Our Approach
Adolescent girls from vulnerable communities around the world are undervalued because of their gender, which limits them from pursuing a life of their own design. Our research has found that for girls to determine their own futures, they must be equipped with three key capabilities: Agency, Voice, and Power.
Our programs utilize the evidence-based Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) framework, allowing girls to develop key Social and Emotional Learning skills. We target and measure girls’ progress in five key competencies — self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision-making — all of which are crucial for girls to make informed decisions about their lives and futures.
Through our signature program, GLOW Club, and our Advocacy initiatives, girls are provided with opportunities to speak out and take action in the safe space of their club and in their broader local communities with the support of peers and trusted mentors. As girls develop agency and strengthen their voice through these activities, their power builds. When girls are powerful, they can lead our world.
Click here to read our white paper that explains the evidence behind our approach to driving change.
Recognizing Agency
When girls recognize their agency, they realize that they can make their own decisions about their futures and well-being — even if society may tell them otherwise. In Kenya, 18-year-old Alice escaped the harmful cultural practice of female genital mutilation, and, after participating in GLOW Club, found the courage to return home to rescue her younger sister from the same fate. She now views herself as an advocate determined to rescue even more girls in her home community.
Exercising Voice
Our programming provides girls with opportunities to practice expressing themselves and speaking up for what they believe in in safe, supportive environments. In India, after developing socio-emotional self-awareness skills in GLOW Club, Simran began challenging gender norms at home by asking her mother why she, as a daughter, is expected to complete household chores while her brother is not. Simran decided to act to determine her own future, and plans to continue speaking out to create generational change.
Building Power
When girls recognize their agency and exercise their voice, they become empowered to live self-determined lives of their own design. We see examples of this every day. In Malawi, Christine advocates for more inclusive facilities for people like herself living with disabilities. In Nepal, Safalta is eliminating period stigma in her community. And in Sierra Leone, GLOW Club members’ fearless advocacy against child marriage helped result in the country officially outlawing the practice in 2024.
Collectively, GLOW Girls around are using their agency, voice, and power to pave the way for a brighter future: One with girls leading our world.
