press release
Carissa Phelps to Inspire Thousands of Teen Girls to Create Social Change
NATIONAL HOMELESS YOUTH AWARENESS LEADER KICKS-OFF 5TH ANNUAL GIRLS FOR A CHANGE ‘GIRL SUMMIT’ PRESENTED BY SEPHORA
San Jose/San Francisco, Calif. Oct. 23, 2007 – 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. The Girl Summit brings together more than 1,000 urban middle and high school girls to become social change makers and innovators, by empowering them to design, lead, fund and implement social change projects that tackle problems they face in their neighborhoods.
“I’m honored to be part of the GFC Girl Summit whose focus is geared towards empowering at-risk urban girls in high school and middle school. It was at that age I found myself alone on the streets to fend for myself, failed by the juvenile justice system and could have benefited from an organization like GFC. I want to show these young ladies they can not only survive but thrive,” said Phelps. “Through my partnership with Virgin Mobile USA and The RE*Generation campaign to end youth homelessness, I am excited to leverage both the ‘Carissa’ film project and National Homeless Awareness Month in November to not only raise awareness of this crucial issue, but in fact change the situation for exploited and disempowered youth in the U.S. from one of hopelessness to one of hope and promise.”
Phelps will join a number of other well-known speakers including, Olympic Gold Medalist, Jessica Mendoza and Ashley Qualls, the 17-year founder and CEO of Whateverlife.com, an online graphic and community resource Web site. It offers anything from web and social network layouts to tutorials and free user-generated online magazines for teenage girls and young adults alike. The site receives more than 200,000 unique users daily and 60 million page views a month. Qualls has been featured in Fast Company and Seventeen Magazine, ABC’s “The View,” CNN, and more. The facilitators are there to educate participants on current issues, prepare young women to speak up, lead and implement change in their 2007-2008 social change projects.
“The goal in the annual Girl Summit is to share stories like ‘Carissa’ to raise awareness for a population that has been invisible for too long,” said Whitney Smith, Co-CEO, Girls For A Change. “GFC catalyzes this group of young girls to be leaders in their classroom, community and life.”
The Girl Summit is proudly presented by Sephora and also generously sponsored by the City of San Jose, National Semiconductor, Nike, and Virgin Mobile USA and its pro-social initiative, The RE*Generation. Additional corporate sponsors include eBay, Camino Medical Group, Kaiser Permanente, S.H. Cowell Foundation and Wells Fargo.
About Girls For A Change
Girls For A Change (GFC), a non-profit organization, catalyzes professional women to support urban middle and high school girls to become social change makers and innovators, by empowering them to design, lead, fund and implement social change projects that tackle problems they face in their neighborhoods. GFC provides the tools, resources and support girls need to move from being spectators to being leaders. To learn more about the organization please visit: http://www.girlsforachange.org/
About Sephora
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. http://www.sephora.com/
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For more information:
Whitney Smith
Girls For A Change
408-529-7226
whitney@girlsforachange.org
Katie Watson
Voce Communications, Inc.
415-848-2589
kwatson@vocecomm.com
GFC Showcased at YPulse's 2007 Mashup
Girls For A Change will be a featured organization at the 2007 Mashup presented by Ypulse!
July 15-16, 2007
Hotel Nikko San Francisco
222 Mason Street
San Francisco, California 94102, USA
The 2007 Mashup is produced by Ypulse.com, the leading independent blog for youth and teen media and marketing professionals and Modern Media, which builds, produces and markets highly-engaging business events for leading media brands and media entrepreneurs.
This Summer Teen Girls Go Corporate for a Change
Tuesday June 26, 12:58 pm ET
Juniper Networks Offer Summer Internships to Teen Girls Through Partnership with Non-Profit Social Change Network, Girls for a Change(TM)
SUNNYVALE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Starting Tuesday, June 26, eleven teenage girls will begin a prestigious internship at Juniper Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ:JNPR - News), the leader in high-performance networking. The internship is a new initiative by Girls for a Change(TM) (GFC), a national organization that empowers thousands of teen girls to create and lead social change in their communities. Through this partnership, participating GFC members and Juniper Networks employees will work together on leadership training projects, professional networking, critical thinking and problem-solving, to prepare these young women for the professional environment.
"Girls for a Change has done a phenomenal job to help smart, young women in develop their confidence and realize their full potential throughout the community," said Scott Kriens, chief executive officer, Juniper Networks. "These women are a powerful and unique resource and given the opportunity they will create large-scale social change. It's an honor to have these young women lend their creative energy to our summer program and Juniper Networks is committed to supporting their success."
W.K. Kellogg Foundation Awards Grant GFC PHX $50,000
PHOENIX--Girls For A Change (GFC), a leading non-profit organization for urban youth, today announced they received a $50,000 grant on a 6-month term, awarded through the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, to help spearhead and fund a new academic social change program for middle and high schools of low socioeconomic status throughout communities in Maricopa County, AZ. This grant will provide teenage girls with the opportunity to become social change agents working towards improving their communities through social change projects.
NYT Bestselling Author to Keynote Girl Summit
GIRLS FOR A CHANGE SUMMIT FEATURES NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR AS KEYNOTE
Leading Social Change Organization Launches Year to Transform the Lives of Low Income Girls in Santa Clara County
San Jose, September 28, 2006 – Girls For A Change (GFC), the leading non-profit organization for urban youth, today announced they will feature Cupcake Brown as a keynote speaker for the 4th Annual Girl Summit on October 12, 2006 at the San Jose Convention Center. GFC catalyzes professional women to support urban middle and high school girls to become social change makers and innovators, by empowering them to design, lead, fund and implement social change projects that tackle problems they face in their neighborhoods.
Ms. Brown is the author of the New York Times best-selling memoir A Piece of Cake (Crown Publishers). She has been featured on National Public Radio; on television shows ranging from CNN and PBS to CBS’s “The Early Show”; in newspapers from The San Francisco Chronicle to The Minneapolis Star Tribune; and in many magazines, including Entertainment Weekly, California Lawyer, Guideposts, Essence, Ebony, Marie Claire, and JET. Glamour Magazine named her its “Hero of the Month,” and O: The Oprah Magazine profiled her as a “Phenomenal Woman.”
The Girl Summit will bring together 1,000 girls and 500 women participants at the San José Convention Center to kick off the year-long experience. The Summit gives girls an opportunity to discuss current issues affecting their communities, participate in knowledge building work shops and gather information for their 2006-2007 social change projects. Brown will join a number of other speakers and facilitators at the event to educate participants on current issues such as, body image, public policy, connecting cultures, homelessness and environmental justice. The one day event will prepare young women to speak-up, lead and implement change within their communities. The event is sponsored by numerous corporations, including National Semiconductor, Heffernan Group, Kaiser Permanente, and Camino Medical Center.
“Girls For A Change is committed to giving all girls the opportunity to fly, the opportunity to invent, and the opportunity to experience the spark that comes with seeing your own idea take form and make a difference,” said Whitney Smith, Co-CEO, Girls For A Change. “We read Cupcake’s book and we’re moved by her strength and determination. Many of the young women we serve can relate and connect to her experiences. We want them to know that no matter what you encounter you can overcome your circumstances to live your dreams.”
“National Semiconductor is proud to sponsor the Fourth Annual Girl Summit, Girls for a Change’s largest and most powerful event of the year,” said Joan Scott, director of community relations, National Semiconductor. “It brings girls together to discuss issues affecting their communities and is doing something rather revolutionary. The organization asked girls what their lives are like, what they worry about as well as how they want their lives and community to be different. All we need to do is give these girls the space, connections and support to create their own solutions.”
About Girls For A Change:
Girls For A Change (GFC), a non-profit organization, catalyzes professional women to support urban middle and high school girls to become social change makers and innovators, by empowering them to design, lead, fund, and implement social change projects that tackle problems they face in their neighborhoods. GFC provides the tools, resources, and support girls need to move from being spectators to being leaders. To learn more about the organization please visit: http://www.girlsforachange.org/ or http://www.hercity.org/.
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FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Whitney Smith
Co-CEO
Girls For A Change
408-529-7226
whitney@girlsforachange.org
Katie Watson
Voce Communications, Inc.
650-228-5169
kwatson@vocecomm.com
GFC Launches Program to Transform the Lives of Low Income Girls in Maricopa County
Girls For A Change Fundraiser Special Guest Governor Napolitano; Leading Social Change Organization Launches Program to Transform the Lives of Low Income Girls in
Maricopa County
PARADISE VALLEY, Ariz.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 25, 2006--Girls For A Change (GFC), the leading non-profit organization for urban youth, today announced they will hold a fundraiser with special guest Governor Napolitano on August 28, 2006 at the Paradise Valley home of Deb Carstens. This event will raise funds to support the 2006-2007 program year of Girls For A Change in Arizona.
New Executive Director for GFC Pheonix
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
GIRLS FOR A CHANGE PHOENIX WELCOMES NEW EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Phoenix, Arizona, August 25, 2006 – Girls For A Change (GFC), the leading non-profit organization for urban youth, recently announced the hire of its new Phoenix Executive Director, Alexandra Zavala. Zavala will direct the Arizona site in its second year of empowering urban girls to create social change in their communities. Under her leadership, GFC Phoenix will expand its program and strengthen relationships with community partners in order to impact even more girls and their neighborhoods throughout Maricopa County.
Having grown up in the Valley of the Sun, Zavala is dedicated to effecting change in her community and working with women and girls. She is proud to be at the forefront of the only social change organization for girls in the region. Zavala explains, “There is such a high need for a program like this and I am thrilled to be a part of this organization, especially at such an early stage in what promises to be a wonderful relationship with the Valley.” With her background in journalism and community relations, she hopes to “help promote Girls For A Change and the GFC mission in order to ensure that every girl in the Valley knows about Girls For A Change and has the opportunity to join a Girl Action Team.”
GFC provides the tools, resources, and support for girls to design, lead, fund, and implement social change projects that tackle problems they face in their neighborhoods. This year, GFC Phoenix will support 20 Girl Action Teams, train over 50 women as volunteer coaches, and collaborate with more than 20 schools and organizations. The vision of GFC is that girls who are directly engaged in social change and problem-solving in their neighborhoods will continue to participate in decision-making roles in other areas of their lives.
Not only is Zavala deeply committed to this mission, but she comes to GFC with significant experience in community outreach. Most recently, Zavala created and managed the first-ever Hispanic Outreach Program for Planned Parenthood of Central and Northern Arizona and co-founded the Hispanic Outreach Alliance – a network of more than one hundred outreach professionals in the Phoenix area. She has also worked as a Communications Outreach Coordinator for Families USA and Community Involvement Coordinator with the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality. Zavala currently sits on the Phoenix Women’s Commission, is the Phoenix area facilitator for Las Comadres Para las Americas, and was selected as a Public Policy Fellow of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute.
According to Whitney Smith, Co-CEO, “Alex will be the face of GFC in Phoenix and will be an entrepreneurial and visionary leader.”
Further Information:
For an opportunity to meet Alexandra Zavala, Girls For A Change Phoenix Executive Director, in person, you are welcome to attend The Next Generation of Leadership, a GFC fundraising event with special guest Governor Napolitano on Monday, August 28th from 5:30 to 7:30 in Paradise Valley. The cost of each ticket is $100. For more information about the event or to purchase a ticket, please contact Whitney Smith at 408-529-7226 or whitney@girlsforachange.org.
About Girls For A Change:
Girls For A Change (GFC), a non-profit organization, catalyzes professional women to support urban middle and high school girls to become social change makers and innovators, by empowering them to design, lead, fund, and implement social change projects that tackle problems they face in their neighborhoods. GFC provides the tools, resources, and support girls need to move from being spectators to being leaders. To learn more about the organization please visit: http://www.girlsforachange.org/ or http://www.hercity.org/.
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FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Whitney Smith
Co-CEO
Girls For A Change
408-529-7226
whitney@girlsforachange.org
Katie Watson
Voce Communications, Inc.
650-228-5169
kwatson@vocecomm.com
