Leveraging the UN General Assembly meetings last week, Girl Rising, the global campaign for girls’ education, convened public and private sector partners in support of expanding access to education for the 62 million girls worldwide currently not enrolled in school.
Front and center of the week’s activities was the launch of the new campaign #62MillionGirls, which was made possible through a partnership between Girl Rising and Edelman. In support of Let Girls Learn, the U.S. government initiative launched by the President and First Lady Michelle Obama, the campaign asks people to post yearbook-style photos on Instagram or Twitter and share what they learned in school. Photos are then added to the campaign yearbook at 62milliongirls.com.
Announced by the First Lady at the Global Citizen Festival in New York’s Central Park, the #62MillionGirls campaign has generated unprecedented engagement and support for the Let Girls Learn initiative in its first week, and has included participation by President Obama, Vice President Biden, Dr. Jill Biden, Beyonce, Bono, Leonardo DiCaprio, Freida Pinto, Kerry Washington, Mindy Kaling, Charlize Theron, U.S. Ambassador Samantha Power, Former Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard, and a host of other celebrities and leaders. The campaign was also featured on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert during the First Lady’s guest appearance.
To support the launch of this campaign, Girl Rising invoked the power of its platform and network of grassroots supporters around the world. Community-led change is key to tackling the barriers girls face, and Girl Rising is driving campaign supporters to take action in creative ways with the Peace Corps’ Let Girls Learn Toolkit. For its part, Edelman developed the creative concept for the campaign and produced all corresponding assets, including designing and launching the website 62milliongirls.com.
The campaign will continue to drive momentum toward addressing this issue through celebrity engagement, social participation and collaboration with additional partners in the upcoming weeks and months, and especially in advance of International Day of the Girl on October 11th.
“We are very proud to partner with Edelman on the campaign in support of the Let Girls Learn initiative,” said Holly Gordon, CEO of Girl Rising. “We hope we can keep this issue front and center, and inspire more people to take action in their communities to tackle the barriers these 62 million girls face in getting an education. Everyone has a role to play in helping girls rise.”
“It’s an honor to be able to work with Girl Rising in support of Let Girls Learn to drive a global conversation on such a significant issue,” said Jen Cohan, president of Edelman, New York.
