Successes

Support
makes a difference

There is a greatness in girls that's hard to suppress. With a supportive environment, today's girls will become tomorrow's role models, leaders, and captains of industry. Here, you'll watch many such women tell us who got them there, when they were girls. You'll also hear from inspiring young women who are already on their way to changing the world.

Support makes all the difference. Take time today to participate, speak up, and invest.

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<td><img src="/media/10352/annika_300x409.jpg"  width="300"  height="409" alt="Annika"/></td>
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<p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Annika's sponsor,
Maxine</strong></p>

<p style="text-align: left;">"Your presence is the important
part."</p>

<p style="text-align: left;">When Annika decided to address the
homeless crisis in her community, Maxine, her adult project
sponsor, knew Annika would do all the heavy lifting. "Annika is a
very self-driven person," Maxine said, "so she didn't require much
assistance."<br />
 Annika recruited over 100 volunteers to produce pallets-which
resemble bedrolls, but are constructed from plastic grocery
bags-according to her own design, which keeps the homeless dry when
they sleep at night.</p>

<p style="text-align: left;">Maxine discovered the best way to
support Annika: "Just your presence is the important part. Girls
need to know that another adult cares about them and what they're
doing."Maxine was also able to leverage her contacts in the
community and book speaking opportunities for Annika, which helped
get the word out. "By having young women speak," Maxine said, "it
shows that we have many wonderful, high-achieving young adults in
our community."</p>

<p style="text-align: left;">For Annika, Maxine's support meant
reaching her dream of making a difference in the lives of the
homeless.</p>
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Annika's sponsor, Maxine

"Your presence is the important part."

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<td><img src="/media/10447/alexis_300x409.jpg"  width="300"  height="409" alt="Alexis"/></td>
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<p><strong>Alexis's sponsor, Polly</strong></p>

<p>"Relate to the girl as an individual"</p>

<p>When Alexis discovered that 800,000 people worldwide are forced
into slavery each year - a number that disproportionally affects
teenage girls - she took on the challenge of raising awareness and
creating a nationwide dialogue around the issue. In need of an
adult project sponsor, Alexis turned to Polly, who saw quickly that
Alexis was "a self-motivated young woman who needed little
guidance."</p>

<p>But even if Polly's support for Alexis was subtle, it was
critical. According to Polly, the key to supporting a teenager with
big dreams is to relate to the girl as an individual, discovering
her personal interests and understanding the complexity of her
life. Polly also finds that communication in the girl's style is
key, noting that, "Communication has changed from telephone calls
and face-to-face contact to more immediate answers in a text
message."</p>

<p>Bolstered by that support, Alexis created a successful website
that exposes products made by slave labor, and she continues to
speak on the issue.</p>
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Alexis's sponsor, Polly

"Relate to the girl as an individual."

Support makes a difference

Support
makes a difference