Grantee Spotlight: Girl Be Heard

Girl Be Heard Option 1 for Variety NewsletterThis year Girl Be Heard is highlighting resilience. Six out of ten girls have or will experience physical or sexual violence in her lifetime. The degradation of women comes in all forms, from advertising to campus sexual assault. One way to facilitate healing and empowerment is to give girls a platform to speak about their experiences and have their voices heard. Since the organization’s inception in 2008, Girl Be Heard has been using theatre and writing to raise awareness about issues affecting girls both locally and around the world.

Girl Be Heard’s weekend workshops and after school programs serve girls ages 12-21 in all boroughs of New York City. Girl Be Heard’s touring shows have reached audiences throughout the U.S. and internationally at the White House, in high schools, conferences, United Nations events. Don’t miss the opportunity to come see a show, check out our 2014/2015 season here.

Girl Be Heard’s transformative empowerment program teaches young writing and theatre to give them the confidence and skills to become brave, socially conscious leaders. In addition to devising shows about their personal experiences with issues from bullying to self-harm, the girls take on national and global issues from gun violence to sex trafficking. In Girl Be Heard’s main production this year, displaced, portrays personal stories of displacement and homelessness in NYC and abroad. displaced is written and performed by nine Girl Be Heard Company Members in New York City in collaboration with girls living in Red Cross refugee camps abroad, who met the organization Girl Be Heard during a State Department sponsored European tour in the summer of 2014. displaced with debut in New York City January 22nd-25th.

This year Girl Be Heard has more than doubled the reach of the organization’s education programs to seven schools thanks to CASA grants from the New York City Council. Funding from the Variety Children’s foundation has helped the organization launch Girl Advocates, an economic empowerment and peer mentorship program where the organization’s seasoned members are trained by professionals to serve as resources and mentors to newer and younger girls. Girl Be Heard’s education team is also partnering with I Am A Girl (Iamagirl.com/au) to create curriculum guides for teachers to address social justice issues the documentary demonstrates are effecting girls internationally. Girl Be Heard will also be offering workshops in conjunction with screenings of I Am A Girl for schools and community centers. For more information on booking a workshop, you can contact our director of education, Dena Adriance: [email protected].

This year, don’t miss Girl Be Heard’s inaugural Gotta Love Girls Gala on December 18th. With a VIP Cocktail hour, DJ dance party, and special performance of our girls’ newest, most powerful work, this event is sure to be the highlight of your holiday season. We hope you will join our Special Advisor Gloria Steinem, Celebrity Chef Tom Colicchio, Nobel Laureate Leymah Gbowee, Filmmaker Abby Disney, and UN Ambassador Nigel Barker in supporting the work of our Girls. Buy tickets here.

Find out more about Girl Be Heard and our upcoming performance with these videos:

Promotional video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RssOoRG0Of8

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