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Day of the Girl, iThink, iTwixie News, iTwixology

August 21, 2017

day of the girl, Girl Hero, Girls Speak Out, stories, United Nations

Tell Us! We Need To Hear from YOU by September 1!!!

On October 11, 2017, we will celebrate the 6th annual International Day of the Girl (IDG), and the 5th annual Girls Speak Out event at the United Nations.

It’s a huge year for girls around the world. That’s why we need YOU!

Think about girls you know and girls around the world and how they are overcoming the unique challenges they face just because they are girls. Then think about what it’s like where you live. Do or girls like you face unfairness just because you are a girl? How do you deal with it? How do you overcome it?

Then, tell us a story about it. How did you – or a girl you know where you live – handle something unfair, unjust or even experienced a crisis, just because she is a girl.

There are so many unusual challenges girls have to deal with today, from injustice in society, their community and in the workplace, to unfairness in opportunities in education, or gender violence, sexism, war, climate change, and many others. There’s no right or wrong answer here. What’s important is how you define “crisis” or “injustice” and how you or a girl you know dealt with it.

We want to hear YOUR story. Your story will inspire others. Your story is like the story of millions of girls around the world who will be empowered by hearing from you. So tell us your story!

What is IDG
IDG is our day to celebrate girls everywhere – to celebrate our power, our voices, and our unique place in this world. Help us showcase the creative and collective voice of girls everywhere. The leaders of today need to hear from you. Let’s inspire everyone with our stories of girl power — in art, pictures, poetry, songs, video — to showcase the unique role girls play in our world. No girl is alone. And we are stronger when we raise our voices together. That’s why we need your voice!

5th Annual Day of the Girl

We will select a diverse set of bold, funny, sensitive, and powerful, everyday stories from girls to showcase during IDG 2017 on Wednesday, October 11 as part of the 5th annual Girls Speak Out event at the United Nations in New York City!

Here’s how you can send in your story:

You can send your story as an individual girl, or a story put together by a group of girls — be sure that all of you are between 13-18 years old, and then capture your story!
Tell the whole story in any way you wish – monologue, a story, a poem, a rant, a piece of visual art, a video, or a song. Be you! Tell us: what happened?
 who was there?
 when was it?
 where were you?
 why did you do what you did?
 who supported you?
 what was the outcome?
Then send it to us! Email it, with the consent form, to: IDGsubmissions@gmail.com
Include: your name, age, country, and contact information
Send it no later than Friday, August 18th 11:59PM US EST!

And get this, everyone who submits her work will be featured during the month of October on the DayoftheGirlSummit.org website, in our IDG2017 Webcast, or Shoutout Page! Please make sure your submission is in one of these formats:

Poetry or monologue (maximum 250 words)
Video or song (maximum length of 2 minutes)
Photograph (jpeg files of at least 500 x 500 pixels)
Art or graphic design (jpeg files of at least 500 x 500 pixels)

What Do Engineers Do?

iTwixie News, iTwixology

March 6, 2017

careers, engineers, engineers like me, Girls Speak Out, Goals, polls, role models, smart, STEAM, STEM, think

This month is 31 Engineers Like You Month at iTwixie. So what do you think engineers do? Are you like an engineer?

Take our poll and then tell us what you think right here in the comment section below!

The 5th Annual International Day of the Girl

Day of the Girl, iThink, iTwixie News, iTwixology

August 25, 2016

5th, anniversary, celebration, Girls Speak Out, historic, IDG, IDG Summit, IDG2016, United Nations

This year marks the fifth anniversary of the International Day of the Girl (IDG 2016)!

For this historic anniversary, we want to add your voice to help make this year’s celebration the greatest ever. Let’s inspire everyone with our stories of girl power — in art, pictures, poetry, songs, video — to showcase the unique role girls play in our world. We are calling all girls, 13-18, to considering adding their voices to this year’s celebration! Here’s how:

If you’re between 13-18 years old, send us your inspirational story! You can use creative writing, video performance, photography, artwork, or song to share your voice and your ideas. Your submission could be chosen to be part of the Girls Speak Out 2016 at the United Nations in New York City! And everyone who submits her work will be featured on the DayoftheGirlSummit.org website, in our IDG2016 Webcast or Shoutout Page!

So tell us, girls, what does girl power mean to you? Tell us about one of the following:

• How are girls inspirational?

• Tell us about girls where you live who are doing things to help each other.

• Have girls in your town or community overcome a challenge or triumph?

• What will you do to celebrate the International Day of the Girl where you live?

Send us your responses with a completed IDG Summit Consent Form no later than Thursday, September 1st 11:59PM US EST!

Please make sure your submission is in one of these formats:
-> Poetry or monologues (maximum 250 words)
-> Video (maximum length of 2 minutes)
-> Photographs (jpeg files of at least 500 x 500 pixels)
-> Art or graphic design (jpeg files of at least 500 x 500 pixels)

Email your submission and Consent Form to: IDGsubmissions@gmail.com with your name, age, country, and contact information!

Introducing Our Blogger of the Month for December

iTwixie News, iTwixology

January 8, 2016

@ilovepuppies25, authentic, blogger of the month for december, blogs, Girls, Girls Speak Out, good ideas, raise voices, writers

Such amazing bloggers were nominated for Blogger of the Month for December! Proud of you all! And now we have our winner! Congratulations, @ilovepuppies25! Keep writing, commenting and raising your voice! We think you rock! And please send in your parent’s mailing address to “info@itwixie.com” so we can send you your prize. Woo hoo! You did it! Way to go, @ilovepuppies25!

In case you missed them, here are the other nominees from the December Blogger of the Month vote. Check ‘em out! Get writing, girls! And soon we’ll be asking for more nominations for January!Here were the rest of the girls who were nominated:
@geegee123 @blackthehedgehog101 @lifeliver166
@unicorn3jellybeans @gladelaide
@wykkydangel @makeawish @izzyvollyballgirlie
@lily @chloegymnaskills3

Have fun, girls!

How iTwixie’s Blogger of the Month Works
Each month, we take nominations for Blogger of the Month and then iTwixie girls vote for the winner. We make sure there’s a new winner each month. It’s our way of recognizing the cool bloggers that make iTwixie so special.

Cannot wait to share BIG NEWS about the new and improved iTwixie Blogger of the Month competition for 2016! You are going to love it!

IDG 2015 October

Day of the Girl, iTwixie News

October 19, 2015

11 Days of Action, change the world, Girls Speak Out, Hear Us, IDG2015, International Day of the Girl, Join Us, October, See Us

What on earth is IDG? IDG stands for the International Day of the Girl. The United Nations decided that girls are so vital to our world’s future, that we needed to set aside a global day just to celebrate girls.

Pretty cool, eh?

So all October long, let’s take a few minutes and celebrate US! How? Let’s talk about all kind of things that are important to girls, for 11 Days, leading up to October 11, the International Day of the Girl. Here are our topics for discussion for each of the 11 Days. Let’s call them the 11 Days of Action! Ready? Here you go!

Take Action Each Day of These 11 Days of Action or #11DaysofAction
October 1 – What do you do that helps girls to be successful?
October 2 - What needs to stop so girls can be successful?
October 3 - What can other girls do for girls so that girls can achieve their goals?
October 4 - What can boys do for girls so that girls can achieve their goals?
October 5 - When you hear the word girl, what do you think?
October 6 – How will the world one day be led by half girls and half boys?
October 7 – Are you a strong girl? What does that mean?
October 8 – What dreams do you have for girls?
October 9 – If you could speak at the United Nations, what would you say?
October 10 – What’s the most important thing we need to do to help girls succeed?
October 11 – Tell everyone you see Happy IDG 2015! #IDG2015

Just click on each day to add YOUR thoughts, ideas and shoutouts!

Here’s to a Happy IDG 2015! #IDG2015

The Girls Speak Out Changed Me

Day of the Girl, iTwixie News

October 18, 2014

girlpower, Girls Speak Out, IDG2014, missmonkey

My mom had gotten me ready to here some tough stuff this year. She said that the Girls Speak Out this year wasn’t so much about how girls changed a situation in their community, like last year, but that this year, the Speak Out was all about giving us a chance to hear true stories by real girls around the world. These stories were performed as little plays, poetry readings and song. As the performances continued, I started feeling more and more anxious. How could these stories be true? The whole time I just wanted to help or comfort each girl, or make an announcement to the world saying “Stop! Stop treating girls so poorly!”

I started to wonder if I could have the guts and confidence that these girls have: could I stand up if something that horrifying happened to me? If I had been raised to think that I couldn’t get an education because I was a girl, or if I had to serve and not speak because I was a girl? I don’t know if I could have done that, but these girls had the courage and they did.

I sat at the Speak Out and thought about all of this. And then the girl with muscular dystrophy stood up to say that she dreams of a day when her story could be told and that girls with disabilities could be part of the everyday story. The whole time, I wanted to go over there and be her friend. Treat her normally and listen to all she had to say. And then she said the thing that caused us all to stand: she said that girls with disabilities are STRONGER than other girls because of everything they have to overcome every day. She is completely right. Because she stood there with a smile, in front of over 500 people, and talked about what made her sad, happy and scared. She stood up and told all of us that she knew that she was stronger than most of us. And I looked at her and I thought, you are so right.

That’s when I decided that I would try to help every girl I know to understand that we are fantastic just the way we are. We don’t need to bully others or put each other down when we are sad about the stuff in our lives, or wear layers of makeup. We need to have each others backs at all times. At the end of the day, there’s no better advocate for change than a girl. When we trust in girls, we get their very best. And that’s why I’m helping every girl I know to be her best. And that’s why I am encouraging every girl in my school to speak up and be heard! We are all here for each other and together, we really can change the world.

I loved this year’s Speak Out. It felt personal and real, and really touched me on a deep level. I cannot wait to get moving on making this world better, starting with my own hometown in Pittsburgh, PA.

Do you have a girlpower story? How did you celebrate the Day of the Girl? Send your ideas, thoughts and experiences in to info@itwixie.com, and we’ll publish them. You could win a Day of the Girl t-shirt!

11 Days of Action for International Day of the Girl

Day of the Girl, iTwixie News

October 9, 2014

11 Days of Action, Girls Speak Out, IDG 2014

DAY 9: GIRLPRENEUR DAY

Today is Day 9 of 11 Days of Action! Get ready to dream big today with Pink Lemonade Stand! Come up with an idea, a cause, a dream or a motto and share it with the world, using #Girlpreneur #IDG2014 #11DaysofAction

Pink Lemonade Stand teaches girls ages 8 through 17 how to:
• to build a legacy
• launch ideas from the heart
• make passion their master
• and allow possibility to feed their soul

Our challenge and action for you today is to use #Girlpreneur to inspire the world with your idea, business, dream or motto! Be sure to use #Girlpreneur #11DaysofAction and #IDG2014 to keep the conversation going.

imgres-2

Get ready to inspire the world, girls!

DAY 8: Code. Inspire. Make the world a better place.

It’s Day 8 of 11 Days of Action! So get ready to take action with Girl Scouts.

We live in a digital age in which many of the problems our society faces can be addressed and even fixed with code. And you can be part of the solutions!

You don’t need to be a trained programmer or mathematician to make things with code.

In fact, there are tons of fun and creative activities you can try right now to take your first coding step:

Code: Visit Made With Code, make your own avatar, name it, and share it!

Inspire: Share your avatar on social media using #IDG2014 along with your vision for a better world for girls.

Make the World a Better Place: Made With Code is about so much more than just fun and games. The coding skills you learn today can be the beginning of YOUR journey to doing something big to make a difference in the world or solve a problem you care deeply about.

Code can help you make:

Secure databases to record human rights abuses.
Online petition software that can instantly collect signatures about urgent causes.
Location devices to keep relief workers and separated families connected during disasters.
Microfinance websites that help fight poverty by providing loans to low-income people in developing countries.

You see? Coding for a better world all begins with YOU! Start the fun now. And don’t forget to share your vision for a better world for girls on social media using #IDG2014.

Girls Scouts USA

DAY 7: IT REALLY IS A GIRL THING

#itsaGirlThing

fearless

The 7th Day of the 11 Days of Action in support of the International Day of the Girl comes to us from Plan International’s Because I am a Girl campaign. Plan has put together a great video focusing on girlhood – the joy and the challenges. It has been made with global Youtube trenders who want to spread the word far and wide, gaining support for girl’s issues around the world in the run-up to October 11th.

Watch it.

Now share it. Be sure to use #itsaGirlThing

Take a picture of yourself and post it on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or any of your favorite social media channels, with #itsaGirlThing, like this:

Website link: http://plan-international.org/itsaGirlThing

DAY 6: FIND A LEADER. BE A LEADER.

Why do we need to elect more women?

It’s fair! Women are 51% the U.S. population, but less than 25% of all elected officials.
It’s smart! When we choose leaders, we should pick from the widest pool of possibilities so we make sure to get the best people.
Women change things up! They bring different backgrounds, different ideas about policies, and different approaches to how to make government work.

If it’s such a great idea, why are there so few elected women leaders?
Lots of reasons – but the biggest one is: Not enough women run for office!

Why don’t women run?
Again, lots of reasons – but here’s a big one: Nobody asked!

One girl who learned about how few women ran for office decided to take action. She wrote a letter to one of her teachers and asked her to run, telling her why she’d be great. Guess what? The teacher thought about it, realized it made sense, ran for her local council – and won!

So here are TWO actions to take for Day 6 of 11 Days of Action!

Think about the future you. If you could make a big difference by running for office, what would you like to do? What in your neighborhood, your country or the world would you change? What problem could you help to solve? Make a sign to tell us what you’ll run for and what you hope to do:“If I were President, I would___________” or “When I’m the Mayor, I will ______” or “In the Senate, I’ll make sure _____________.” Share it online with the hashtag #girlslead!
Do you know a woman who’s ready to be a great leader today? Invite her to run! You can write a letter, make a sign, record a video – just reach out to her. Tell her why she should run, why you think she’d do a great job. And make sure to tell her how you’ll help – maybe hold a car wash to raise campaign funds or hand out campaign literature. Ask others to chime in too, so she’ll know that lots of people want her to run. Then tell us about who you asked and why. Maybe you’ll inspire others to ask women they know. This could be the start of something big!Learn more about Teach a Girl to Lead™ by visiting teachagirltolead.org!
Follow us on:
Facebook
Twitter
and Instagram

You can also learn more about women and politics at the Center for American Women and Politics

DAY 5: TAKE THE TAKE3 HPV PLEDGE

DAY 3: END THE CYCLE OF VIOLENCE WITH GIRLS

Girls around the world have the right to health, safety, and wellness.

At the Girls Coalition, we think it is crucial to align health and wellness efforts with ending the cycle of violence against women and girls. Don’t you agree?

Then take action with us today. Choose a fact or statement below or make up one of your own, to help spread the word, using #11DaysofAction #GirlsSWPARocks
Together, we can change the world!

LET’S EDUCATE OURSELVES: Here’s How
We can educate ourselves and our communities right now. Check out these issues, listed below, and share a fact with your Twitter, Facebook, Instagram or real life communities! Bring these topics up with your friends, family members, and colleagues. Send an email. Share a cup of coffee and chat with a friend. Whatever you do, take action!

TEEN DATING VIOLENCE: The Facts
•1 in 3 US girls experiences violence from an intimate partner. Girls deserve to feel safe & respected #11DaysofAction #GirlsSWPARocks
• Young women between 16 and 24 experience the highest rate of intimate partner violence. Men and boys need to learn to respect women and girls #11DaysofAction #GirlsSWPARocks

SEXUAL HEALTH AND WELLBEING: The Facts:
• There are 19.7 million new STIs every year in the U.S. Let’s teach teens how to be safe #11DaysofAction #GirlsSWPARocks
• In 2008, there were an estimated 110 million prevalent STIs among women and men in the U.S.. Of these, more than 20% (22.1 million) were among women and men aged 15 to 24 years. Teens need the facts so they can make better choices #11DaysofAction #GirlsSWPARocks
• About half of all new STDs/STIs in 2000 occurred among youth ages 15 to 24. Start a conversation with a teen today about how to stay healthy #11DaysofAction #GirlsSWPARocks
• While the rates of teen pregnancy have declined significantly over the past 20 years, U.S. teen birth rate is higher than that of many other developed countries, including Canada and the United Kingdom. Let’s chat about how to protect from unwanted pregnancy #11DaysofAction #GirlsSWPARocks

HPV VACCINATION: The Facts
• The HPV vaccine protects against the four most common high-risk types of HPV. One type which causes 70% of cervical pre-cancer and cancer cases. We can protect ourselves from HPV #11DaysofAction #GirlsSWPARocks
• Young women and young men alike can protect themselves from HPV and from contracting a multitude of types of cancers by simply receiving the HPV vaccine. Learn about how HPV can be prevented #11DaysofAction #GirlsSWPARocks
• Approximately 79 million Americans are currently infected with HPV. About 14 million people become newly infected each year. Let’s talk about protecting our teens from a cancer-causing virus #11DaysofAction #GirlsSWPARocks
• About 10,300 women in the U.S. get cervical cancer each year. Let’s act to help prevent cervical cancer in our teens #11DaysofAction #GirlsSWPARocks

Resources:
• American Sexual Health Association
• Planned Parenthood
• Persad Center
• Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC – Adolescent Medicine
• Adagio Health
• Jewish Healthcare Foundation
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• American Cancer Society
• National Cancer Institute
• Center for Victims – Expect Respect and Coaching Boys Into Men
• Women’s Center and Shelter of Greater Pittsburgh
• Love is Respect
• Break the Cycle

Sources:

http://www.wcspittsburgh.org/page.aspx?pid=389

http://www.jhf.org/admin/uploads/hpv-factsheet.pdf

http://www.ashasexualhealth.org/stdsstis/statistics/ and US Department of Health and Human Services

DAY 2: GIRLS OF THE FUTURE

What makes you powerful?
What do you think girls will be in the future?

Girls at Bella Abzug Leadership Institute and the Alice Paul Institute have inspirational messages for girls around the world! Let them inspire you to take action and add your voices to theirs!

Today’s Day of Action is all about these two important questions! Just use #whatmakesmepowerful and #girlsofthefuture and finish these sentences:

#Girlsofthefuture will be___________.
_________ is what #makesmepowerful.

Let’s fill Twitter, Facebook and Instagram with images, videos and messages about what makes us powerful! The world is listening! Let’s raise our voices!