Girl Be Heard Thinks Globally, Acts Locally
On May 12, 2014, Girl Be Heard participants performed a piece they wrote about the 267 girls kidnapped in Nigeria for a rally and press conference on the steps of City Hall. This is just one example of the work Girl Be Heard has been doing since the organization’s inception in 2008, using writing and theatre to raise awareness about issues affecting girls both locally and globally.
Girl Be Heard’s transformative empowerment program teaches young women ages 12 to 21 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 global issues from forced child marriage to sex trafficking. Girl Be Heard has toured its widely acclaimed shows throughout the U.S. to high schools, conferences, United Nations events, and even the White House.
We believe that if a girl can change her own life, she can change the lives of girls everywhere. As our after school programs wrap up and summer arrives, our global work will be continued here at home in NYC and brought abroad for the first time!
Thanks to our first State Department grant, Girl Be Heard is crossing borders this summer! In June, we will perform Girl Be Heard: Congo, a show about the rape epidemic in the Democratic Republic of Congo, at an international conference in London. Moving on to Denmark, the group will facilitate collaborative theatre workshops with girls living in refugee camps. Back in NYC, we will host high school students from Pakistan and India through the World Learning program. The students will attend a Girl Be Heard performance, engage in workshops, and explore the city with the Girl Be Heard members.
One of the neighborhoods the students will explore is Harlem, where Girl Be Heard’s roots have recently deepened. With Variety’s support, our after school programs have expanded to serve three schools in Harlem, Chelsea, and Fort Greene. After a year of exploring and sharing their experiences in these safe spaces, girls in each program will perform their original work for their peers, teachers, and families. At A. Philip Randolph High School in Harlem, the girls are teaming up with other arts groups in the school to present a dynamic variety show about the Harlem Renaissance.
As part of our work in Harlem, Girl Be Heard will be performing its award-winning show 9mm America at an event with Harlem Children’s Zone. Come check out this incredible free and open to the public performance at 6pm on Thursday May 29th.
Find out more about Girl Be Heard and our upcoming performance with these videos:
Promotional video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RssOoRG0Of8
9mm America https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RssOoRG0Of8