“I decided to join the movement because first and foremost, I am a girl. I have been a girl, I am a girl, and I will continue to be a girl,” says Amy, a member of the Because I am a Girl Speakers’ Bureau.

Amy doesn’t just talk the talk, she also walks the walk. This past March, she represented girls everywhere at the UN Conference on the 54th Session on the Commission of the Status of Women in New York! For more about Amy’s experience at the conference, check out her blog posts here, here and here.

The cool thing about the Speakers’ Bureau is that its girls advocating for girls, rather than people trying to speak on our behalf. Amy notes,

“Its not lawyers, PhDs or anyone else advocating for girls but girls themselves! We are girls so we know the problems that we face the best.”

So what makes people listen to what the Speakers’ Bureau is saying? According to Amy, its because “girls are not being heard around the world, so when a girl does speak, people listen.” She believes that making these voices heard is important, especially to highlight the hardships that girls go through.

Because she’s a girls action superstar, I asked Amy what she recommends for other girls who are interested in getting involved with global girls issues. Her tips? Be proactive and remember that Google is a girls’ best friend (or was that diamonds?). Just like Wayne Gretzky, Amy believes that you miss 100% of the chances you don’t take, so get on the internet, find something happening in your community, and don’t be afraid to go for it. And be ready for some hard work: advocating for girls takes time and effort.

In true spokesperson style, before she signed off from our interview, Amy made sure she made one last point:

“We need to make sure that people are aware of the trials and problems these girls face. Ignorance is NOT bliss.”