"Girls Lead Now gave me the tools to succeed in every setting of my life! From rocking my job interview, to being accepted into the University of California, to feeling confident speaking in front of my peers-I encourage every girl to attend!"
~Leigh Mason Freshman, University of California
History
In the fall of 2004, fifteen year-old Sarah Hedayati formed a team of girls to create and execute the first ever “Girls’ Economic Power Day.” She was inspired after attending the Women’s Economic Power Day, a conference for women held in San Francisco each year. Though some of the workshop topics at the women’s conference were not as relevant to young women like “writing a will,” Sarah loved the layout of the day and thought that all teenaged girls should learn skills such as “budgeting,” “investing,” and “time management.”
Inspired to create a girls’ event, Sarah approached Ann Tardy, the creator of the Women’s Economic Power Day, for support and guidance. With Ann’s help, Sarah formed a team of teenage girls to plan and lead the day. The first annual Girls’ Economic Power Day took place on February 4, 2005 and 65 girls attended.
To date we have held five events in the Bay Area and one in Denver, Colorado. Since our launch in 2004, we’ve changed the content and name of the event to address a range of life skills and leadership opportunities. Thus we’ve launched a non-profit with the name “Girls Lead Now” and are expanding the program from a six-month event experience to a year-long program that will reach more girls in the community and create a larger, more sustainable impact.
Mission
The mission of Girls Lead Now is to inspire independence, confidence, and responsibility in teen girls through education in life-skills and leadership opportunities. We build communities of girls who network with, learn from, and support each other as they will need to do as women.
We teach teen girls the skills they need to put the power where it belongs—with them. By starting young, we are impacting our culture by teaching girls to work together to achieve their goals, instead of fighting each other in a scarcity for positions and opportunities. In allowing girls to create and experience a supportive environment, Girls Lead Now teaches young adult women to choose the direction of their lives and support each other in whatever paths they choose.
Vision
Our vision is to create an annual teen conference and a girl community to give teen girls the skills they need to succeed in the real world. Our unique trademark of teen girls teaching teen girls, creating workshops, fundraising, marketing, and running the Girls Lead Now teen conference is enabling young adult women to experience hands on what it is like to run a business, lead a team, launch an event, and learn how to be a leader! Teens teaching teens necessary life-skills and giving them leadership experiences is what makes our organization so rare and powerful. We want teen girls to get a jump-start on taking charge of their present and their futures through the girl-powered community, where the mission is life education and self-esteem.
Testimonials
"Girls’ Economic Power Day gave me the tools to succeed in every setting of my life! From rocking my job interview, to being accepted into the University of California, to feeling confident speaking in front of my peers—I encourage every girl to attend!
I attended the first Girls’ Economic Power Day in February 2005 with a friend and we didn’t know what to expect. It turned out to be an incredible day in which I learned a huge amount about budgeting, credit cards, public speaking, entrepreneurship, and so much more in workshops. I felt confident that I could be independent even though I was only 15.
The next two years I was part of the leadership team and lead workshops on budgeting and overcoming stereotypes with the help of two amazing women mentors. By leading the budgeting workshop we played an interactive game about spending and saving and I no longer look at money the same. I no longer wanted to spend my money on new clothes but instead wanted to save for college to pursue my dreams of helping people as a doctor. Leading a workshop on overcoming stereotypes opened my eyes to recognize that even though we all come from different backgrounds we have similar struggles as teen girls and we need to support and respect each other no matter what.
In early 2008 I had the honor of being Project Chair of Girls’ Economic Power Day. Not only did the experience of being involved with GEPD for four years help me to succeed in applying and getting into college but it has given me the confidence to apply for jobs and internships. Girls’ Economic Power Day has evolved into Girls Lead Now and is growing each year with awesome workshops and a clothing swap so you can feel great inside and out. Go to Girls Lead Now and see how you can become empowered to take on the world and pursue whatever inspires you!"
~ Leigh GLN Participant turned Leader
"Girls’ Economic Power Day (Currently Girls Lead Now) was first developed as an attempt to teach high school aged girls some skills I believed were important and not being taught in schools. These are skills every girl needs to succeed and thrive in our fast paced competitive world such as negotiation skills, entrepreneurship and budgeting skills. I am so proud to say that I was a part of the creation of this amazing program that is still going strong thanks to our amazing girl leaders. Throughout the process of building this event, I learned some valuable skills of my own that I still carry with me.
When I first started the event, I was a sophomore in high school. My big plan for my life was to be a teacher. I hadn’t given much thought to any other profession or even thought about any other career possibilities. Thanks to this program, the amazing women mentors and the other girls who volunteered in the program, I have broadened my goals and hopes for my future. I am now majoring in Communication Studies at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo and am specifically working in Marketing and Public Relations. Without this event, I never would have known this was an area I would be interested in working. This event opened my eyes to the world of possibilities there are to live a happy and fulfilled life. I now feel confident in myself and my skills and know there is an endless list of things I could do with my life.
This event empowers young women to find what truly makes them happy and go for it. There is no limit to what one is capable of doing. This program helps young girls find what it is they want to do and actually do it!"
~ Sarah GLN One of the Original Creators
Press Release - January 2010
View the flyer from the Girls' Event in 2008
Find out what happened at the Girls' Event in 2007
Find out what happened at the Girls Event in 2006
Find out what happened at the Girls' Event in 2005
Photo Gallery from 2005 event
*Girls Lead Now receives financial sponsorship from Spiral Muse, a 501(c)(3) non-
profit organization. All proceeds will benefit Girls Lead Now, a non-profit organization. |
