Tag Archives: Womens Equality

#WhatIReallyReallyWant

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What do you REALLY REALLY want?

Do you want an end to violence against girls, quality education for all girls, an end to child marriage, or equal pay for equal work?

It has proven time and time again that empowering and supporting girls and women is key to tackling global issues. The Sustainable Development goals are a list of 169 targets to achieve globally by 2030. These goals aim to preserve our environment, eradicate climate change, and reduce inequalities. World leaders promised to put girls and women first when they agreed to support the Sustainable Development Goals in 2015. In order to ensure that they keep their promise, it is vital for us to raise our voices so loud that they have to listen.

Yesterday, the Global Goals came out with a new parody of the Spice Girls’ hit song “Wannabe”, highlighting a few of the issues that girls and women face around the world. From the United Kingdom to South Africa and India, the video shows the diversity and potential of girls globally.

I believe that this video has a powerful message that has the potential to reach millions. In the media it is often portrayed that all girls “really really want” is beauty, boys, and money. However, as this campaign clearly proves we strive for so much more than that. We have big dreams that we are putting into action and we are seeing change happen as a result. Our dreams include ending gender based violence, solving climate change, and equal pay for equal work, just to name a few. We are intelligent, we are powerful, and we will stop at nothing to see our dreams in action.

Share a picture on Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook of yourself holding up what YOU really, really want for girls and women with the hashtag #WhatIReallyReallyWant!

If we raise our voices our messages will be shared with world leaders at the UN in September.

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“Girl power has come a long way, let’s take it further!”

Thanks for joining me on my journey to change the world!

-Diviya 🙂

Words Matter. Raise your voice. Tell a girl she can!

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This upcoming Tuesday, March 8th, is International Women’s Day! It is a day to celebrate what we have achieved so far in terms of women’s equality, and to recognize what still needs to be accomplished.

In celebration of the day, the initiative Because I am a Girl created a video profiling the stories of different women in Canada. The video recognized all the degrading things that women are told that bring them down. Some examples include “You must have enticed him in some way,” and “You’re not ugly enough to be as smart as you are.” These phrases are pushing women down and telling them they are not capable of achieving greatness. But in my opinion, your gender does not determine your worth, strength, or capabilities. You are powerful no matter what.

As a member of the Because I am a Girl Speakers Bureau, I had the honour of participating in this video. My line in the video was “Great, just another angry feminist.” This is something that I have been told, and it is not right. Being a feminist is something to be proud of, not something to be shamed for.

You can check out the video below:

So, what can YOU do?

#1: Share – Post the link to this video on social media to share with all of your family and friends.

#2: Tweet with #LiftHerUp – On Twitter or Facebook share a message of strength and positivity for all girls everywhere. For every tweet, Scotiabank will donate $1 to a maximum of $30 000 to Plan Canada’s Because I am a Girl initiative.

#2: Celebrate International Women’s Day! – On March 8th, spread the word, and take action to make sure all women feel lifted up. Also, if you happen to be near the Eaton Centre stop by to see a 3D hologram of a girl that will be lifted up by all of the #LiftHerUp messages!

“It’s time to send women and girls the RIGHT message!”

Thanks for joining me on my journey to change the world!

-Diviya

February 25th is Girl Day!

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Why is it that 87% of engineers in the world are male and only 13% are female?

In our society there seems to be this preconceived notion that only men are capable of being engineers. We seem to think that the men should be the ones discovering and creating new things while the women should be “in the kitchen.” However, I believe this to be very, very WRONG. In fact, I believe every single girl in this world has a spark for engineering hidden within them. They just need to find it!

That’s why at the end of this month on February 25th it is Girl Day! It is a day for the world to come together and recognize the power and potential for girls to discover and create great things. It is a movement that shows that girls are just as capable as their male counterparts to be engineers.

So, what can YOU do?

#1: Spread the word – Tell your friends and family by word of mouth or via social media that February 25th is Girl Day!

#2: DO Something – Start raising awareness about girls in engineering positions and why you think there needs to be more girls in these positions! You can try speaking at a school assembly to get the word out to all your classmates.

#3: Share your plans- On February 25th post a picture on Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook to share what you are doing to celebrate Girl Day! Make sure you use the hashtag #GirlDay2016 and #BringItOut

To learn more about Girl Day and what you can do go to: http://www.discovere.org/our-programs/girl-day

Remember, “There is a little bit of engineer in every girl. Bring it out.”

Thanks for joining me on my journey to change the world!

-Diviya

 

Our Pink LemonAID Stand Success!

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Yesterday, my cousins, my sister and I set up a Pink LemonAID stand to raise money for the Plan International initiative Because I am a Girl. It was a huge success and a great experience for both me and my younger cousin and sister.

pink lemonaid stand

We came up with the idea because my little cousins Preeti and Arjun wanted to do something to help girls around the world just like I have. I thought that it would be a great idea for me to help them do a Pink LemonAID stand so we spent about a week gathering materials, making plans, and making posters.

The day of, we got to the Farmers Market and set up our big canopy and our table along with our signs. At first it looked like we weren’t going to be making much money. For a while we only had $2 in our donation jar but very soon more people started coming and buying lemonade along with handmade bracelets made by my sister and I. How it worked was that there was no set price for the drink, although there was a recommended donation, which was $2. Basically, people gave what they wanted. Most people gave $2, but we got some fives and even a twenty.

pink lemonaid
By 12:00 we we were already sold out!

“This is the best day of my life!” That is what my 7 year old cousin said yesterday because she felt so good about making a difference!

By the end of the day we we were extremely hot and tired but we felt proud of what we had done. The grand total came to………drum roll please! $700!!!

Even if you weren’t able to come out yesterday you can still donate at: https://secure.e2rm.com/registrant/FundraisingPage.aspx?SID=6245980&LangPref=en-CA&EID=174191

Thanks so much to everyone who donated!

Thanks for joining me on my journey to change the world!

–Diviya