Your Mind

Think of Others:
Make a Change!

Organization: Girls for a Change

by Jennifer J. Anthony

School violence. Poverty. War. Environmental disasters.

Sometimes hearing about current events can be tough. It’s easy and natural to feel a little overwhelmed and sad. It’s also natural to try to feel better and forget about it all by logging back into your MySpace account, watching a funny video on YouTube, or flipping on MTV.

But when that nagging sadness won’t go away, no matter what you do, the best way to tackle those negative feelings is by vowing to make a difference. You may not have a lot of money, or even a car. But you have a voice and you can make a change. All you need to do is take action.

But where to begin?

Why not think about Girls for a Change (GFC)? Just like the name implies, GFC is an organization, based in the Bay Area of California and Phoenix, Arizona, that gives thousands of teen girls the power and tools to create and lead social change. Teams of girls are matched up with professional female role models. These Girl Action Teams meet throughout the school year to pick an issue they feel strongly about and want to change. Then they design and implement a social change project.

Your second action step is to think about an issue that is important to you. In other words, pick that topic you can’t stop thinking about, no matter how hard you try. Some Girl Action Teams do battle with local issues that affect their communities and schools. For example, one team in Palo Alto, California tackles peer pressure at its middle school, working to give female classmates coping mechanisms and tools to be themselves and resist negative influences. A team in Phoenix, Arizona is determined to educate its community about animal abuse and neglect.

Other Girl Action Teams take on nationwide and international problems. One middle school team in Mountain View, California is working to raise awareness about immigrant rights. The goal of a high school team in Fremont, California is to let more people know about the current genocide in the Darfur region of Sudan.

Once you have thought about the issues, it’s time to contact GFC. And the next time you watch or read the news, you may just think to yourself: Yeah, I’m doing something about that. I have a voice, and I can make a change.

And you’ll feel different. You’ll feel strong.

Want to learn more about GFC? Get in touch:

Phone: (408) 540-6432

Web: www.girlsforachange.org

Postal:
GFC
PO Box 1436
San Jose, CA  95109

Jennifer J. Anthony is a native Californian who works at a not-for-profit education policy research institution to support her travel habit. She travels near and far in search of fun and funny stories, sometimes dragging her sixteen-year-old Big Brothers Big Sisters mentee along with her. Recent sporting adventures include skydiving, trapeze school in San Francisco, ziplining in Costa Rica, and trekking through rice paddies in Vietnam. She has an MFA in writing for children and a MA in psychology. More about her can be found on her website: www.jenniferanthony.net.