#TeamGirl Campaign Launched By World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts

The first #TeamGirl campaign has been launched by the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts (WAGGGS) to highlight International Day of the Girl Child, which takes place on 11 October 2016.

A global movement spanning 146 countries and reaching 10 million girls and women, WAGGGS is calling on girls globally to be part of the team that changes the world for the better.

The #TeamGirl campaign aims to show that girls and young women are essential for the achievement of the Global Goals for Sustainable Development. Adopted by the United Nations in September 2015, the Global Goals represent an ambitious agenda to end poverty, fight inequality, and tackle climate change by 2030.

Anita Tiessen, Chief Executive of WAGGGS said, “As tomorrow’s adults and potential future leaders, today’s girls have a huge stake in ensuring that the Global Goals are achieved. Through #TeamGirl, we will empower girls and young women to team up and take positive actions in their communities today that will contribute to changing the world for tomorrow.”

We’re setting out to make more noise than ever about the great things that girls can achieve, and we want as many girls as possible to get behind this campaign.

In the five weeks running up to International Day of the Girl Child, #TeamGirl will focus on five of the Global Goals, through stories of five young women, each from one of the five regions WAGGGS works in. The stories are an example of how Girl Guides and Girl Scouts organisations have a pivotal role to play in empowering and enabling girls and young women to tackle serious issues at a grassroots level, which contribute to the wider global agenda, such as the Global Goals.

Girls are the experts on their needs and lived experience and can make a genuine contribution to the success of the 2030 Agenda if given the tools and the spaces to do so. WAGGGS has a strong history of mobilising girls to work on global issues at a local level.

The organisation is now building on the success of its Global Action Theme – a programme that sought to raise awareness among its members about the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and equip them to take action on these issues in their communities – with a new programme on the Global Goals. WAGGGS will be partnering with TheGoals.org to offer free mobile learning on the Global Goals, using mobile technology to engage young people in learning about the Goals and sharing local solutions.

The #TeamGirl campaign is asking girls and young women that are part of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts associations globally to commit to earning the new International Day of the Girl Child badge. Participants will choose one of the Global Goals to focus on, decide on the community activity they will undertake, and ask four friends to join them.

Girls and women not associated with the Girl Guides or Girl Scouts will also be encouraged to be part of the #TeamGirl campaign by choosing a Global Goal to focus on, teaming up with friends, pledging to make a difference in their community and sharing this on social media using the hashtag #TeamGirl. The campaign aims to gather momentum through social media with action-packed #TeamGirl photos being shared across various platforms.

Nicola Grinstead, Chair, World Board, World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts added: “We have a long and proud heritage as a Movement of empowering girls with leadership and life skills. Today’s Girl Guides and Girl Scouts are a force to be reckoned with; they have a can-do attitude and are motivated to take on big challenges and make a
positive impact in their communities. The #TeamGirl campaign represents this spirit perfectly, and we’re excited to see what our girls and young women will achieve.”

#TeamGirl campaign assets such as downloadable Global Goal templates, social media banners, and ideas for participation and how to share will be available from the WAGGGS
website: www.wagggs.org/teamgirl