This week Girl Up Director Gina Reiss-Wilchins is attending the Global Philanthropy Forum. This conference aims to build a community of donors and social investors who committed to international causes. Check out her question to Tony Blair, former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, about child marriage!

What do High School Musical, a private wealth advisor, and “philanthro-teens” have in common?  The first ever Girl Up Leadership Summit!  Celebrities, female leaders, and more than 100 fabulous young women from across the country came together last weekend to learn about their peers in developing countries and gain the tools necessary to support them.

Our first ever Leadership Summit was a huge success! The event brought 100 girls from across the country and connected them to women at the top of their game in finance, politics, and entertainment. All 15 of our Teen Advisors came to DC to show their peers on how to spread the Girl Up message and were treated to a tour of the nation’s capital.

Education is important to me because it can be the great equalizer between boys and girls, men and women. It is widely recognized that educating girls is one of the most effective ways to break the cycle of poverty, and to empower the next generation to achieve a brighter future.