2024: A tough year for girls with a pivotal year ahead
2024 has been a challenging year for girls but we will continue to fight for girls with a renewed urgency over the next year.
Girls Out Loud
Digital spaces are helping girls learn about their rights and take the lead on discussions about gender issues.
Marginalised girls are often unable to lead discussions on issues affecting their lives. This leads to a lack of understanding of the best ways to support them.
This project uses social media platforms to give girls a safe space to openly discuss issues relevant to them. The insights gained from these discussions are used to find solutions to the problems they face and support them to become leaders on these issues, in their communities and beyond.
Leading the discussion on gender issues
Our vision is that girls around the world can learn about their rights, as well as lead the discussion on gender issues within and beyond their communities to help drive the global agenda.
The project was piloted in Colombia where over 600 girls used a closed and moderated Facebook group they named ‘Particecha’.
It now uses private, moderated groups on Facebook and Instagram to discuss topics such as self-image, gender-based violence, LGBTIQ+ issues, sexual and reproductive health and early pregnancies.
Girls free to express themselves
Through real-time insights on gender topics in girls’ own words, we will be able to drive the right change for girls and empower them to lead these discussions at a global, regional and country level.
More and more girls in the group are becoming aware of their rights and are able to reflect on their positions through stories and discussions with their peers.
Girls Out Loud groups help build confidence to speak up outside the group. Members inspire each other to challenge the views of family members, friends, teachers and even religious leaders.
It’s a place where we express our feelings and opinions, a place where we are not afraid of being judged. A place where we get support when we have problems.
In which countries is Girls Out Loud active?
The project is currently active in the following countries:
Africa: Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger
Asia: Nepal, Timor-Leste, Cambodia
Social listening to support girls’ real needs
Through Girls Out Loud, Plan International can listen to what matters to girls: what issues are most important? How do girls feel about the situation in their communities? What do they think should be done to bring about the right change?
Girls Out Loud now has a website and dashboard that uses Artificial Intelligence to provide this information in real time so Plan International can know what Girls are talking about and their feelings in a global, regional and local perspective in a single view.
Girls’ conversations about gender-based issues are directly influencing Plan International programmes thanks to social listening. We are exploring how we can analyse the groups’ discussions using artificial intelligence and machine learning to achieve greater impact.
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