Back in April of 2014, the Lower East Side Girl’s Club in New York City hosted a live online discusssion event, entitled, “Girls: A No Ceilings Conversation.” The project discussion was chaired by Former Secretary of State Hilary Clinton and Vice Chair Chelsea Clinton of the Clinton Foundation. Actor, America Ferrara moderated the event.
http://thejuicywoman.blogs.com/my_weblog/2014/09/girls-.html
Back in April of 2014, the Lower East Side Girl’s Club in New York City hosted a live online discusssion event, entitled, “Girls: A No Ceilings Conversation.” The project discussion was chaired by Former Secretary of State Hilary Clinton and Vice Chair Chelsea Clinton of the Clinton Foundation. Actor, America Ferrara moderated the event.
What is The No Ceilings Project?
Director, Terry McCullogh of the No Ceilings: The Full Participation Project: A Clinton Foundation Initiative explained that this livestream discussion event marks the first of a series of No Ceilings discussions that would focus on multiple issues that affect the full participation of women and girls.
In explaining more about the No Ceilings: A Full Participation Project and what full participation means Director McCullough says, “to us, full participation means that you have the same opportunity to pursue your dreams as anybody else.” In partnership with the Gates Foundation, this project was intended to create a 21st century agenda to close the gap on issues affecting equal rights for women and girls. Basically the point of this initiative is to say that your voice matters in shaping the policies of our future.
Schools Involved in the Event
In addition to a live audience of a hundred people in attendance at the Lower East Side Girls’ Club, four schools from around the country were represented.
Hathaway Brown in Shaker Heights, Ohio
The York County School District in York County, Virginia
Seattle Girls’ School in Seattle, Washington
The Kip Delta School in Helena, Arkansas
The students from each of the schools listed above were online and able to ask questions and make comments sharing their stories, values and thoughts, letting the audience know their perspective of what it is like to be a girl today. Others, from Nepal to New York who were unable to attend shared their stories by submitting video clips offering the viewer a global perspective.
America Ferrara’s Speech on Self-Acceptance
In a thought-provoking opening speech, America Ferrara made a powerful statement about the importance of self-acceptance. She said,
“I have spent so much time worrying about what I look like and if people think I’m good enough that it’s taken the time away from me being a person in the world. The energy and the thought and the resources and the emotion that goes into needing to fulfill an expectation are stolen from other things I could be doing and I think that is one of the worst tricks played on women in our society. If you’re worrying about whether you fit in the right pair of jeans or if you’re wearing the right perfume or if your earrings are matching your purse enough, then you can’t be running for office, then you can’t be coding, then you can’t be contributing to society in a meaningful way because your energy is going towards the superficial.”
As a mother of an 18 year old daughter, a former Girl Scout leader, and a speaker on topics of self-esteem building, I stand in great pride knowing that initiatives like the Full Participation Project exist.
Far too many young girls and women are negatively influenced by the media and it’s degrading portrayal of females as sexual objects. I believe that it’s these glimpses of changing roles that help to expand our sense what’s possible for our lives. For more information on the Clinton Foundation’s No Ceilings: The Full Participation Project, visit http://www.clintonfoundation.org/noceilings