Unlock the Intelligence, Passion, & Greatness of Girls

When I'm feeling frustrated with a paper due, or I'm cramming like crazy for a big test, I often look at myself in the mirror and think, 'Ummmm... are you nuts?!' Why do I consistently put myself through  all of this? I swear I found a gray hair the other day. Wrinkles? YUP, already got them. The intensity of this university life is aging me significantly by measurable amounts. So when I'm trying to figure out my accounting homework, or staring at stats like its a different language, I often need to stop and remember what it is I'm doing here.

And then I see something like this:
http://www.ted.com/talks/leymah_gbowee_unlock_the_intelligence_passion_greatness_of_girls.html
And it all comes flooding in.

Leymah Gbowee is a Nobel Peace Prize winner, and an activist that speaks out about women and girls around the world. Her efforts contributed greatly to the end of the Liberian Civil War in 2003. She is an incredible example of the type of women I hope to become - helping to empower others to reach their highest potential. She sees the wrong in what is happening to females across the globe and has worked her entire life to help change the outcome for these women. She is such an inspiration to me that yes, I even blogged about it.

I have been extremely passionate about the protection of human rights, with a special fire for women's rights. Knowing the kinds of things that are happening to girls around the world genuinely hurts my soul. Ever since I was a little girl with a big mouth in elementary school I have been a self proclaimed feminist and female rights advocate. I even opened my grade 8 yearly speech quoting Helen Reddy with, "I am strong, I am invincible, I am woman." I then went on to boast about all the important influential women in history and why I thought they were amazing... Some things never change.

Leymah has a divine way of providing hope, where there is very little. Not only in the girls she empowers on a personal basis, but also to those she speaks to publicly around the world. She is an extraordinary woman who truly sets an example of just how powerful women can be. Leymah, with many other strong willed and courageous women, worked long and hard to bring peace to Liberia after a fourteen year civil war. They got a promise out of Liberia's former president Charles Taylor for him to attend peace conferences in Ghana and even staged a sit in until a resolution was found. This group of women fearlessly fighting for peace, with peace, also helped the first female Liberian head of state come into power, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf. These women were active contributors to bringing peace to Liberia.

In the link above, Leymah speaks about the young women who worked together to create a voters registration in a rural area of Liberia and asked each candidate what they would do for the women if they were in office. She gives real examples of how brave and intelligent these women are and how we really CAN make a difference! I get excited when I hear these stories. They give me hope when I am being told things like "Rach, you'll never be able to CHANGE the way things are there. Its just the way things are!" Maybe I, on my own, wont be able to change the world and solve all of our problems - a tough pill to swallow, but I'll take it. However, if I can help to empower and enable women, youth, and men to stand up and make changes that we see are indeed possible, then, well, all of this cramming and frustration would have all been worth it.