Much of the food we eat and clothes we wear was grown or produced in developing countries. Girls are involved in this process as workers, such as the garment workers we met in Wednesday’s post, To Buy or Not to Buy: Made in Bangladesh.

Did you know? We can influence the lives of girls by making sure we’re being socially conscious consumers. Socially conscious consumers avoid products that are produced in an environment where there are:

• Poor working conditions
• Unfair wages
• Lack of workers’ rights
• Unfair prices paid for goods by the buyers

A socially conscious consumer makes it a point to buy goods that are ethically produced and traded. Here’s how:

Look at the label: If the item you’re buying has been certified Fairtrade or Organic, you can be confident that they are what they say they are – the process to get certified is rigorous and thorough.

Think before you buy: Often, the price of something gives a good indication of whether it was ethically produced and traded. If the price seems too good to be true, it probably is!

Play favourites: Many businesses have made it their mission to only sell ethical goods. Find out which of your favourite brands are ethical and stick to shopping at those stores. Some online stores, like Ethical Ocean, allow you to choose what’s important to you and search by products that are eco-friendly, fairly traded, animal-friendly, people-friendly and world changing.

Speak up: If a shop or café doesn’t provide ethically traded goods, make sure to let them know that if they carried those products you would buy them. If the owners know that their customers are interested, they’re more likely to carry fairly traded items.

Buy for change: Some brands and retailers donate partial profits to work overseas. Did you know that Plan has an online store with great giveables like Because I am a Girl t-shirts and a Birks pendant designed by Jenn Heil? A portion of the proceeds go to Because I am a Girl programs!

Beware: Just because a store has one or two ethical products doesn’t mean that everything they sell is fairly traded. Most likely if they’re ethically traded, that fact will be advertised!

We believe that girls around the world should be paid fairly for the work they do and should not have to work in exploitative environments.

Do you have any tips on how to be a more socially conscious consumer?

Because I am a Girl MuchMusic Contest Winners, the Markville High Girls Club!

How would YOU make a difference for girls around the world?

That was the question posed by MuchMusic in their Because I am a Girl contest this past October. Young Canadians were asked to send in a video or written submission for the chance to receive $5,000 to put their plan into action.

And the winner is: a Girls’ Club at Markville Secondary School in Markham who have taken on WATER issues and their impact on girls as their cause (Congrats ladies!).

I got the opportunity to talk to Fatimah, a driven young woman who was a leading figure in her club’s entry. Here’s what she had to say!

Yadesha: Let’s start off with you just telling me a bit about yourself.

Fatimah: I’m a Grade 11 student at Markville Secondary School and I’m a part of the Girls’ Club. The Grade 11s and 12s are mentors, making Grade 9 girls feel welcome when they first come to Markville. Girls get to know each other and learn about their own strengths and weaknesses. We also raise awareness of and fundraise for girls’ issues internationally.

Y: What about the Because I am a Girl message really struck you? What made you want to start this initiative?

F: Probably the fact that girls have been belittled a lot throughout history. I know now, in modern days, girls are supposed to be on an even playing field with guys but that’s not always the case. So, when I saw the Because I am a Girl commercial for the contest I wanted to make a difference.

Y: How did you get involved with the MuchMusic contest?

F: After seeing the commercial, I talked to the teacher of the Girls’ Club who thought it was a good idea for us to enter because that’s what our Girls’ Club is about – giving girls the power to change the world. All of the mentors came together, created a script in less than a week and filmed the video. Everyone had a hand in the video, whether they were actually in it or helped me edit it.

Y: What made you focus on the issue of water?

F: We chose water because the Girls’ Club had previously helped raise money for the building of a school in Sierra Leone. We wanted to continue that process of encouraging girls to go to school. But one thing that is stopping them is the expectation that girls and women have to be the ones to get water. Sometimes they have to walk six hours and then they wouldn’t have time for school. So, if we built a well beside the school, girls could go to school and get water too.

Y: Tell me about your project.

F: With the $5000 that MuchMusic has given us, we are going to pay for the supplies to accomplish our two-part plan. First, we will build flowerpots shaped like mini water wells that we will auction off to the school and community. Second, we are having a Water-Extravaganza. This is a one-day event outside where we will be informing people about water and its significance for girls in developing countries. One activity is getting the students to carry buckets of water on their head to a finish line. This will help people understand the weight that girls have to carry every day. We are also selling little things like water bottles, buttons and T-shirts.

Y: What made you come up with the idea of making mini water wells to sell?

F: Last year, the Girls’ Club built birdhouses. We wanted to continue on with the idea that girls are able to build things with their hands. At the same time, we wanted to work around water so we thought flowerpots shaped like wells were a great idea.

Y: As grand prize winner, your club got to meet Sarah Taylor, a Because I am a Girl ambassador. How was that experience? What did you learn?

F: I went with my teacher who is in charge of Girls’ Club. It was a fun experience because I have never been on camera before and I was so nervous! Sarah started to talk about herself and what she does, it just made me want to do that much more. I know I’m young but we were still able to win that contest. It showed me that if you put your mind to something, you can always do it.

Yadesha Satheaswaran is a member of the Girls’ Speakers Bureau at Plan Canada. She is a 2nd year University of Toronto student and is currently doing a double major in Cultural Anthropology and Equity Studies. She is a self-proclaimed feminist.

Even if you haven’t cracked a book in years, maybe now is the time to start up again! Check a title that interests you out of the library, find your favourite snack in the fridge, pick a spot in the sun…and start reading.

Top 10 Novels About Girls’ Issues and Social Justice

The Queen of Water by Maria Virginia Farinango and Laura Resau
Seven-year-old Virginia lives with her large family in a small, earthen-walled dwelling in Ecuador. When she is taken from her village to be a servant she has no idea what the future holds.

Sold by Patricia McCormick
Sold tells the story of a thirteen-year-old girl from Nepal named Lakshmi, who is sold into sexual slavery in India.

Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson
When Melinda busts a party by calling the cops, her friends stop talking to her. Now she’s alone, inside her own head. But there’s something about the night of the party she’s trying to forget.

Shine by Lauren Myracle
When her best guy friend falls victim to a vicious hate crime, sixteen-year-old Cat sets out to discover who in her small town did it.

Illegal by Bettina Restrepo
When Nora’s father leaves Mexico in search of work, she stays behind, living in poverty. When the letters and money stop coming, Nora embarks on a frightening experience crossing the border.

Mostly Good Girls by Leila Sales
Violet thought she’d be focusing on getting straight As, editing the lit mag, and figuring out how to talk to boys without choking on her own saliva. Instead, she’s just trying to hold it together.

Chandra by Frances Mary Hendry
Eleven-year-old Chandra is delighted to be getting married. But when her husband dies, she is forced to stay with her in-laws and Chandra must fight for her freedom.

Passing Strange by Daniel Waters
Karen is getting used to her new life as a zombie when her friends get set up for murder, prompting heavy anti-zombie regulations. Now, she needs evidence to prove their innocence.

The Disreputable History of Frankie-Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart
Frankie Landau-Banks, age 16: possibly a criminal mastermind. This is the story of how she got that way.

Beauty Queens by Libba Bray
Teen beauty queens. A “Lost”-like island. Evening gowns. And a body count.

And don’t forget to include I am Nujood, Age 10 and Divorced from Monday’s book review on your summer reading list!

Tell us: Have you read any of these books? What’s on your summer reading list?

A big thanks to Sasha @ Vancouver Public Library for putting this list together!

(Photo Credit:  o5com)

Reading, writing and counting are things that we do in our everyday lives to fulfil our basic needs. We use math to do our grocery shopping, we use writing to communicate with others, and we use reading to know what is going on around us. These skills are invaluable to getting ahead in life and knowing our rights.

Literacy and poverty are connected. Living in poverty makes it difficult to access education, and lack of literacy education makes it tough to climb out of poverty. Literacy is key to ending poverty, especially for girls.

Did you know?

• In Mali, Niger, Burkina Faso and Guinea less than 30% of the population is literate? That means that 2 out of 3 people are unable to read and write.
• 796 million adults around the world (more than 1 in every 10 adults) are not able to read and write – about two-thirds of them are women
• 61% of the 131 million young people globally who lack basic literacy skills are girls.

A girl in Brazil visits a Children’s Book Fair as part of Plan’s Literacy Project

A girl babysits her sister while while making a visit to a Plan-supported mobile library in Timor Leste.

Four friends read a Plan magazine promoting children’s rights in Nicaragua.

A girl from Pakistan reads a school book paid for by a Plan scholarship.

A girl in Haiti reading with friends in a Plan-constructed school

How would your life be restricted if you couldn’t read, write or count?

(All photos courtesy of Plan Canada)

Did you know: A feminist is someone who thinks that women deserve the same rights, opportunities and responsibilities as men.

What does a feminist look like?

Check out this great video clip from Feminist.org featuring celebs like America Ferrera and Kate Walsh.

Here’s how to be a feminist without the label:

• Read up on feminist history – knowing who came before you can help you with strategy and motivation.
• Decide for yourself – it’s up to you to decide what you consider beautiful and what it means to be empowered.
• Stand up for your sisters – avoid calling other women by derogatory names, because it gives the signal that men can do that as well.
• Don’t tolerate sexism – when it creeps into your community or your classroom, make sure to stand up for yourself and the girls around you!
• Take action – do something to make a difference for girls around the world!

Do you have tips on how to be a feminist? Share them with us here!

A Girl Guide shares her thoughts about girls' empowerment

It’s a first for Because I am a Girl!

This is Because I am a Girl’s 1st Q&A with a man! Check out the talk I had with Mike from Girl Guides of Canada – Learn more about Girl Guides of Canada’s National Service Project (which focuses on EMPOWERING GIRLS), and find out what Mike told me about how it feels to be a GUY working for girls’ rights and equality.

Did you know? The World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts is the largest association of girls and women around the world! There are Girl Guides associations in 145 different countries!

Find out what Girl Guides and Because I am a Girl have in common!

KJ: Can you tell us a little bit about the Girl Guides/Because I am a Girl partnership?

MB: The Girl Guides National Service Project is a call to action for Girl Guides across Canada to engage in community service – this year’s theme is empowering girls.

The theme is connected directly to the Millennium Development Goal to promote gender equality.

As part of this project, Girl Guides endorsed Because I am a Girl. We’re also supporting the call for the International Day of the Girl. Our members are signing the Day of the Girl petition and advocating in their community.

KJ: Do you have a couple of examples of what Girl Guides groups across Canada are doing as part of the National Service Project?

MB: One of the really interesting projects this year happened when girls were learning about careers available to them, including women serving in the military. It turned into global focus project – girls collected school supplies to send to Afghanistan with a military detachment from Canada and communicated with female service members in Afghanistan via Skype.

Local community projects involve units learning about violence against women and donating items to women’s shelters in their own communities. Other guide units learned about gender inequality in the Canadian political system through our partnership with Equal Voice through the “Take a Girl to Vote” campaign. During the Federal Election, guide leaders took girls with them to vote – even if they were too young to vote – just to get them involved in the process.

All these actions are connected with learning. If a girl learns about Afghanistan, she is going to feel connected by doing something to get involved in the issues. On the other hand, if a girl just takes action without learning about the issues before hand, she may not take the action that will have the most meaningful impact.

KJ: What does “empowerment” mean to you?

MB: At the root of empowerment is equality.

In Canada and in other places as well, there are barriers to girls to get the rights they should have access to. Empowering girls is giving them the space and tools to learn about that lack of equality and take action.

KJ: You’re a guy that works to empower girls – what’s that like?

MB: The issue of empowering girls is not just an issue for girls and women. As a guy I interact with people of all genders, and while its great that there are spaces like Girl Guides and Because I am a Girl that focus on girls’ voices, it is important for guys to be hearing and spreading those messages as well.

Even talking about the Canadian political system, or board rooms across the country, or the media personalities that are still a majority of men. We need those men and boys to speak up about gender equality. We need to be allies.

Thanks Mike!

Mike says: “The Girl Guides mission includes the phrase ‘to make a difference in the world.’ It’s about girls becoming more resourceful, courageous and confident.”

Tell us: Are you a girl involved in Girl Guides of Canada? Were you ever a Spark, Brownie, Guide, Pathfinder or Ranger?

Each individual woman’s body demands to be accepted on its own terms. – Gloria Steinem, feminist.

What is “normal” when it comes to girls’ bodies? We learn about what is normal from what we see around us, from our friends and family, from our teachers and role models. We also learn from the media – TV, magazines and the Internet.

The mass media’s dominant message about girls is: that being sexy comes first. It’s a standard that doesn’t apply to boys to the same degree – if you want an example, remember the controversial photos of the Glee cast in GQ last November? Leading ladies Rachel and Quinn were in their underwear, while main man Finn was fully clothed.

Sexy isn’t a bad thing, but it is if it’s not on our own terms or if it’s the only thing that society values from girls. Smart or funny or talented seems to come second. Girls have the right to be anything they want to be, without needing to be sexy to do it.

Because I am a Girl, I’m more than a sex object.

Aleah from Projection at the SPARK Summit says,

“I am a CANVAS. Every day society projects certain standards, messages and images UPON ME. Society tells me how I should look, act, and feel. So when you ask me WHO I AM, I don’t always know what to tell you. But I am learning to step away from these projections, and use them to make a statement of MY OWN.”

What does SPARK stand for?

Sexualization Protest: Action, Resistance, Knowledge – SPARK is a movement for girls’ rights to healthy sexuality. It pushes back against increasingly sexualized images of girlhood in the media.

On Friday I will be blogging more about how media and advertising influences girls to change their skin colour to “get ahead” in many parts of the developing world. Stay tuned!

What is your favourite thing about your body? Would you let someone tell you otherwise?

Sudan - Plan Canada

What is considered beautiful is different all around the world – there is no one thing that defines beauty, like tanned skin or long hair.

Did you know?

Being overweight with stretch marks is considered sexy in Mauritania, West Africa. Moms sometimes even send their daughters to gain weight at special camps before they get married.

Maori women in New Zealand tattoo their faces with intricate swirling patterns. But this decoration isn’t just for women – Maori men sport these signs of status as well.

Women in Ethiopia also get tattoos on their faces. Some women even tattoo their gums using charcoal to make the whiteness of their teeth stand out.

In Burma, one ethnic minority elongates their necks with brass coils. Coils are added as the women age, making it look like their necks are growing.

Beauty to the extreme

From adornment to harm – When standards of beauty make us unhappy with the way we look, they can move from adornment to harm. Women and men around the world are going to extremes to meet expectations of beauty and sexiness. Female genital cutting in East Africa and traditional foot binding in China (now outlawed) are just two examples.

Starving for beauty - Eating disorders are often related to overly skinny standards of beauty in the West.

Under the knife – Iran is known as the world’s plastic surgery capital, with men and women undergoing everything from a nose job to a complete overhaul. Women in Korea get eyelid surgery to make their eyes wider and rounder.

Skin changing - In India, skin whitening using bleaches is popular to make women look fairer. Here in Canada, indoor tanning continues, even though there is evidence that it may cause cancer.

Check out this slideshow of photographs showcasing beauty ideals around the world.

What do you consider beautiful? Tell us what you think!

Bangladesh - Plan Canada

How can girls and women use technology to protect themselves?

Find out how cell phones are being used in Africa and New York to help women combat violence!

Mapping abuse in Benin

One text message is all it takes to alert authorities about abuse in Benin, a small country in West Africa.

Children and adults who witness or experience abuse send a text message to a special number set up by Plan. The message alerts local authorities who can respond immediately to abuse in the community.

Authorities input the text info into a map of the country – this record keeping helps people to learn where the abuse is taking place. Organizations like Plan are harnessing the power of mobile technology by starting programs that reduce violence against children.

The text is input into a map of the country, so we can learn where the most abuse is taking place. Plan can respond by starting programs that reduce violence against children in these particular areas.

The mapping technology is from Ushahidi, designed at first to map incidents of violence during the tumultuous Kenyan elections in 2007/08. Now, people around the world are using the technology to make a difference in their own communities.

Kenya - Plan Canada

Picturing an end to street harassment in New York City

Across the Atlantic, Emily May and her team at Hollaback are using camera phone technology to end street harassment.

Their idea is simple but the impact is big. Tired of being treated like sexual objects on the streets, getting flashed on the subway, and hearing inappropriate comments, the young women of Hollaback decide to whip out their phones and capture the harasser on camera. Offending photos and stories gets posted online for all the world to see.

The goal is to create awareness about just how much street harassment happens around the world, and also to make guys think twice before they do it. Imagine if their mom or sister saw them on the site!

Now, Hollaback is expanding – they’ve got sites in India, Mexico, Argentina and more. There’s even one in Canada. Women can use the technology to set up a website in their own home town.

Power of technology

Technology puts the power into our own hands. Instead of staying silent, girls are using their voices, and cell phones, to speak out against abuse and harassment that happens on a daily basis.

And these sites are just a couple of examples of how technology can help stop the silence around violence against girls and women.

Have you seen technology in action to end violence? Tell us how here!

Vietnam - Plan Canada

Did you know that the majority of Facebook and Twitter users are women? Almost across the board, women dominate the social web.

According to Aileen Lee on TechCrunch.com, “Female users are the unsung heroines behind the most engaging, fastest growing, and most valuable consumer internet and e-commerce companies.”

Why? Part of it is because “women control the purse strings.” It’s also because “women are thought to be more social, more interested in relationships and connections, better at multi-tasking.”

Did you know that women are able to maintain more relationships at a time than men?

It’s not just social networking and online shopping that women dominate – it’s also gaming: 60% of Zynga (the makers of online games like FarmVille and Mafia Wars) players are female.

Girls on top

But Terri over at Geek Feminism makes an important point: women may be the biggest consumers on the Internet, but where do we stand as Internet creators? Are girls just using the internet, or are we shaping it as well?

Did you know that the founders of The Huffington Post, Flickr, Net-a-Porter and Ning are all women?

Internet for CHANGE

Ladies online aren’t just focused on business – some of them are using their tech savvy to change the world.

These women in Iran are fighting for women’s rights through an international online campaign, even though their website gets shut down on an almost monthly basis!

One “techie on a mission” is Emily May, whose Hollaback initiative tackles street harassment with the help of camera phones. Juliana Rotich is the Executive Director of Ushahidi, an online platform to track the situation on the ground during disasters.

Check out our upcoming post that explores both of these projects in more detail!