This interview was first published by The Statesman on 1 December 2025.
Jules Lynch is a globally recognised leader in community development and girls’ leadership, with over twenty-five years of experience as a community social worker and therapist across Canada, Great Britain, and the United States.
1. How did the Global Girl Project come into existence? What was the motivation behind the genesis?
Global Girl Project was founded in 2014 from a simple but urgent question. Why were there so many leadership and exchange opportunities for girls from the Global Minority (Global North), yet so few for girls from the Global Majority (Global South)?
As an educator and social impact leader, I saw enormous potential in girls living in poverty who were already driving change in their communities, often without recognition or support. The idea was to bridge that gap by creating spaces where girls from the Global Majority could access high-quality leadership training, cultural exchange, and global networks. Our first programme began with one young woman from Brazil’s favelas, who travelled to Los Angeles to participate in a leadership exchange. Seeing her transformation and her community project afterwards confirmed what I believed all along: when girls are given the opportunity to lead, they don’t just change their own lives, they change the world around them.
2. In today’s time and age, what are the main challenges , according to you , that girl children face, across the world, irrespective of borders?
While the specifics differ from country to country, the core challenges facing girls are remarkably similar. Many still grow up in systems that undervalue or even silence their voices, limit their education, and restrict their freedom to make decisions about their own lives. Gender-based violence, early marriage, and lack of access to quality education persist as structural barriers. But one of the biggest challenges is also invisible. The global narrative that continues to frame girls, especially those in the Global South, as beneficiaries of aid rather than as capable leaders and agents of change. Until we shift that mindset and invest in girls as decision-makers and changemakers, true equity will remain out of reach.
3. At the Global Girl Project, what are the main initiatives being implemented to secure equity and equality for the girl child?
Our work is centred around two key programmes: the Global Girl Leadership Initiative (GGLI) and Global Graduates Connect (GGC). Through the GGLI, we run a three-month leadership journey for girls aged 13 to 18 across Africa, Asia, MENA, and Latin America. Delivered through our network of local partners, the programme introduces girls to concepts of leadership, community action, and social change. Each cohort or participants design and lead a community action project that tackles an issue they care about from challenging gender roles to promoting girls’ education. After graduation, the GGC network keeps their journey going. It connects girls from different countries to continue learning and leading together through storytelling training, live events, and online learning. The aim is to ensure that leadership isn’t a one-off experience but a lifelong process supported by a global sisterhood.
4. How can youth contribute to furthering the cause of girl child empowerment?
Young people have the power to challenge outdated norms and rebuild systems from within. Youth can start by creating inclusive spaces where girls’ ideas are heard and taken seriously in schools, community groups, or even digital platforms. Importantly, empowerment doesn’t always mean grand gestures. It can start with small, everyday actions: mentoring younger girls, calling out inequality when they see it, and amplifying the stories of girls leading change. Collective youth action can transform local cultures of inequality into cultures of shared responsibility and mutual respect.
5. What is the biggest hurdle that you organisation faces in achieving your mission of mobilising girls, around the globe, for social change through community development and social action?
One of our biggest challenges is sustainability not just in terms of funding, but in building structures that ensure long-term, community-led change. Many girls we work with live in areas with limited access to technology or education, so delivering consistent programming requires deep local partnerships and creative solutions to overcome those barriers. Additionally, the global funding landscape often overlooks grassroots, girl-led initiatives in favour of large-scale interventions. We’re working to change that narrative by showing that real transformation happens when girls in the most marginalised communities have the tools, trust, and opportunities to lead.
6. How has the Global Girl Project impacted the cause of a more just world for the girl child?
Since 2014, over 1,500 girls have participated or leader ship programmes, collectively leading more than 170 community projects that have reached over 10,000 people. These projects have tackled issues such a s gender based voilence , discrimination, child marriage, and access to education, each one designed and led by the girls themselves.
Beyond the numbers, the deeper impact lies in how these girls see themselves and are seen by their communities. They begin to be recognised as leaders, organisers, and change agents. In turn, they inspire others to believe that girls not only deserve a seat at the table but they can build the table themselves.
7. Any message you would like to share with our readers?
Every girl, no matter where she’s born, has the potential to lead change. What she often lacks isn’t ability or ambition, it’s opportunity. When we invest in girls, we’re not just mobilising individuals; we’re unlocking entire communities. My message is simple: listen to girls, trust their leadership, and support them to lead the change they want to see. Because when girls rise, everyone rises.