As you may have noticed, light pink posters have filled the halls of Benilde-St. Margaret’s over the last few weeks. The new and upcoming club at Benilde-St. Margaret’s, called “Girl Up,” is the next big thing for the women of BSM. Girl Up is a female-based project for leadership development that emphasizes equity for women and girls in settings where they are underrepresented. The club’s goal is to create leaders who promote global gender equality. The Girl Up Foundation has a worldwide network of partners that has an influence on 200,000 girls and young leaders in 152 countries and all 50 US states.
The BSM Girl Up club founders are juniors Lauren Carlson, Raquel Lynch, and Liv Pearson. The girls have been working very hard this year and have big plans and ideas for the future of this club here at BSM. Their main goal is to change the standards in the workplace for women and promote equality worldwide. “We are working to break barriers, especially in the workplace. Trying to break the glass ceiling, metaphorically,” Lynch said.
The three club founders had the motivation and drive to spread awareness of what women in the world are truly capable of. Through meetings, events, and welcoming guests, the Girl Up club will learn and thrive together to make a big difference in our school community. Girl Up both educates and trains women to take action on intersecting issues like gender-based violence, sexual and reproductive health, girl’s education, closing the gender gaps in STEM and sports, climate change, mental health, and more.
We are working to break barriers, especially in the workplace. Trying to break the glass ceiling, metaphorically
— Raquel Lynch
Self-defense is also something the girls are hoping to teach the members of their club. “There’s a big stigma around women’s rights in this school and in our community so we felt like we needed to have a club that represented girls and women at BSM. We thought it’d be a really good idea to help girls with life skills, like self-defense, and get people involved to show people the real truth behind women’s rights,” Pearson said.
The Girls Up leaders mentioned hearing from first-hand experiences and women in the community. The girls want to spread awareness of the importance of women in power and how anyone is capable of it. They want to inspire young girls and set them up for their futures, whether it is socially or mentally. “We want to have women in power, especially in male-dominated fields, come in and talk to the group to show that women can break the barriers and that women are fully capable. We want to help show women that they are equal and can achieve everything that men can. Whether it’s like a stay at home mom or the CEO of a company, they’re capable of achieving success,” Carlson, Lynch, and Pearson said.
Beyond just BSM, Girl Up expands all over the world and reaches women in schools and communities in 152 countries. Because of this impressive statistic, the members of the BSM Girl Up club feel like they are never alone and are connected to a wide variety of women, even outside of their close circle of girls at BSM. Knowing there is a supportive sisterhood outside of the club members is refreshing and motivating to the girls. “Girl Up is a national affiliate. It’s global. It’s all over the world. The club gives us resources, so it is a bigger platform that we had to apply to in order to be a part of it,” Carlson said.
Though the club starters have big plans for the future, this club is just getting started, and it’s definitely on the upclimb from here on out. Carlson, Lynch, and Pearson have hopes to welcome more male members as well as female members, as men also play a role in creating an entirely equal and welcoming community here at BSM. Already having a few male sign-ups, this is a wonderful and achievable goal. “Another goal is to do some fundraisers for local women’s shelters and also to get men involved as they are definitely welcome to be a part of this club as well,” Pearson said.
Overall, this student-run club has lots to offer even early on in their journey. Girl Up will continue to empower women and push for equal rights. The club provides a safe space for women and listens to what women have to say. Through education, fundraising, advocacy, and service, leaders around the world develop the leadership skills necessary to create social change and create a meaningful impact in our community. The girls have big goals and hope to make significant impacts on both BSM and women all around the community.