Take a good look around you and you’ll notice there’s an impressive amount of girl power taking over the media waves. One famous funny lady committed to inspiring young girls is Amy Poehler, who is the co-creator of the hit web series Smart Girls at the Party—a show that celebrates “extraordinary individuals who are changing the world by being themselves,” says Amy on each of her webisodes. She, along with producer Meredith Walker and musical director Amy Miles, whom she calls her “real friends, ”started the show to help girls be heard and let them know that what they’re passionate about is really neat.
The popular web series includes weekly episodes where Amy interviews various school-aged girls with a “unique talent, community interest or point of view.” Cameron is a young writer who loves storytelling and everything related to mystery and the paranormal. Then there’s Ruby, a 7-year-old who Amy introduces as a singer, actor, dancer, musician, feminist, entrepreneur and skateboarder. Ruby, like most young girls, sees no limits to what she can do, as evident with her statement “boys and girls are of equal value” and her ambitious career goals: Writer, doctor, vet and rockstar. Although the girls are young, the manner in which Amy interviews them makes you feel as if she were speaking to a distinguished Academy Award winner, always praising the girls and asking for their personal opinion on their subject of expertise.
Other Smart Girls episodes include interviews with a dancer, yogini and gardener. Amy tells the Huffington Post, “We looked for girls that had passions, girls who felt passionate about stuff, no matter what that was.” The younger girls are able to teach and inspire the older girls as well, by teaching them how to do a “praise” dance, meditate and to make things grow.
The purpose of the show is to empower young girls and encourage them to be themselves, and to prove that smart girls have more fun (the lyrics of the series’ theme song). In fun, slumber party fashion, each episode finishes with an awesome “dance party” that includes the featured girls and the entire crew.
Some other noteworthy girl power sites include:
Gogirlgo! This program, by the Women’s Sorts Foundation, is geared to preventing the many issues American girls face today, like obesity, teen pregnancy and eating disorders. Gogirlgo.com encourages girls to take part in sports and physical activity as part of a healthy lifestyle.
On the site, girls can read about women’s sports in the news, learn about volunteer opportunities and apply for scholarships. The program is adamant about girls becoming leaders and continuing their education at all costs.
Zoey’s Room Created for middle-school aged girls, zoeysroom.com is an online community that helps girls strengthen their skills in the sciences and math, fields that are generally geared towards boys. The inspiration for Zoey started with the founders noticing an alarming trend—young girls falling behind boys in the sciences. With their interactive website, girls can learn about engineering and technology. Who says girls can’t be rocket scientists, too?
Similar websites include www.braincake.org, www.engineeergirl.org and www.expandingyourhorizons.org.
Girls Incorporated “Inspiring all girls to be strong, smart, and bold,” this non-profit organization has provided education programs to girls in underserved areas since 1864. Their programs help young girls with issues related to health, education, drug abuse and teen pregnancy as well as encourage active participation in sports. The Girls Inc. website lets you read up on news, tap into their available resources, shop on their online store and read the girl’s bill of rights. The bill of rights reads like a girl power manifesto, with positive affirmations like “Girls have the right to prepare for interesting work and economic independence” and “Girls have the right to have confidence in themselves and to be safe in the world.” They even have the bill of rights in a variety of languages, to ensure their message is communicated to everyone.
Similar sites include www.girlscouts.org.
The Diary Project This “global multimedia resource” lets teens anonymously share their feelings without judgment. Girls can touch on different topics like health, racism, self-esteem and sexuality. The site is heavily monitored to ensure relevant and age-appropriate content. The mission of the diary project is to encourage healthy communication among teen girls and to advise them that their issues are not theirs alone and that they can find other girls who can relate to what they are going through.
Similar sites include www.gurl.com.
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