Every girl deserves a chance to learn, to speak, to dream, and to decide what she wants to become. A better world for all must truly mean for all.
Girls are no less capable, creative, or courageous than boys. But around the world, some are still kept from education, leadership, and decisions about their own lives. Poverty, violence, discrimination, and restrictive rules can make a girlâs starting line unfair. She does not need someone else to choose her future; she needs safety, opportunity, and the freedom to choose it herself.
Encouraging girls is not about taking anything away from boys. It is about making a stronger, fairer world in which everyoneâs abilities can grow.
As a girl in Pakistan, Malala spoke out for girlsâ education. She survived an attack in 2012 and continued advocating for the right of girls to attend school. In 2014, she became the youngest Nobel Peace Prize laureate. The lesson is not that everyone must win a prize; it is that a young personâs voice can matter long before the world recognizes it.
Greta was fifteen when she began a school strike for climate action outside Swedenâs parliament in 2018. Other young people joined, and a worldwide youth movement grew. People may disagree about particular methods or policies, but her story shows that age need not prevent someone from raising an important question.
Make it normal for girls to study science, build technology, create art, play sports, start businesses, and consider public service or political leadership. Ask what interests them rather than telling them what they ought to do. Celebrate their ideas, invite them to lead, and notice when a rule or habit unfairly leaves them out.
Boys and men can be part of the solution by listening, standing against bullying and unfair treatment, sharing opportunities, and supporting girlsâ decisions without taking over their voices.
Long before this page existed, I wrote an editorial titled âAmerican politics need more women.â I argued that our schools and communities should encourage young women to see public service as a real possibility. I still believe that. It also connects to the mission of Cape Cod Women, which helps women and girls find resources and connections.
Read my original editorial in the Global Pledge archive (a historical piece; its old statistics describe the time it was written, not today).
Start with these organizationsâ official materials. External resources and programs may vary by location.
Understand barriers to schooling and ways communities can support every girlâs right to learn.
Learn about efforts to help girls receive a full twelve years of education.
Explore womenâs rights, gender equality, safety, and leadership worldwide.
See research on educational progress and the barriers that remain.
Discover local resources, opportunities, and connections for women and girls.