Seattle, Wash., Oct. 09, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- In honor of the International Day of the Girl celebrated on October 11, GreaterGood.org announces the 2018 storytelling contest Girls' Voices for Change, and unveils an expressive gallery of digital stories created by girls overcoming significant barriers to education and opportunity.
With over 130 million girls out of school globally, this global media challenge asks girls (13 – 19) to share the obstacles they face, their courage to overcome them, and their vision for a more empowered future for girls. Some of the participants face barriers to education as varied as post-war conflict, forced childhood-marriage, extreme poverty, gender based discrimination, and access to quality schools.
“We are so excited to support these young women and provide a platform to express themselves while helping to fund their education,” said Liz Baker, Executive Director of GreaterGood.org. “The goal of the Girls’ Voices for Change Contest is to provide an outlet for girls from around the globe with barriers to their education to have their voices be heard through stories they create with photography and video.”
For the second consecutive year, Girls’ Voices for Change will help raise funds to support their schooling, while addressing gender disparity in education. Currently 300 girls in 14 countries around the world are creating media to participate in the contest. Every girl who participates receives a scholarship for her education.
The panel of judges, along with the public, vote and choose the winners. Winners in each category get a grant to help them further their education and implement their ideas in their community.
Contest winners will be selected in the following three categories, with $8,000 in prizes awarded in total.
- Courage asks girls to show us their fighting spirit in the face of uncertainty and adversity. The winner and runners-up in each category receive grants to help them work with their communities to implement their solutions and further their education. First prize wins $1,200 to support girls’ education at her school.
- Changemaker asks girls to not only show us a barrier to education in their area, but to also come up with a solution. First prize wins $1,000 towards implementing a community project.
- Creativity asks girls to show us the world from their eyes, using everything they’ve learned about composing a shot. First prize wins $1,000 towards supporting creative programming for girls.
On October 11, the public will be able to begin to view submissions in Girls’ Voices for Change gallery via the below link. The public will be able to begin voting on October 22.
https://girlsvoices.greatergood.org/contest/
About Girls’ Voices: Girls’ Voices is a media training and scholarship program for girls who face obstacles to their education. Through digital media training, Girls’ Voices empowers girls around the world to learn how to tell their own stories through film and lead the charge in the fight for education. Active in 14 countries, Girls’ Voices has 400 scholars.
Currently, more than 130 million girls are not in school,. This is the direct result of cultural, social, and economic barriers that stand in the way of girls who want to learn. Supporting adolescent girls’ education in particular can have significant effects in transforming not only one girl’s life, but her community’s as well. The Girls’ Voices program addresses these barriers, and showcases the stories of trailblazing girls who are fighting for their education.
About GreaterGood.org: GreaterGood.org is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization that works to improve the health and well-being of people, pets, and the planet. Over the last 10 years, GreaterGood.org has given over $150 million in cash and in-kind grants to over 5,000 charitable partners worldwide and created and operates several Signature Programs to help animals, including Girls’ Voices, Rescue Rebuild and Rescue Bank. To learn more, visit GreaterGood.org or follow us on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.
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