Dear Friends,
Happy Holidays! We know that phrase means whole a range of things to people. Here at GLI, we think holidays should be like summer camp. This means little or no work, enjoying meals with friends, and investing in relationships. Our relationships give so much to us— they teach us about ourselves, give us permission to take healthy risks, and support us through challenging moments. That’s why we love taking these few weeks at the end of the year to send cards and food and invite friends over. It’s a little thank you for the other 50 weeks of the year, and it’s a time to reflect on what really matters.
If you are looking to give a girl a gift that really matters, we have five transformational leadership gifts to consider, including music, posters, programs and donations. We’ve never been able to offer anything like the line-up below, so be sure to check it all out.
We wish you a warm holiday season filled with great food, friends, family and fun.
All our best,
Simone Marean & Julia Loonin
Gift #1. GLI is thrilled to announce that MARIKA, Canadian artist and supporter of girls’ voices, has promised to donate ten cents to GLI every time her song, Wherever You Are, is downloaded from iTunes. This is a great song to kick off a workout mix or dance party. You can give the gift of this song by clicking the down arrow next to the “buy” button. One hundred percent of donations from MARIKA will go to the GLI scholarship fund.
Gift #2. We are beyond excited by the playful colors and bold design of our new educational posters. Our How Do You Feel? poster helps girls and adults alike expand their emotional vocabulary. It’s fun to find the word, face or hairdo that matches what is going on with you.
GLI’s Inside/Outside Feelings poster is a reminder to check in with what might be going on for us on the inside–and these Inside Feelings look so cute it makes it easy! These posters are a perfect addition to a classroom, girl’s room, or even office. We love looking at them every day.
Check them out and order your copy.
Gift #3. This is a gift for someone you will probably never meet. After five years of a rewarding partnership with The Young Women’s Leadership Network (TWYLS) we want to do more for their inspiring students. While continuing to raise funds for full scholarships for TYWLS students to attend our summer camp, we are initiating a new partnership with TYWLS and the Sports and Arts Foundation to run a Spring Break Day Camp for 30 students in Brooklyn. The camp will offer new relationship skills, renewed confidence, strengthened community and fun times to students who otherwise would have nothing to do and no place to go during school break. Former scholarship recipient Yahisha Rosario emailed us this week to say, “GLI has shaped a huge part of who I consider myself to be today.”
Gift #4. Give the gift of a GLI experience—to yourself or someone you love. There is nothing better than belly aching laughter, self-confidence, and authentic friendships. We have multiple programs that reach girls of all ages. If you are considering the GLI summer camp—don’t wait. Some grade levels have only a few spots left.
Real Parents, Real Daughters for girls in grades 2-6
Spring Break Day Camp for girls in grades 4-6
Summer Camp for girls entering grades 6-12
Gift #5. Get to know the work of Jess Weiner. Her videos, newsletter, and blog will be bring you the gift of self-acceptance all year round. Rachel Simmons describes Jess as, “A Real Girl in the most inspiring sense: she speaks her mind, takes risks, and has the guts to be vulnerable. The girls and women of this world are privileged to have a warrior like Jess in our corner. I think I speak for GLI when I say we need to get that girl in a serious game of ‘Yes.'”. Hailed as Dove’s global ambassador for self-esteem and this generation’s “Go- to Girl” for self-esteem, Jess works with girls and women to promote self-confidence, self-knowledge and self-acceptance.'”Learn more.
Girls of the Month
We couldn’t pick just one girl of the month because this month we have 17 of them. Two weeks ago GLI alumna Elaina Koros kicked off her activist project with a weekend of GLI training for 17 high school volunteers at St. Ignatious Prep School in San Francisco. These students gave up their weekend to learn how to run a peer leadership program for girls in fourth and fifth grade. They envision a program that will teach young girls that they matter, their relationships matter, and they can live as leaders even in elementary school. We had a blast playing games, being silly, and letting loose with this dedicated group of courageous change makers. They are starting their peer leadership work by looking at their own habits, letting go of being “sweet” or “cute” and starting to share their opinionated, authentic selves with the world.
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