she sees it going, and she simply replied, “We want to be the number one men’s outfitter in the world.” A huge thanks to Anna Alex for taking the time to sit down and talk, and a selfie to try and convey just how excited we are!

This #powermentor interview is brought to you by our awesome intern Cailey, who adds so much energy and innovation to the #GGU2016 team. Learn more about Cailey here.

Register for #GGU2016 today to meet our inspirational power mentors, get equipped with important 21st century skills, and make lasting friendships with change making teen girls from all around the globe.

Five Reasons and Tips for TurningThoughts Into Action #GrowConfidence

2/18/2016

Our mid-week inspiration is brought to you by our dynamic intern Cailey. Learn more about her here!

1. IT'LL LEAVE YOU FEELING MORE MOTIVATED AND WILLING TO TRY NEW THINGS
Reasoning: Have you been dying to try something new? Have you been itching to pick up the violin, kick around a soccer ball, or join the debate team? If you push yourself to try one of these new things, you'll have good reason to be proud. Make a note of your courage in your success journal or success jar (learn more about these here!) so you can look back in a few days or weeks and be impressed all over again. These are the kind of steps that really do help you to #GrowConfidence
Try this!: Growth mindset. If you go in knowing that there’s plenty of room to improve, it’ll be easier to remind yourself that at first, you may not be the best musician, athlete, or competitor. You’re already on your way to success as long as you just believe in yourself and are willing to try!

2. IT'LL FREE YOU AND POTENTIALLY LEAD TO DISCOVERING NEW PASSIONS OR TALENTS!
Reasoning: Trying new things will not only boost your confidence, but it may even free you from other pressures you may be feeling and push you to try things that you were scared to try before.
Try this!: Power poses, thoughts that make you feel empowered and ready to take on anything. These are “quick fixes” and in those moments of doubt, try one of these out and see where it takes you. You never know, in that split second decision where you have that boost of confidence and decide to take on a new challenge, you could discover something you’re especially gifted and passionate about (check out this interesting TED talk here and feel more powerful by the end of the day)!

3. UNCOVER ENDLESS OPPORTUNITIES
Reasoning: Actions are everything. Confidence is when you turn thoughts into action, and by cultivating your own confidence, you take the first step towards uncovering endless opportunities for yourself! Soon you’ll realize there isn’t much you can’t do (with the right amount of effort!), and we bet you’ll be dreaming bigger than ever in no time!
Try this!: Act courageously. If you are equipped with the tools you need, just be mindful of your strengths, aware of your weaknesses, and use that knowledge to push you to act. Also remember that growth mindset! If there are tools you don't have yet, or skills you need to work on, don't be afraid to ask for help or put in that effort. Learning something new or improving a skill will also give you a boost of confidence!

4. YOU'LL BE BETTER EQUIPPED TO FACE CHALLENGES AND SETBACKS
Reasoning: When you take action, you are giving yourself the chance to see challenges, setbacks, and ultimately failure, as an opportunity to grow and learn.
In her book, “What I Wish I Knew When I Was 20”, Tina Seelig writes: “Essentially, most individual's paths are riddled with small and enormous failures. The key is being able to recover from them. For most successful people, the bottom is lined with rubber as opposed to concrete. When they hit bottom, they sink in for a bit and then bounce back, tapping into the energy of the impact to propel them into another opportunity.”
Try this!: If you “practice failure regularly,” as seen in this video, you are more likely to respond to it in a constructive way, and keep on trying. Continue to try different strategies, ask others for advice, and persevere.

5. YOUR CONFIDENT ATTITUDE WILL INSPIRE OPTIMISM, AMBITION, AND READINESS WITHIN YOURSELF, AND OTHERS
Reasoning: Believing that you have the strength and capabilities to take on (just about) anything is an admirable quality. You will become someone people look at as a positive role model who goes after their goals and ambitions. Not to mention, you may even act before you “think” you’re ready!
Try this!: Just start. You don’t need to have a plan mapped out from A-Z, just take a leap of faith and be a leader! Also, ladies, your fearlessness will make people say, “Wow! Look at what she’s doing!” (and may inspire them to do great things themselves!)

How's the confidence building going for you?
Keep us posted!
info@girlsgearingup.org

Thanks to Cailey for this post! We are so thankful to have her on board and are so excited she'll be with us at camp this summer!
She's a brave, super energetic, diligent #girlgearingup and we love how she truly lives by the #GGU2016 values and is taking big steps to help other girls.

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Crowdfunding Campaign: 25k to run GGU in 2018

3.5 billion ways to change the world

Women Teach Girls Tech Hackathon - win a ticket!

GGU 2016 Recap

30 GGU girls. 1 inspiring power mentor. $500 raised for Students Rebuild.

26 girls. 9 countries. 8 amazing power mentors. 1 empowering week

Globally connected via Skype, WhatsApp, Facetime & in person.

Throwback Thursday: Kimberly Marteau Emerson Power Mentor Event

GGU Interview #3: 2016 Power Mentor Syd Atlas

April 18th, 2016

.

5 Ways You Can Make an Impact in 60 Minutes or Less

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Five Reasons and Tips for TurningThoughts Into Action #GrowConfidence

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