The Girls Who Take Action
Written for +SocialGood by the Pangea Network
As Sheryl Sandberg once notably said, “no industry or country can reach its full potential until women reach their full potential.”
In 2012, The Pangea Network, a Houston-based NGO that had historically worked primarily in Kenya decided to bring its programs to the USA, inspiring local girls to TAKE ACTION. Founder Nicole Minor noticed that, when asked to speak to high school groups, young woman were yearning to be involved, to become empowered, and to give back locally and globally but didn’t have the tools to do so. Therefore, in 2012, Nicole and her team created The Young Women’s Leadership Challenge.
The program focuses on high school young women and is based on Pangea’s mission to empower dedicated women and youth in a holistic way. YWLC starts with a 6-day intensive leadership conference and is followed by a year of activities including volunteering, trainings, and Pangea’s signature Take Action Challenge. The young women are trained in global issues/human rights, financial literacy, self-defense, self-esteem and body image, women in leadership, and service. The TAC asks every attendee to design an implement an action in their community or the world and Pangea has seen incredible results. They have 1-year to complete their challenge with the help of their network at Pangea and associated mentors.
One key feature of YWLC is that all eligible applicants are accepted, no matter if they can pay the tuition. Nicole wanted to create a diverse group of young women in each YWLC and so far, over 170 girls have been impacted. By providing scholarships to all accepted students who are in financial need, the program has attracted young women from top schools as well as through partnerships with refugee and global affairs organizations. In 2017, Pangea held three conferences in Houston, Austin, and Dallas and welcomed 65 young women to their network.
Below, we’ve highlighted a story of an incredible YWLC 2017 woman who is Taking Action in her new community.
Rooha
Rooha is 17 and goes to high school in the Dallas, Texas area. She received a full scholarship to YWLC and wants to pursue photojournalism and law. She is also an Iranian refugee and works to help support her hardworking parents, who do not speak English. You wouldn’t have known it form her application and from speaking with her, but 4 years ago, she didn’t know any English.
She was originally interested in YWLC to help her gain the skills to help her community of immigrants. In her application she said “I hope to gain some insight on how to initiate a project that would raise awareness about my community. I hope to stop the gentrification of my neighborhood, and I believe this program will help me do just that.”
Currently, along with working and going to school, Rooha serves as a mentor for The Junior Youth Spiritual Empowerment Program. As a mentor, Rooha works with 8 middle schoolers from low-income families, 6 of which are immigrants from places like Iraq, Honduras, Thailand, and Mexico. She is hoping to be a positive influence for them so that they can change their futures and the future of her diverse community.
She hopes that by participating in YWLC, she will become a better leader, communicator, and inspiration. Rooha has already completed the 6-day conference and is well on her way to making an impact in her community with the help of her new Pangea network.
Rooha’s Take Action Challenge:
TAC Project Title: Malala club
TAC Mission Statement: To empower the next generation of young people to be aware of global affairs and demand change if needed. I am passionate about the basic human right of education. For my TAC, I will create GoFundMe pages for 5–8 students who are waiting to get funding to attend secondary school. I will, also, start an afternoon club in my school, and we will discuss current global events.
“When we started YWLC,” founder Nicole says, “we did not fully realize the impact it would have on our youth and our communities. What we are seeing now is young women realizing that they have the power to mold their future and create an impact now. They are leaning on each other and confirming that when women come together, everything is possible. Rooha is a great example of that.”
“I believe the most important characteristic someone needs to be a leader is confidence and belief in one’s ability to guide others. A leader must be able to build trust between herself and others around her. This trust comes from effective communication that is linked to confidence. If a leader fails to seek strength in herself, she then fails to empower and motivate others. Another skill associated with a leader is openness to new ideas.”
“This is what separates a boss from a leader. Unlike a boss, a motivating leader always asks others for suggestions and tries to incorporate other people’s ideas into new projects. A great leader also gives leading roles to others and tries to lift people up,“ Rooha says. “The task of a leader is to empower a group and help them believe in their own strengths. Only when people start believing in themselves and others does greatness start to take place.”
