It’s the beginning of 2021 and we already have so many different exciting offerings in the works, and they are all coming into fruition because of the hard work, commitment and dedication of our fabulous volunteers. We currently have a team of volunteers planning our first ever large-scale fundraising event, Global Girls Run the World and we have one amazing volunteer who is creating our new online leadership graduate platform! We even had a volunteer meet with our exchange students this past Saturday, and run a truly impactful workshop with them on leaders around the world.
So we thought it was high time to share a bit more about two more of our change-making volunteers with you all. enjoy!
Stella McKenna - GGP Board of Trustees Chair
Stella is Chair of the Board of Trustees, a role she took in July 2020. I joined the board in April 2019. In my role as Chair I am responsible for leading our amazing board account for GGP’s mission and vision, ensure we fulfilled our governance duties as well as help Julia make GGP a success.
What is your greatest achievement outside of GGP?
My greatest achievement has to be running a marathon in 2017! I am by no means a runner, in fact I used to actively hide during school PE lessons but for some reason I felt compelled to take on the challenge. It took me nearly 2 years of training, and a lot of sweat, tears and a broken rib (!) but I made it and I genuinely enjoyed it. Whenever I think I can’t do something, or that sneaky imposter syndrome worms its way in I can remind myself that if I can run a marathon, I really can do anything.
What attracted you to volunteer with GGP?
I met Julia a few years ago at a conference, back then GGP was a passion project of Julias and whilst I found her determination deeply inspiring I wanted to see how things mapped out before diving in. Sadly many small passion projects fail. I kept a keen eye on the work of GGP through social media, and then when the time felt right I jumped at the chance to become a board member at a pivotal time for the organisation - since then we’ve transitioned to Julia working full time and developed, designed and launched a whole new programme - it’s been a big 618 months!
What has been the most exciting thing you have been involved in whilst volunteering for GGP?
Last year we were lucky enough to have a full board strategy meeting in London - it was the first time most of our international board had met in person. The room was buzzing with energy and ideas, and I felt really confident we could build GGP into an amazing, impactful, global organisation. GGP had moved far away from a passion project, although its still Julia’s passion that steers the ship.
What are your hopes for the future of GGP?
I am excited to see the Blended Learning Leadership Initiative grow. By some sixth sense this new way of delivering the life change GGP curriculum was already in the works before Covid hit, otherwise we know we would have been in trouble. We were able to pivot quickly and found some incredible partners to expand the programme in three new countries. The BLLI is simple, but hugely effective, and with this local facilitator led model we have the ability to not only reach a greater number of girls, but also access communities who have much less access to anything like GGP.
Ruksana Hussain - Book Volunteer and Blog Writer
I started late last year as a volunteer working on grant-writing opportunities and helped Julia create a master document for internal use. Then COVID hit and along came the book project on which I helped with edits/proofing and now some PR/marketing toward the launch in October. Along the way somewhere I realized the website wasn't getting updated as frequently as it should so I've been helping Julia with blog posts every two weeks. I did offer to help with the virtual summit in November but have had to move away from that now with work slowly gearing back up again.
What is your greatest achievement outside of GGP?
I am an award-winning journalist, writer and editor.
What attracted you to volunteer with GGP?
That this was a nonprofit working with young girls in developing countries where leadership skills for them is not even an option. In most cases it's a pretty grand scene if they even receive a decent education. Coming from India I've seen that all around me. I wish I had someone tell me at a young age that I could be a leader in my community. I love that GGP has taken on that challenge and successfully implemented programs every year in new countries.
What has been the most exciting thing you have been involved in whilst volunteering for GGP?
Definitely the book project, reading the stories of some of the girls was brilliant. The excitement of seeing the book from nothing to now a printed copy is indescribable. And I do get the inside scoop sometimes writing blog posts and it makes me so happy to hear the work the young girls in each of these cities are able to accomplish with a little bit of guidance.
What are your hopes for the future of GGP?
I hope programming is available for girls and women all around the world!
Thank you for reading about our world-changing volunteers and if you are interested in becoming a part of the Global Girl family then please do reach out through our Contact form.
Much gratitude,
Julia.