Stand Up for Girls on 10.11.

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LitWorld is a 501(c)3 fostering resilience, hope and joy through the power of story. We value stories of all kinds, inds, but especially stories that are seldom told. That is why we choose to celebrate the International Day of the Girl by encouraging women, men, girls and boys to tell the story of an n inspirational woman or girl. LitWorld will gather these stories as a part of our Stand Up for Girls campaign and weave them into a global narrative, celebrating the women and girls whose stories often go unheralded. In this packet you will find a series of resources for you to use on the International Day of the Girl, whether you are celebrating as assroom, organization. an individual, classroom,

Join the Movement Movement. Heres How.

Take Action Today
Spread the #standup4girls movement in your social networks by participating in the Stand Up for Girls Photo Campaign.

Honor a Story
Contribute to the LitWorld Story Bank with a story of a woman or girl who inspires you at litworld.org/stories.

Stand Up at Noon
On 10.11.13, , wherever you are at noon local time, stand up for one minute in solidarity with the 523 million women around th the e world who cannot read or write.

Host a Stand Up for Girls Event

Use this packet to host ost your own Stan Stand d Up for Girls event on 10.11.13. 10.11.13

Donate to LitWorld
Invest in girls stories and honor a loved one with a donation to LitWorld in support of our programs and campaigns.

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Why Do We Stand Up for Girls?

Directions: Celebrate the International Day of the Girl by reading and discussing the Stand Up for Girls Mission Statement in class, with family and/or with friends.
523 million women and girls worldwide cannot read and write. LitWorlds Stand Up for Girls campaign gn mobilizes women, men, girls and boys to advocate for every girl's right to tell her story to change the world. By learning to read, write and share their stories, girls understand that their words have the power to create monumental change. Stand Up with h LitWorld on October 11th, the annual UN sanctioned International Day of the Girl and join our community as we take action on behalf of the world's most marginalized girls so that they can build fierce, fearless futures, lit from within. This year we celebrate ebrate the stories of the women and girls who have inspired our own

Discussion Questions: 1. Why is it important to Stand Up for Girls today?

2. How does it make you feel to know that today you Stand Up for Girls with thousands of others around the world?

3. Why is it important to celebrate the stories of inspirational women and girls?

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Stand Up for Girls Photo Campaign

Use the following activity with your friends, loved ones, classroom and/or organization to celebrate Stand Up for Girls in your community. Materials: 1. Stand Up for Girls Sign (attached) 2. Pens/Markers 3. Blank paper 4. Tape Directions: 1. Have participants sit in a circle, or if your group is too big participants can sit facing the activity leader. 2. Pass out copies of the at attached tached Stand Up for Girls sign, pens/markers and blank paper to write/draw on. 3. Read the Stand Up for Girls mission stateme statement nt and explain to participants that today you will be celebrating a woman or girl that has inspired you as part of Stand Up for Girls. 4. Ask participants to silently think of a girl or woman that has inspired them in some way. You can give some examples to help them think like, your mother, your teacher, your friend, your mentor, a stranger who once did something you admire, etc.. When they are done, participants should raise their hand so you know they are done. Reassure them that this does not mean they have ha to share or speak in front of the group. 5. Tell participants that they will fill in the sign with the name of the woman or girl they chose, as well as her role in their lives. For example, My mother, Nancy; My teacher, Rose; My friend; Sarah or My inspiration, Susannah. 6. After you have given them these examples, ask them to fill in their sign with the name of their girl or woman they are thinking of and her role in their lives. Then, have them write or draw the story of when that woman or girl inspired them on the blank piece of paper you provided. When they are done, participants should raise their hands so you can see who is done. Again, reassure them that they will not have to share with the group. 7. When everyone is done writing and/or drawing, have each participant turn to the person next to him/her and share their story with one another. Feel free to ask some people to share with the group if they wish. 8. Once everyone is done sharing, have each participant line up for a photo. Choose a neutral background and take a picture of the participant holding his or her sign. Be sure they are holding the sign high so that the picture can be taken up close. You may refer to the LitWorld Stand Up for Gir Girls ls 2013 Facebook album for inspiration. 9. Post your photos on to Facebook and tag LitWorld so that we can share your amazing celebration with our network!

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LitWorld, 2013

Global Facts About Girls, Literacy, and Education

Use these facts to host a discussion about the importance of global girls literacy and education.

793 million adults worldwide cannot read and 64% of them are women. (UNESCO) In 2009, around 35 million girls were out of school. (World Bank) Girls often have to drop out of school to be married. The best means of protecting girls from early marriage is to keep them in school. (Global Campaign for Education) Exclusion xclusion of women from access to schooling and the labor force means a less educated workforce, inefficient allocation of labor, lost productivity, and results in diminished progress of economic development. (World Bank) When girls and women go to school, or participate in a literacy program, they not only gain fundamental literacy iteracy skills and academic knowledge, but they are empowered to make key decisions and take charge of their lives. (UNESCO) Not only do newly literate women feel better about themselves, but they gain the confidence to seek out income generation and emplo employment yment opportunities, financial services and information for meeting other social and health health-related related needs. (UNESCO) Newly literate women also gain the confidence to participate more actively in their communities and are emboldened to exercise their right to political and economic participation. (UNESCO) A 35-year year study in Guatemala found a link between the number of years girls spent in school and the timing of childbearing. For each additional year a young woman spent in school, the age at which she had her first child was delayed approximately 6 to 10 months. (World Bank) A child born to a mother who can read is 50% more likely to survive past the age of 5 than a child born to an illiterate woman. (UNESCO) The poorest women and those with minimal education are the least likely to have skilled assistance during birth or to have pre pre-natal natal care. Additionally, they are also those with inadequate postnatal care, increasing infant and maternal mortality rates. (Gender nder Needs Assessment for Blantyre City, Malawi) A literate and educated girl is three times less likely to acquire AIDS, she will earn at least 25% more income, and she will produce a smaller, healthier family. (UNESCO) Women in 32 countries who remained in school after primary school were five times more likely to know basic facts about HIV than illiterate women. A study in Zambia finds that HIV spreads twice as fast among uneducated girls. (Vandemoortele and Delamonica, "Education Vaccine Against HIV/AIDS) Literate women are more aware about diseases and their treatment; with better capability to deal with sickness, and they in turn would begin to
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send their girl child to school, breaking the pattern of social gender d discrimination, iscrimination, a strong barrier to girl's education. President Pratibha Patil, former president of India (and the first woman to hold office)

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LitWorld, 2013