Hey Springster!

You know we’re all about girl power, and part of that is being an advocate. In case you’re wondering, an advocate is someone who publicly supports a cause. Malala Yousafzai is an example of an advocate. Read about her here.

Like Malala, we care a lot about girls’ education. If you do too and would like to get involved a great place to start is by making an advocacy plan. It’ll help you become a pro at speaking up for girls’ education. It’s pretty easy, we promise. Just follow the steps below and you’ll be good to go:

1. What needs to change?

• Write down the problem you want to change. E.g.: Girls drop out of school to get married. They have kids early and put their lives in danger.

2) Who can help?

• Write down the names of people who can solve the problem. These people are called targets. E.g. community leaders and government leaders.

• Write down the names of people you know who can help you talk to your targets. These people are called influencers. E.g. supportive parents, trusted adults and teachers.

3) What will you do?

• Ask a trusted adult to help you talk to parents and community leaders.

• Write letters to government leaders, asking them to provide more money for girls' education and to implement our laws against child marriage.

4) What will you say?

• If you’re writing a letter to a government leader, you need to state what the problem is and your proposed solution. Keep it simple:

“Many girls are forced to drop out of school, marry early and have kids early. This puts their lives in danger. I would like you to implement our laws that say every girl should go to school and shouldn’t be forced into marriage.”

5) How will you stay safe?

• Make sure someone always knows where, when and why you’re going, who you’re with and what you’re doing.
• Always approach your targets in a safe space.

6) How will you know if it’s working?

• When you get a reply to your letter*.
• When the number of school girls in your community increases.

• When the number of child brides in your community reduces.

• Be patient. People may not respond right away. Change takes time so don’t give up. Use your plan to try another tactic if you aren’t making progress with your letter.

7) How will you do it?

Think of it this way: if you’re climbing a mountain, you wouldn’t just start climbing. You’ll look at all the paths and pick the best one to get you to the top.

Same goes for speaking up for girls’ education. There are many ways to do it, so choose the options that suit you and your community perfectly.

For instance, if you can draw, how about spreading your message through your art? And if you’re organised, you can plan a meeting or an event. Good luck!

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And, that’s it!

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