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Girls Inc. is Different!
At Girls Inc., we create a diverse, inclusive, equitable environment where all can thrive because that is what is required to inspire all girls to be strong, smart, and bold. Girls Inc. seeks to hire, retain, and personally and professionally support talented people who come from a wide range of races, ethnicities, cultures, nationalities, ages, gender identities, sexual orientations, religions, socioeconomic backgrounds, and abilities. We believe that when we bring together a diverse employee community and make a sincere and intentional commitment to equitable and inclusive policies, practices, and actions, we are a better organization. Seeking out a range of ideas and perspectives leads to better problem-solving. Working in diverse teams broadens dialogue and promotes creativity, ultimately enhancing our effectiveness as we executive our mission and model the world we want to see.
Network-wide Policy and Advocacy Platform Overview
Combat Bullying, Sexual Harassment, and Sexual Violence
* We advocate strong enforcement to guard against sexual harassment; prevent sexual violence, teen dating violence, and child sex trafficking; and strengthen laws and programs that improve support for the survivors of gender-based violence.
Promote Access to Education and Economic Independence
* We promote access to educational opportunities in non-traditional career fields, advocate for reform of school policies and practices that disproportionality push out girls of color, and protect access to educational opportunities for young women regardless of income or immigration status.
Support Girls’ Mental Health
* We work to combat mental health stigmas, promote diverse, empowering images of girls and women, push for more programs that help low-income youth access mental health services, and advocate for trauma survivors to get access to resources they need to heal.
Advance Reproductive Health
* We advocate for comprehensive and inclusive sex education and look to expand and protect access to reproductive health care.
What is Advocacy?
Advocacy is the deliberate process of directly and indirectly influencing decision makers, stakeholders and relevant audiences. At Girls Inc. we are committed to centering our advocacy in the lived experiences of girls.
At Girls Inc. we engage in different types of advocacy, including legislative, administrative, and culture-change advocacy. Girls can be involved with and lead efforts in all three!
Legislative Advocacy
Legislative advocacy is the deliberate process of directly and indirectly influencing lawmakers. This can happen at all levels of government. Girls Inc. National engages in our own legislative advocacy and we support local affiliates in doing the same. One example includes our work to pass the Real Education for Healthy Youth Act, a bill that would provide federal funding for comprehensive sex education. There are some restrictions on the amount of this form of advocacy nonprofits can do.
Administrative Advocacy
Administrative advocacy involves the deliberate process of directly and indirectly influencing decision-makers in the executive branch of government, including the regulatory process. Regulations are issued by agencies to help the public interpret and apply laws. One example of this form of advocacy at the federal level includes our opposition to proposed federal rules that would change how schools interpret the application of Title IX - the civil rights law that prohibits sex discrimination in education - to sexual harassment and violence.
Culture-Change Advocacy
Culture-change advocacy is a form of advocacy aimed at influencing the way people think or behave. Often culture-change advocacy involves educating the public about an issue and raising awareness about personal and societal changes necessary to address the problem. Sometimes this also involves Legislative or Administrative Advocacy.
One example includes the campaign Girls Inc. launched in 2018 called “#GirlsToo.” Its principal focus was on raising public awareness about the pervasiveness of sexual harassment and sexual violence among youth, particularly in K-12 schools. Over the course of the first year of that campaign, about 30,000 people took an online pledge to help create a culture where girls and all young people can feel safe, respected, and valued. Our #GirlsToo website provides conversation guides, tips, and toolkits for young people, parents, educators, and other concerned citizens.
Our Network-Wide Policy and Advocacy Platform is not about politics; it is about girls.
It’s about the issues, not the politicians. Despite the hyper-polarized nature of today’s political climate, there is some agreement across the political spectrum about what is needed to improve opportunities for girls. And the majority of our advocacy work is focused on raising awareness of the issues girls face in our community and what can be done to address those issues.
We do not engage in partisan politics, nor support or oppose candidates, to stay within the limits of what 501(c)(3) organizations are permitted to do.