Sign up for the Girl Up Leadership Summit to Hear Kat Graham, Yara Shahidi and More Speak on Gender Equality

You can still register for the Girl Up Leadership Summit, a virtual summit of digital conversations, panels, workshops and more Monday through Wednesday. 

The virtual summit allows girls to build leadership skills, engage with accomplished speakers, and learn how to take their passion and turn it into action. Actress and producer, Storm Reid, will be speaking with NBA star, Stephen Curry, about family, faith and confidence at 8 p.m. EST Monday. Following Reid and Curry’s discussion, actress and producer, Yara Shahidi, will give a special message. To register for the remainder of the summit, go to GirlUp.org/Summit. For a full detailed agenda, click here.

Actress and humanitarian, Kat Graham, will be speaking on the importance of education for refugees Tuesday at 8 p.m. EST. Graham will be speaking on behalf of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees alongside refugee education advocate, Mary Maker, a South Sudanese student who grew up in Kenya’s Kakuma camp. The UNHCR protects millions of refugees, stateless and displaced people forced to flee their homes.

Actress Monique Coleman will also be speaking Tuesday.

“No matter their background, girls have the power to transform themselves, their communities and the world around them,” wrote Coleman in a recent Instagram post. “Empowered girls become powerhouse women.”

Former U.S. First Lady, Michelle Obama, shared a special message to kickstart the summit Monday on behalf of the Girls Opportunity Alliance. Obama explained that during times of crisis the struggles many girls face, such as violence at home, child marriage, teen pregnancy, economic hardship and caretaking responsibilities, are worsened. She reported that the Malala Fund predicts that when students eventually return to physical classrooms, an additional 10 million girls of secondary school age could remain out of school. 

“We can’t let these girls be forgotten during this crisis. The stakes are just too high,” said Obama. “Because when we give girls the chance to learn, we give them the opportunity to fulfill their potential, build healthier families, and contribute to their countries, economies for generations to come.”

Obama urged viewers to use the hashtag #GirlsOpportunityAlliance to spread the word about global girls’ education.

“With every action you take, you’re proving that you’re not just the leaders of tomorrow, you’re already the leaders of today,” said Obama. 

Follow @GirlUpCampaign on Instagram for updates.