Last week, I attended the UN Women’s Youth Summit at the UN Headquarters in New York City. Global youth leaders from all over the world discussed their views on gender equality and what they’re doing to help young women. Participants were of different ages, different genders and from many different countries but the message they were all promoting was clear: empower young women.

It starts with one voice. I speak up and while, I won’t be ignored, combining my voice with yours will make our calls stronger. Your representative in Washington listens. 

I have some awesome news – thanks to you, in the month of December Girl Up raised enough money to send over 5,000 girls to school in Malawi! This is pretty cool, because first we asked you to help send 1,000 girls to school.

I just got back from Ethiopia where 1 in 5 girls is married by the age of 15. For just a $40 donation, you can you can change this statistic. While I was there, I was able to catch up with Tigist — an incredible girl with an inspiring story who we first introduced you to last year.

Today is World AIDS Day. Did you know that young people between the ages of 15 and 24 make up 40 percent of new HIV infections globally?

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

“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.

March 22 is World Water Day and here’s something to think about next time you groan about having to do the dishes or help wipe the table -- in many developing countries, adolescent girls not only have to help with the cleaning, they also have to walk for many hours just to retrieve the water. In Ethiopia, girls will walk up to six hours a day on dangerous roads to collect water for their families and villages to use for drinking, cooking, cleaning and other household needs.

Hi! I am Omar Terrones, a member of the Girl Up club at Garfield High School in East Los Angeles, CA with Teen Advisor Rocio Ortega. I was one of the first few people, as well as the first and only boy to join the club back in its inception.

As a teen in the U.S., you are more socially connected today than ever before.  A study by the Pew Internet and American Life Project found that 75% of 12-17 year-olds now own cell phones, up from 45% in 2004, and one in three teens sends more than 100 text messages a day – or 3,000 texts a month!  Teens instant message and connect on social networking sites with friends almost as much as they connect in person. 

As the year comes to an end, all of us here at Girl Up have been looking back on the most amazing 2010 moments. We realize that so many of our most incredible memories came from you! 

Wow, what a year it has been for Girl Up! I cannot believe we started this campaign just a few months ago.  We all know time flies when you’re having fun!There are so many things we’ve done and achieved this year, but before we start 2011, we want to share some of our favorite moments of 2010!

It’s the holiday season, so you’re probably getting all kinds of invites to parties and fun gatherings with friends and family. At Girl Up, we think there’s no better combination than food, fun, people we love and giving back!

You may not have used our events hosting tool yet, so we wanted to give you the run-down on how to host your own party, movie night, bowling tournament (you name it), so you can invite all your friends and give back through Girl Up! I set up my own event — check out how it works!

Vivanista is asking you to show your “Love of Philanthropy” by helping them pick one photo that in your eyes, best represents philanthropy. From February 1st to 7th, Vivanista called on all of you to enter photos of a person, place, or thing that represented the heart of philanthropy.

Over the past few weeks, you may have seen some of our blogs on violence against girls. Every day, a woman or girl is a victim of violence. Did you know that violence kills or harms as many women and girls between the ages of 15 and 44 as cancer?

This week, we are talking about the issue of violence against girls and what Girl Up is doing to help make a difference. Some of the most at-risk girls are forced into marriage or relationships when they are still young children.

I grew up in the U.S., in a small house with a backyard and a dog, in a safe neighborhood (as a kid, I thought it was kind of boring) in Tampa, Florida. I knew the basic rules about safety — don’t talk to strangers, never get in a car with someone you don’t know, look both ways before you cross the street, and as I got older, there were of course all sorts of rules about boys.

Congrats, Carrie!! You are the lucky winner of our Victoria Justice Birthday Contest. Your entry was so moving and represented Victoria’s work on behalf of Girl Up. We received a lot of amazing stories and it was tough to pick just one so thank you to everyone who participated!

Yesterday, Girl Up kicked off our Unite for Girls Tour and our campaign launch in New York City with our first pep rally, hosted at the Vanderbilt YMCA. Along with hundreds of inspired, energized girls, we all got to hang out with two of our Champions...

As our Unite for Girls Tour continues across the country (this week we’re in Denver), we’re getting more emails everyday from girls asking about more ways to get involved to support the campaign.

One great way to help is by using Facebook and other social networks to spread the word about Girl Up with all your friends.