SPARK is super excited to be partnering with the NYC Mayor’s Office on the NYC Girls Project, a new campaign dedicated to boosting the self-esteem of NYC girls between the ages of 7 and 12. We remember how hard it was to be pre-teens (“tweens,” if you will), internalizing all these negative messages about our bodies and…
by Yas Necati Campaign4Consent is a student-led campaign asking the UK government to make teaching about sexual assault, consensual sexual contact, and healthy relationships a compulsory part of the national Sex Education curriculum. The campaign was started by three of us SPARK girls over here in the UK. We all feel, as young people, that…
by Ty Slobe If you are in-tune with marketing and media aimed at young girls, you’ve probably noticed how limiting it can be when it comes to the kinds of girls who are portrayed. Girls are pigeonholed into princesses, pink-lovers, makeup artists, shoe-fanatics, and other “girly” stereotypes. Girls are taught from an early age that…
by Ty Slobe This month for Women’s History Year, I talked to my friend and former classmate Mandy Rose. Mandy’s an inspiration to girls and women because of her AMAZING skills when it comes to being a single mother, her commitment to school,and her incredible poetry. Some of her work can be found in A…
by YingYing Shang We’ve always known the advice given by teen magazines was iffy, but what would happen if two real girls tried to live by it? This past April, Alice Wilder and I decided to find out. We took on the challenge of following all the advice given in the top two teen magazines,…
by Carmen Rios I’m excited to announce today that SPARK is working with the National Federation of State High School Associations in an effort to provide resources about sexual violence prevention to high school athletic coaches. Over 65,000 people signed SPARK’s petition, penned by Colby College football player Connor Clancy and me, asking the NFHS to offer…
by Shavon L. McKinstry What women have inspired you or changed your life? And why do we only talk about the during Women’s History Month? SPARK’s new ongoing monthly project, Women’s History Year, seeks to change the way we talk about women, whether they’re famous historical figures or friends, by asking the people to describe…
If you’re reading this, we probably don’t need to tell you the importance of supporting girls’ activism. But just in case, we’re going to anyway. Girls and women are sexualized throughout all forms of media. Sexualization leads to real, dangerous consequences, like depression, anxiety, eating disorders, and low achievement in and outside of school. Sexualization is…