Volunteer Spotlight: Kierrah Holliday

Kierrah Holliday is our October Volunteer of the Month! Congratulations Kierrah!

“Kierrah is a FIRECRACKER of a volunteer! From working with high school girls in our Pathfinder program to working with elementary school girls in our Girl Connect program, Kierrah finds a way to meaningfully connect with any girl, of any age. Kierrah extends her reach even further by sitting on our Youth Advisory Board, and even serving as last year’s president, which is a made up of young ages 14-24. Kierrah exudes ambition, hard work, and authenticity” says Chelsea Dean-Martinez, Program Coordinator.

Read More
Felicia Gonzalez
Volunteer Spotlight: Laura Furr

Laura Furr is our September Volunteer of the Month! Congratulations Laura!

“Laura was an incredible co-facilitator because she was so genuinely interested in the girls and loved talking with them/getting to know them. She helped me immensely by handing out passes to group members, leading check-in, reinforcing guidelines, and contributing to discussion. The girls at Bertha Sadler Means looked up to Laura and missed her when she was unable to be at group. Thank you, Laura, for your leadership and friendship the past two years,” says Chloé LaPorte, GEN Program Coordinator.

Read More
Felicia Gonzalez
Volunteer Spotlight: Clarisa Ramirez

Clarisa Ramirez is our Volunteer of the Month for August! Congratulations Clarisa!

Clarisa began volunteering with GEN in 2007 as a chauffeuse (female chauffeur)  for high school girls to and from programs. In 2014, Clarisa began helping out with Pathfinder. She chaired the GENthusiast Society (now the Girl Advocacy League), and helped it grow to over 175 members. She now serves as a GAL’s liaison to the board, as well as a GEN board member.

Read More
Felicia Gonzalez
Young Women to Watch

We here at GEN love sharing and promoting the amazing work that young women and girls are doing in their local, national, and even global communities. Here are ten young women to keep your eye on; we can’t wait to see what GENcredible things they do next!

Read More
Felicia Gonzalez
Women in Medicine: A Medical Mission Trip to Haiti

When I stepped out of the plane onto the dusty ground of Haiti, I had no idea the empowerment and knowledge that I would gain from the trip. My first view of Haiti was the dilapidated houses stacked on top of one another, the trash that seemed to litter every small nook and cranny of the structures, and the sheer amount of people sitting in the hot sun, watching the traffic go by. It was all very much to take in; how could we expect to change the lives of these people? However, through the course of the week, I learned from some of the most strong and confident female doctors, and more importantly, I was able to have hope for a better future for Haitians.

Read More
Felicia Gonzalez
5 Ways That Students Can Be Politically Active

In March, the Girl’s Empowerment Network hosted Girl’s Advocacy Day with the goal of inspiring young people to become involved in politics, whether that’s on a local or national level. This event was particularly important considering the rise of student activism that has resulted after the Parkland school shooting. More high school and middle students have now realized that just because they can’t vote doesn’t mean that they don’t have a say in legislation.

Read More
Felicia Gonzalez
Meet the Summer 2018 GENterns!

School may be out for the summer, but our newest interns are just getting started here at the Girl’s Empowerment Network. In this blog post, we want to introduce you to our fabulous and fierce group of gals that will be helping everything run smoothly this summer at GEN.

Read More
Felicia Gonzalez
GEN’s Culture

Coming into GEN as an intern in January, I had never thought about how impactful an agency’s culture can be. I had worked in places before which, although I enjoyed working there, didn’t have a specific, intentional office culture that was implemented. At GEN, I quickly learned that culture is not about amenities or the activities we do with one another — it is lived and breathed everyday in how we communicate, how we treat one another, and what we value.

Read More
Felicia Gonzalez
campGEN supplies needed!

We have two amazing sessions of campGEN 2018! Own My Power is from June 18th through 22nd and Use My Power is from July 16th through 20th. We’re still in need of some supplies for camp, identified below. If you’re interested in helping ignite the power in girls by donating materials from the list below, please email GEN’s Outreach Coordinator Claudia at claudiaa@girlsempowermentnetwork.org.

Read More
Felicia Gonzalez
Rithi’s Reflections on the Pathfinder Leadership Summit

In early May 2018, we held a kick-off event for the Pathfinder Giving Circle, which funds scholarships for girls attending the Pathfinder program. Pathfinder helps girls navigate the road to college, career, and independence, and includes a six-day summit in June as well as monthly workshops year-long. A $500 gift provides one girl access to the Summit or to attend the monthly workshops, and a $1,000 gift provides one girl with access to both the Summit and the monthly workshops. If you’re interested in joining the Pathfinder Giving Circle, your membership fee of $500 will make the Pathfinder Program accessible to one ambitious girl who cannot afford it, and $1,000 will take her even further. Click here to scholarship a girl today.

Read More
Felicia Gonzalez