Girl Summit

Carissa Gonzalez Phelps graduated from UCLA with a law degree and an MBA in June 2007. She was one of only a handful of students to complete the dual degree program. Today she is a senior investment analyst in private equity. Carissa's road to success is eye-opening. When she was a child, she was abandoned at the juvenile hall in Fresno. Thrown into group homes, Carissa ran away and ended up on the streets. Homeless and alone, she begged and stole to survive. With no one to turn to, she was forced into the dark world of prostitution. She was 12.

Carissa started to turn her life around when a caring juvenile hall counselor reached out. He inspired Carissa to believe in her own potential. Carissa finished high school, attended community college and ultimately transferred to CSU Fresno, where she graduated summa cum laude. Carissa enrolled in law school with the goal of changing the world for at-risk youth.

Today she is sharing her story to raise awareness for a population that has been invisible for too long. She is the subject of an upcoming documentary short, "Carissa," directed by fellow UCLA student David Sauvage and executive produced by an Academy Award winning documentary filmmaker. In conjunction with the film, Carissa has partnered with two major corporations to spread the word. She is a spokesperson, with the singer Jewel, on the issue of teen homelessness for The RE*Generation, Virgin Mobile USA’s pro-social marketing campaign. She is also working with the Los Angeles Dodger’s Dream Foundation to inspire mentors for at-risk youth in the greater LA area.

MORE INSPIRING SPEAKERS & PERFORMERS
Olympic Gold Medalist Jessica Mendoza, David Garabaldi, Sista Monica Parker, Sisterz of the Underground, Girl Action Team 44...

SPEAK YOUR MIND • BE A LEADER • CHANGE THE WORLD!

All middle and high school girls are invited to our 5th Annual Girl Summit. This event is FREE and girls are provided with breakfast, lunch, a T-shirt and goodie bag!

Registration now closed—we hope to see you next year!

More than 1,400 and 350 women attended the 5th Annual Girl Summit hosted by GFC at the San Jose Convention Center on October 30, 2007! Throughout the day, they were inspired by speakers and performers, social change workshops, and (most importantly) each other. Check out the media coverage by CBS, The San Jose Mercury News and others.

The Summit was supported by many generous sponsors and presented by

We can't wait to see you all next year! Check out our photo album here:

More than 40 organizations presented empowering workshops at the Girl Summit on October 30, 2007. Presenters from throughout California as well as Ohio, Wisconsin, Michigan and Canada joined us for a day of empowering girls as change agents!

BEING INNER BEAUTY WISE sponsored by SEPHORA

Loving Our Bodies: Celebrating the Cycles of Life   
Cycles of Life   
www.cycles-of-life.org

It's Your World, So Change It!   
RAE Coaching   
www.RAEcoaching.com

Get REAL
Audrey Brashich
http://guidetogettingreal.ning.com

Protecting Yourself   
Planned Parenthood
www.plannedparenthood.org

If You Love Yourself, Protect Yourself   
Live for Life   

Love Your Body!   
Contra Costa Health Services Teen Age Program      
www.cchealth.org/services/teenage_program/

GET YOUR GROOVE ON

Extending Your Heart to the World   
Yoga Life   

The Art of Yoga   
The Art of Yoga Project   
www.theartofyogaproject.org

Your Body is a Living Temple   
Sacred Mud   
www.myspace.com/sacredmud

Bgirling 101: Strong Females and Creative Expression    
Sisterz of the Underground/DEF ED   
www.sisterzunderground.com

Dance: The Universal Language   
Campbell Keatinge-Clay   

Hip Hop Street Dance
5th Element

Working the Body, Heart & Mind   
Youth Noise   
www.youthnoise.com

YOU GO GIRL! sponsored by Nike

Dollars for College   
Glow Foundation Rachel
www.glowfoundation.org

Tunnel of Oppression   
City Year   
www.cityyear.org

Female Athlete = ATHLETE (period)    
Nike, Inc   
www.letmeplay.com

Call It Like It Is: Power of Words
Girls Are Champions
www.girlsarechampions.org

Writing and Leading from Within Women
Writing for a Change Foundation   
www.womenwriting.org

Smart Choices: Finding Your Truth & Your Voice   
Deborah Reber   
www.deborahreber.com

Healthy Bodies, Healthy Environment   
Breast Cancer Action   
www.bcaction.org

Chill Out! Understanding Stress & Learning to Relax   
San Jose State University Counseling Services   
http://www.sa.sjsu.edu/counseling/index.html

The 10 Steps to Mobilize   
Mobilize.org
www.mobilize.org

Making Change from the Ground Up   
Challenge Learning Center
www.challengelearning.org

Calling an End to Youth Homelessness   
Stand up for Kids
standupforkids.org

Do You Really Know What's in Your Shampoo?   
Camino Medical Group   
www.caminomedical.org

Empowered to Make a Change
World Trust   
www.worldtrust.org

Revolution: What's Up in Your School?   
Youth Noise
www.youthnoise.com

ART IN ACTION   

Joint Action Through Art   
Star Mountain Art
www.starmountainart.org

Creating Change from the Inside out   
Metta Productions   
www.inmyroomfilm.com

Getting It Write   
Zest Books   
www.orangeavenue.com

The Goddesses In You   
Go Goddess   
www.gogoddess.com

The Art of Fashion, Dance & Beauty   
Art for Well Beings    
www.artforwellbeings.org

EQUAL PEOPLE

Let's Talk About It: LGBT Experiences   
San Jose State University Counseling Services   
http://www.sa.sjsu.edu/counseling/index.html

Confidence, Motivation and Assertiveness   
NLP.CHANGE   
www.nlpchange.com

Creating Great Dating Relationships   
Zest Books   
www.orangeavenue.com

The Power of Lyrics in Hip Hop
5th Element

Stray Bullets: Preventing Gang Violence
City of Pittsburg, CA Police Department   
http://www.ci.pittsburg.ca.us/pittsburg/

CONNECTING CULTURES

Become Empowered By Your Experience
Carissa Phelps   
www.carissaproject.com
www.virginmobileusa.com/regeneration

Squashing Stereotypes in Media Messaging   
ShapingYouth.com
www.shapingyouth.org

Decolonize This! Using Research to Make Change   
DataCenter
www.datacenter.org

Educate Yo'self: Immigrant and Student Rights   
MAIZ
www.myspace.com/maiz_mex

Cultures of Food: How the US Impacts What the World Eats   
World Savvy
www.worldsavvy.org

ADULT WORKSHOPS

Inspiring Girls by Remembering to Love our "MEs" too!
Expanding Possibility   
www.expandingpossibility.net    

Emotional Wellness: Radiant Wholeness in Girls and You
Joy With Children Consulting
www.joywithchildren.com   

Totally Wired: What Teens and Tweens Are Really Doing Online
Ypulse   
www.ypulse.com

7:30-9:00 a.m.       
Change The World Breakfast: Exhibit Hall 3

8:30-9:30 a.m.
Check-In: Convention Center Main Entrance & Exhibit Hall 2

9:40-10:40 a.m.      
Girl Summit Opening Ceremony: Exhibit Hall 1

10:50-11:40 a.m.    
Workshop Session 1                           

11:50-12:25 p.m. 
Lunch - Exhibit Hall 3

12:35-1:25 p.m.     
Workshop Session 2 

1:35-2:25 p.m.       
Workshop Session 3                           

2:25-2:35 p.m.       
Girl Evaluations

2:45-3:40 p.m.      
Closing Ceremony - Exhibit Hall 1 & Girl Check-Out

To arrange press credentials for the 5th Annual Girl Summit, to receive a press kit or to arrange pre-event interviews, please contact:

Katie Watson
Voce Communications, Inc.
650-228-5169
kwatson@vocecomm.com

2007 Press

Women's Radio
Join Pat Lynch, WomensRadio Editor-In-Chief and Host of “Speak Up!” as we meet with the Keynote Speaker of the upcoming 5th Annual Girls For A Change Summit and subject of the upcoming documentary titled, “Carissa,” Carissa Gonzalez-Phelps. Carissa shares her story of growing up on the streets at age 12 to teaching herself algebra and building her own self-identity, and then returning to the areas of her life that were hardest in order to tell her story to others in a similar situation.
(October 22, 2007)

NATIONAL HOMELESS YOUTH AWARENESS LEADER KICKS-OFF 5TH ANNUAL GIRLS FOR A CHANGE ‘GIRL SUMMIT’ PRESENTED BY SEPHORA
Girls For A Change (GFC), the leading non-profit organization for urban girls, today announced they will feature Carissa Phelps as a keynote speaker for the 5th Annual Girl Summit presented by Sephora, October 30, 2007 at the San José Convention Center.  In a new riveting documentary “Carissa,” produced by Academy Award-winning director, Davis Guggenheim, Phelps shares her story of being abandoned and homeless at the age of 12, left by her mother in the lobby of Fresno’s Juvenile Hall.  With Phelps’ struggle comes an eye-opening success story of education and perseverance that each Girl Summit attendee will hear firsthand.
(October 23, 2007)
 

VIRGIN MOBILE USA SUPPORTS “CARISSA,” RIVETING DOCUMENTARY ABOUT LIFE ON THE STREETS AS A TEEN
As a kick-off to National Homeless Youth Awareness Month, Carissa Phelps will be the keynote at the 5th annual “Girl Summit” on October 30, 2007 – a San Jose, CA event hosted by the national nonprofit Girls For A Change (www.girlsforachange.org) that brings together over 1,000 teen girls with over 500 professional women to empower girls to create and lead social change in their communities.
(September 18, 2007)

Past Girl Summit Press

Want to reach and empower 1,000+ socially minded teen girls and 500+ women and community members? For more information about sponsoring the Summit, please contact Eleanor Rouse, National Development Director, eleanor@girlsforachange.org.

Sephora, the beauty authority, revolutionized the global beauty industry with its unique retail concept rooted in a powerful combination of unparalleled brand and product assortment, distinctive store design and the beauty expertise of its sales consultants. Sephora offers clients a choice of more than 200 beauty brands across a broad range of product categories including skincare, makeup, fragrance, bath & body, hair care, smile care and tools, as well as the company’s own private label. Founded in France in 1969, Sephora opened the first US door in 1998. Today, Sephora operates more than 170 stores in the United States and Canada, and the world’s top beauty website, Sephora.com.  Thanks to recent partnerships with HSN and JCPenney, the beauty authority is now accessible to more clients than ever before. Sephora is proud to announce their commitment to Girls For A Change, and supports their mission to empower young girls to create social change in their communities.

With special thanks to Councilmember Judy Chirco (District 9)!

National Semiconductor, the industry's premier analog company, is proud to be a sponsor of the Girls For A Change 5th annual Girl Summit. By providing financial support and employee volunteers, the company joins Girls For A Change in its goal of empowering girls to create and lead social change in our communities.

As a global youth and sport brand, Nike has spent 30 years building relationships based on the role sport plays in people’s lives. When we look at future global trends for both youth and sport, we see cause for concern. Youth unemployment and exclusion is a global trend that is set to increase at an alarming pace. Today’s young people live in a deeply complex world – on the one hand a world of great instability and fragmentation, on the other hand a world that is more connected and interdependent than ever before. Meanwhile, we see a decline in youth participation in traditional sport and fitness activities, frequently due to cuts in infrastructure, curriculum and coaches. At the same time, we see dramatic increases in youth obesity and diabetes – both linked to diet and inactivity – with potentially devastating consequences for future generations. These are depressing scenarios. As a company focused on young people, we considered how we could apply our core competencies to tackle some of the issues. We see clearly how sport brings health and fitness benefits. We also see further reaching benefits, including building teamwork, leadership, self-esteem, inclusion and confidence. A growing number of examples demonstrate how sport can be used to address the world’s most pressing challenges, as represented by the Millennium Development Goals that cover issues as diverse as gender equity and HIV/AIDS. Although we recognize that sport by itself will not solve the world’s challenges, we believe that sport and Nike’s role as a funder of innovation and advocacy can help spark real change on the ground. To do so, we focus on leveraging our core business competencies, including funding, research and development, innovation, marketing, employees, products and partners. For more information please visit www.letmeplay.com or www.nikeresponsibility.com.

Right now, there are over one million young people living on the streets of the US. Many have been abused or neglected and left with no choice but to beg, steal, or sell their bodies to survive. Virgin Mobile wants to change that. The RE*Generation is our effort to empower a generation to help its own. We’re bringing together organizations that care about homeless youth and connecting them with young people who want to help. And we’re making it easy for our customers to take an active role and get involved – through donating, volunteering, and even text messaging and downloading. Last spring, The RE*Generation Task Force hit Capitol Hill to convince Congress to make November “National Homeless Youth Awareness Month”.  This November will provide a great opportunity for government, organizations, and volunteers to intensify their efforts on behalf of the millions of homeless youth across the nation. With The RE*Generation, one person can make a difference. Check out The RE*Generation web site to learn more: www.virginmobileusa.com/regeneration.