February 2014 Newsletter

February 10, 2014
Newsletter #1

Register for a Lunch and Learn Event Today!

Thursday, Feb. 20 Developing Shared Standards II

Tuesday, Mar. 18  Anti-Human Trafficking Identification & Response

Thursday, Apr. 17     Talking to Girls about Media Messages

In This Issue...

1. Alliance for Girls
   
2. World of Girls
3. Organizational Spotlight

Alliance for Girls

2013 Highlights- A year in review

To learn about all the great things Alliance for Girls has been up to including leadership development, advocacy, research and collaborations click here.
 

Next!

We are thrilled to welcome Ana Aguilar to Alliance for Girls’ team! She will be joining us as our Membership Associate, running Alliance for Girls’ directory, producing our newsletter and getting to know all of you! In addition to working with Alliance for Girls, she currently works at Mission Local and co-chairs the Outreach Team for Girls on the Run of the Bay Area. She graduated from San Francisco State University with a B.A. in Communication Studies. Most importantly, she is passionate about creating an environment where girls have opportunities to thrive and succeed. 

World of Girls

Establishing a White House Task Force to Protect Students from Sexual Assault

Image Courtesy of Aljazeera America

On January 22, 2014 President Barack Obama released a memorandum to create a task force to protect students from sexual assault in institutions of higher learning.

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Exploring the Barriers and Opportunities for Independent Women Filmmakers

Image Courtesy of thefeministwire.com

The Sundance Institute and Women In Film Los Angeles and Women Filmmakers Initiative recently released a study exploring female involvement as content creators in independent films and the obstacles they face.

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Girls’ Court

Girls’ Court is a collaborative effort between the Public Defender’s Office, the District Attorney, the bench, Social Services, Probation, and a number of community-based agencies. This program was recently featured in The New York Times for their “all-hands-on-deck approach to the lives of vulnerable girls.”

Read More

Click here to learn more about Girls’ Court.

If you are interested in having your organization featured in our Organizational Spotlight please contact Ana Aguilar.

Organizational Spotlight: Camp Reel Stories

Media literacy is not a subject that is currently taught in schools, yet girls are constantly exposed to media and are not equipped with the skills to critically think and analyze what they are taking in. It is with this understanding of an unbalanced media perspective and a lack of media literacy training for girls that Esther Pearl decided to create Camp Reel Stories in 2012.

Camp Reel Stories serves girls between the ages of 13-18. Most participants are from the East Bay but there are some participants from as far as Washington State with 40% of the girls receiving financial aid. The program has positive effects on participants’ self-esteem by empowering girls to tell their stories through film. The girls aren’t the only ones that have benefited from the program. The program has had a positive effect on the 40 professional mentors as well. Mentors include incredible women such as Brenda Chapman (Academy Award winning director of Brave), Jill Culton, (Dreamworks Animation director)  and many others. The campers received practical critiques of their projects and working methods from these media industry leaders and mentors had the opportunity to network with other women in the film industry.

Before creating Camp Reel Stories, Esther Pearl received her MBA in Sustainability Management from Presidio Graduate School, and had worked in the film industry for 15 years, including working at Pixar for 9 years. Looking towards the future Camp Reel Stories is interested in expanding to other areas, including New York. They would also like to expand their program to include younger girls. Esther explained that she would like her organization to partner with like-minded programs to help girls develop new skills and grow.

Alliance for Girls
340 Pine St, Ste. 302      San Francisco, 94104 415-341-9390           emma@evafoundation.org

www.alliance4girls.org

Alliance for Girls champions the leaders and voices that support young women and girls.