How Connecting Wyoming to India Challenged Me

This past November, I was asked by Susie Rauch, who runs IC 21, to be the Keynote speaker at the 2011 Teton County Model UN Conference.

I was taken aback by the offer and incredibly honored. I participated in Model UN in high school and the international perspective and coalition building I did in committees enhanced my global outlook as well as illuminated my passion for building consensus around an issue.

As I sat down to write my speech, my mind went blank.

I finally had to call my mom for help with the speech because I had no idea where to start. After speaking with her, I realized that I have been in India and immersed in the development field for such a long time that I have forgotten what people do and do not know about women’s issues and the state of education in developing countries.

I felt extreme pressure to highlight some incredible new idea and was worried that I was not qualified to give this speech. She told me to calm down and write what I know because living and working in India has given me a perspective most people will never have.

I sat back down at my computer and began writing. Overall, I tried to connect Andhra Pradesh, India, to Wyoming. Tough challenge! 

Highlighting the differences in space, population, languages, and civil rights allowed me to connect with my high school audience and keep them interested as I informed them about the problems girls face but also how these same girls can be the solution to cyclical poverty.

With my speech written, I traveled halfway across the world, from 80-degree days in Hyderabad to snow in Wyoming, to deliver my speech to a variety of community groups and high schools before my final presentation at the Model UN Conference.

Before the first presentation, I was sweating bullets.

As the co-founder of an organization that works with adolescent girls and young women, I am not stranger to public speaking. I have run training sessions, lead activities in camp, and given a speech at the closing ceremonies of camp last year.

I was terrified to step in front of the audience and give my speech. 

I’m not going to lie. I started off a bit rocky, but then saw some sparks of interest as I began connecting their state to India as I began to connect them to the globalization that has been transforming this developing country.

I got into a rhythm and my hands started to fly as I told stories about girls in India not much different from the girls sitting in that room. At the end, my stage fear was gone and the students burst into applause after a 1.5 hour presentation (I went a little overboard).

Connecting with those students made the anxiety and multiple drafts worthwhile. I continued to give my presentation and was constantly amazed by the questions the students and community members asked.

They were genuinely curious about my work, VOICE, and the state of girls in India. Speaking at the TCMUN Conference vastly improved my public speaking skills and removed all traces of stage fear but more importantly it gave me an outlet to share what I observe and am challenged by every day:

“My work in India has highlighted how interconnected the world now is and how people can lead happier, more fulfilled lives when they are part of this global dialogue. From the slums of India to classrooms in Wyoming, we are no longer blinded by national barriers but subject to an overwhelming amount of international news. Globalization provides easy access to information, which helps us learn about issues plaguing humanity in developing and developed countries alike. As this information become more prevalent, the concept of global citizenship emerges. People can no longer only be concerned with their nation and those close to them. We must look outwards to all the countries that make up our global community.” ~ Averil Spencer 

 

Vodafone’s Sumit Nagia Profiles Allison Gross and the Efforts of VOICE

By Sumit Nagia, Vodafone World of Difference Program 

She is 24 years old. She is young, energetic, and ambitious. She has her feet on the ground and head in the sky. She lives in the city of Hyderabad nearly 15,000 kms from her family and friends. She graduated less than 2 years ago and already has her platter full of challenges. To begin with, she is a Field Manager for IDEX Fellowship Program and ably guides a group of 35 young professionals who have desires in their hearts, dreams in their eyes and want to make it big. She is also a co-founder and Business Development Manager of a non–profit, VOICE 4 Girls.

She is Allison Gross.

Born and brought up in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Allison completed her graduation in Business Administration from Emory University in the year 2010. That very year in August, IDEX fellowship program launched by Oglethorpe University and Gray Matters Capital (GMC) was being piloted with an initial count of 11 fellows. Having already worked for GMC as a Marketing and Communications intern during her college for 6 months, she was offered an opportunity to be a part of IDEX. She latched onto the same not knowing that this is just the beginning of something much bigger.

As destiny would have it, that was the beginning of a partnership among the three budding social entrepreneurs and gender equality advocates – Averil Spencer, Ilana Shushansky and Allison Gross.

The first year of fellowship with IDEX changed their lives and in return has altered and will bring an alteration to lives of hundreds and thousands of girls and young women. The gloomy picture of numerous under privileged girls who are being discriminated on the basis of gender and social pressures gave them a reason, a cause to live for and fight for.

 “As we visited schools, every girls had so many questions around changes in their bodies, health, and safety, and many confided in us their concerns about family support for their future dreams.  We knew we had to do something to raise the Voices of these girls and give them the tools to be strong, independent women.” ~ Allison Gross

They were getting ready to take their chances and were calculating the possibilities to undertake something new.

Now, with the pilot being a success, Nike Foundation has agreed to provide an additional grant this year. Also, as the footprints and size of VOICE 4 Girls are bound to grow, the need of managing it efficiently is enormous. The VOICE Team, Averil, Allie, and Ilana plan to reach 3600 girls during May 2012 across 110 schools and to reach 100,000 girls by 2016.

Thus, VOICE, as the name suggests, has become an expression of many underprivileged girls who wish to make a mark of their own, but unluckily have no resource at their disposal to find their way to success. VOICE 4 Girls has done it for these girls earlier and shall keep on doing it for them in the future.

The dream Allie and her two fellow colleagues started, is surely getting converted into a reality, gradually and steadily.

Allison at Ms. Lohia's Little Angels School in Hyderabad

Organizational Spotlight: Los Angeles Based Write Girl

Empowering Girls Through Mentorship and Self-Expression

Can you include a short personal bio? My name is Kirsten Giles, I’m an instructional designer, which means I write training manuals and training courses.  I have been with WriteGirl for five years, starting out first as a mentor to one of our teen girls, and then transitioning to the role of Workshops Coordinator.  I also run my own company which provides training products and services to several automotive companies like Toyota and Hyundai.

What problem are you solving? WriteGirl pairs professional women writers with teen girls in a creative writing mentorship.  Although male writers outnumber female writers in most industries, we’re not necessarily trying to solve the problem of too few writers!  I think we solve a bigger problem that many teen girls face: finding their unique voice in the world.  Ask anyone who’s been a teenager and we all remember what it was like to have new feelings and new problems – all of them very difficult to put into words - and we all remember what a rocky road it was to ”try on” new identities and figure out who we really were, what we believed in, and what we were passionate about.  By mentoring girls to explore creativity in written expression, we allow them a safe space in which to discover their voice. 

The other problem that WriteGirl solves is something we’re very proud of – 100% of our mentees go to college.  Some of the girls who join our program have been told by parents, teachers and counselors that college is “not for them”, so we are tenacious in our efforts to change their mindset and to guide them in the college application and essay process.

What is the most valuable resource to you in the work you’re doing? Our volunteers.  Every time we host an event, deliver a workshop, or perform a reading we have mentors in attendance: cheering the girls on, handing out materials, donating cupcakes, etc.  They are also generous in connecting WriteGirl with their networks, whether it be restaurants who can make donations, or even more professional women writers who want to give something back.

What is one piece of advice you would like to offer someone doing similar work? Remember who you’re doing it for. Once a month throughout the season we bring all the girls and mentors together for an intensive all-day workshop on one specific genre.  Sometimes on the night before a workshop I’ll be up late, doing some last-minute random thing like stapling felt flags onto popsicle sticks for a songwriting activity, or cutting instructions into 1-inch strips of brightly colored paper to hand out to the girls when they arrive.  These are the moments when I remind myself that it only takes one writing activity to inspire a girl to create a brilliant piece of writing — and we never know which activity will be the one!

Who has been the most influential person in your life as you are working to make a difference?When I was growing up, my mother was an instrumental music teacher.  She would put a violin or a cello in anyone’s hands – whether they showed a natural ability or not.  Some of the kids who came to her with learning or behavioral issues were completely changed by the experience of making music. I learned early on that you don’t always see creative talent – or passion – right away.  You have to be patient and create an environment where it can emerge.

What is an experience you’ve had that has made you stay motivated in the work you’re doing? Every single workshop motivates me.  We bring in guest speakers who always have a fresh perspective, and we let girls get up on ”the soapbox” (an actual box that we set out for a short period of time during each workshop) to rant about what’s going on in their lives.  I’ve worked with our volunteer curriculum team to create hundreds of writing activities, but I’m continually surprised by what the girls end up doing with the activity and what their writing voice sounds like.  That inspires me.

How can people join you in what you’re doing?Visit WriteGirl.org to find out more about WriteGirl, buy one of our books, or attend a public event – and if you are a professional woman writer or a teen girl in Los Angeles, I encourage you to join the program – it will change your life.

You can also learn more by reading our blog , following Write Girl on Twitter, or liking our fan page on Facebook!