In an effort to help inspire and equip a new generation of women activists, the Coalition proudly accepted a 2012 award from Museums Connect in support of Girl Ambassadors for Human Rights, a one-year joint project that brought together Coalition members, including The Matilda Joslyn Gage Foundation (U.S.), Villa Grimaldi (Chile) and The Institute of Social Development (Sri Lanka).
During the program, 50 teenage girls from the United States, Sri Lanka, and Chile explored and shared the parallels between gender issues past and present through facilitated dialogue, social media technology and international exchange. Under the mentorship of community leaders, the girls used the museums’ exhibits as a launch pad to explore local women’s history and roles in social change, questions of identity, gender-based discrimination and definitions of what it means to be a free woman. They shared what they learned through public presentations and dialogue, both virtual and in-person, to identify common goals and tactics that transcend differing cultural expectations and desires. In the end, 12 Girl Ambassadors traveled to Sri Lanka, Chile, and the United States to meet with their overseas peers and the surrounding communities to take part in a dialogue on the vital role women play in social change the world over.
