The BBIS Foundation together with the Andreas Gerl Stiftung again supported the Girls Gearing Up International Leadership Academy (GGU) this summer with a donation of 25,000 EUR.
GGU is a leadership and empowerment programme for 13 to 17-year old girls. At the annual summer academy as well as year-round events, girls from around the world gain leadership skills such as project management, public speaking, moderating interviews and pitching issues, and connect with powerful female role-models.
This summer, GGU once more organized a hybrid leadership academy. For twenty-four girls, BBIS Boarding was the home away from home and twenty-four girls simultaneously gathered at the Malawi hub. This diverse and international group of motivated young women celebrated leadership skills, unlocking their potential, cross-cultural understanding, and individual identities through in-person and virtual connections within each hub. The overarching theme for 2022 was sustainability, as the attandees gained unique insight into the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the many and varied ways everybody can act more sustainably in today’s world! The group was joined by powerful women from a variety of backgrounds and professions, giving them the opportunity to practice their leadership, moderation, and interview skills.
Each SDG was assigned to a small group of girls from the Berlin or Malawi hub. They aimed to tackle the various challenges and opportunities each individual community faces in becoming more sustainable. By doing so, they were creating a unique 'changemaker' handbook giving every reader the chance to be inspired and find ways, big or small, to make a change in their own community! The girls were also greatly inspired by watching the documentary 'Bigger Than Us' which follows Melati Wijsen's travels around the world to meet young activists who have already helped the world with their perseverance and selflessness.
The GGU International Leadership Academy equips teenage girls with the confidence and skills they need to think critically, follow their dreams, and be the change they want to see in the world. This programme embodies all aspects of the BBIS Foundation ethos and is a wonderful example of how the BBIS Foundation can be impactful in the greater global community.
The BBIS Foundation and the Andreas Gerl Stiftung will continue to support the GGU International Leadership Academy over the next three years.