For girls in Malawi, Liberia, Guatemala, and Ethiopia, getting an education is not as simple as showing up for kindergarten in September. Many different factors determine her chance to make it through elementary school — how much money her family has, if she has time to go to school, if the school (and the walk to and from school) is safe and secure, and if her parents believe that education for their daughter is a priority.

I would like to personally thank Nickelodeon for including Girl Up in the third annual TeenNick HALO Awards, and for honoring the amazing work of teen philanthropists! Girl Up was thrilled to be recognized at the star-studded HALO Awards by host and Chairman Nick Cannon, celebrity guest Jessica Biel and Girl Up Champion Victoria Justice.

What do Girl Up champion Victoria Justice, Nick Cannon and Mary J. Blige have in common? On Wednesday, October 26, along with celebrities like Serena Williams and guitarist Slash, they honored four outstanding teens who have truly demonstrated the will of community service at the 2011 Teen Nick Halo Awards at the Los Angeles Palladium in Hollywood.

The countdown is officially over! According to the United Nations, there are now 7 billion people in the world. Today’s youth generation is the largest in history, with more than 1.2 billion 10 to 19 year olds. And guess what? Half are girls.

We are excited to officially announce the second class of Girl Up Teen Advisors! This year we received more than 200 nominations from across the country.

Girl Up celebrated United Nations Day in Nashville, TN on Sunday, with the UNA-USA Nashville Cordell Hull chapter. I had a great time representing our campaign among some amazing performers during the top-notch girl focused program.

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.

Hey Girl Up! My name is Tara and I am the US delegate shouting out to y’all from the G(irls)20 Summit in Paris This week has been an awesome opportunity to connect with women from the G20 nations to develop a comprehensive report that calls on the G20 leaders to focus on women and girls.

When you get 21 girls together from all over the world, expect change! For two days, I’m joining teen girls who were hand-picked from each G20 country and the African Union, to serve as delegates to brainstorm ideas that will help give girls everywhere more opportunities.

You can support girls in Guatemala, Liberia, Ethiopia and Malawi by bringing together a group of passionate, dedicated girls who are ready to make a difference! That is what I did when six friends and I became the founding members of the Laurel School for Girls (LS4G) Girl Up Club!

On Wednesday, October 5 I had the opportunity to participate in the 2011 Global Conference for Social Change and Women & Girls Education Summit held at the UN Plaza hotel in New York City. It was an amazing experience for me!

Education is important to me because it makes a girl’s life worth living.

Just by checking out Girl Up’s awesome website and following these blogs, you are on the path to making the world a better place for girls.

Education is important to me because it’s the best way to end global poverty.

Bring out the cake and ice cream for the birthday girls! This Friday September 30, Girl Up is turning one. But we can’t blow out the candles alone.

Education is important to me because it allows all girls and boys to learn skills that will last them a lifetime.

“The future is struggling to be born...we have to make room for it.” In the closing session at the Clinton Global Initiative Conference 2011, President Clinton urged the audience to take a stance and better our future.

“When you stand out in a crowd, it is only because you are being carried on the shoulders of others.” After Desmond Tutu said this at the opening session of the Clinton Global Initiative day two, it stuck with me through the day and forms the basis for my post tonight.

Why is it so vital for a teen to be attending and reporting on the Clinton Global Initiative 2011? President Clinton opened the morning today at the Clinton Global Initiative annual meeting 2011.

Did you know that an average American teenage girl sends 150 text messages a day? Now imagine using one of those text messages a day towards spreading awareness about girls in developing countries.

By the time the doors opened to kick off our Unite for Girls Tour in New York, brought to you by our partner Clean and Clear, there was so much excitement in the air!

We are so excited to have a new class of Teen Advisors join us this fall. Very soon you will get to meet them! In the meantime, we asked each of them the question: “Why is education important to you?” 

Education, starting with girls, is the first step to unleashing the wealth and power of women to transform our lives.

Here's an easy way to help girls in developing countries have greater access to education, using the one thing most of us check daily: Facebook.

Education is important to me because it’s about more than just going to school – it’s about shaping our thoughts and ideas and opening up opportunities later in life.