Caption
Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens speaks at the city of Atlanta’s first International Day of the Girl celebration Oct. 11, 2024.
Credit: Ambria Burton/GPB News
Section Branding
Header Content
City of Atlanta hosts first International Day of the Girl celebration
Hero Image
Primary Content
On Friday, the city of Atlanta celebrated its first International Day of the Girl by inviting middle and high school girls from Atlanta Public Schools to an experience meant to uplift and support them.
The United Nations annually recognizes International Day of the Girl on Oct. 11 to highlight and address the challenges young girls in communities face while promoting girls' rights.
"This day emphasizes the importance of empowering girls, advocating for their education, health, safety, and addressing issues such as gender-based violence and inequality," city of Atlanta chief equity officer Candace M. Stanciel said.
In his opening remarks at the event, held at Georgia Public Broadcasting in Midtown, Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens said the International Day of the Girl can remind the public of its responsibility to support and uplift girls in the community.
"Our theme this year is Ignite Her Future," Dickens said. "This, in and of itself, is a call to action on all of our parts. It is my goal to make Atlanta the place where all girls have access to the tools that foster growth and learning, the place where their support systems are strong, and the place where their dreams are encouraged. The bigger the dream, the better."
Activities included a mental wellness puppet activity by the Center for Puppetry Arts to help girls understand how positivity plays into their mental health and an intergenerational panel of women discussing their experiences and advice regarding self-confidence, career aspirations, overcoming obstacles, and the importance of community support in achieving one's goals and answering audience questions.
The panelists included Laila Shannon, a junior at Charles R. Drew Charter School; Karen Graham, CEO of Signal1 News; Sarah Fontenot, founder of Disruptor Elite Group; and Bria Janelle, founder of Bria Janelle Foundation.
During the panel, Shannon, who interned at Georgia Tech this past summer to teach students AI curriculum, advised girls to enjoy their youth and not stress about what they want to do in life.
"It's OK to not know,” she said. “Whether you have that dream and don't know how to get there or don't know what you want to do at all — it's OK that you don't know because you're still growing. You're still a child and deserve to live that youth, so don't ever feel pressured to conform and grow up to be older than you actually are."
The city hopes to celebrate International Day of the Girl again next year but mainly wants to help girls in the community thrive, Dickens said.
"We want to create opportunities for girls that are accessible, that foster leadership development, and that pair them with strong mentors," he said. "We're not here to just celebrate this single day. We are investing in leaders and innovators and changemakers of tomorrow."
Secondary Content
Author
Bottom Content
