by Hannah Jang, Chief Blogger
Are you a global changemaker or an organization looking for partnership? Meet girltank, a hybrid non-profit and for-profit social enterprise designed to empower young women changemakers. Spanning across six continents and over 30 countries, girltank is set out to change the world. Tara Roberts, Founder of girltank, shares why she started the organization and how you can get involved.
How did you get the idea to start girltank?
My job at CosmoGirl magazine came to a screeching halt in late 2008 because of the downward spiraling U.S. economy. But instead of looking for another 9-to-5 gig, I decided to pack my bags and use a friend’s buddy pass to travel the world and work on a book project I had been nursing for quite awhile.
My idea was to interview young women under the age of 30 who were making a difference for their communities, standing up for causes they believed in, and using their creativity and determination to bring forth something powerful in the world. So for a little under a year, I traveled to 15 different countries throughout Africa, Asia and Europe and captured the stories of 51 amazing young women.
Somewhere along the way, I began to wonder what would happen if these extraordinary young women from such diverse regions could pool their resources together and access a common collective of information and inspiration. Would their capabilities as leaders grow? Would their projects become stronger and more effective? Would they begin to work jointly and create even more powerful initiatives together?
At the same time, Sejal Hathi, who founded Girls Helping Girls (GHG) four years earlier when she was 15 years old, had just launched a program called the "Sisters 4 Peace Network" to create a global community for uniting, mobilizing, and advancing young women changemakers. She, too, was wrestling with this idea of how to form a successful single space that could serve as the hub and resource center for young women to create global projects for social change and to achieve their full potential.
So we decided to band our efforts together. We took the idea of a traditional think tank – a body that researches, solves problems and influences public policy - and turned it upside down into something active, creative, youthful and feminine – a “think” and “do” tank for young women.
And thus, girltank was born.
What makes girltank unique from other social entrepreneurship organizations?
We are unique because our mission focuses exclusively on empowering young women changemakers globally and helping bring their projects to scale.
We source young women from every region of the world, crossing cultures, religions, borders, languages and socio-economic statuses to prove that young women everywhere are capable of leading social change.
How does girltank plan to pursue sustainability?
We are a hybrid business with a non-profit and for-profit business model. Our for-profit business focuses on building educational multimedia (ebooks, workshops and events) in order to be a catalyst for a new generation of young women leaders and to generate a fresh understanding of young women's capabilities.
Can you tell us about some of the projects that members of girltank are doing around the world?
Sure!
Noreen, Anne and Patricia, who run Jacinto & Lirio, make high-end, fashionable and sustainable bags from the water hyacinth with the help of rural Filipinos living in Pampanga. By using the water hyacinth, a pesky weed that causes over $3 billion a year in damage, J&L contributes to the sustainability of the planet and helps eco-friendly customers look stylish.
Grace helped launch the African Youth Initiative on Climate Change, which is a network of African youth organizations and individuals working on climate change and sustainable development. Grace, who lives in Kenya, helped AYICC establish chapters in 20 African countries.
Isabel hails from Germany, but she founded FonduPeru, which pays the tuition and expenses for youth from the Andean village of Chiuchin to attend college in Lima, Peru.
What are some ways people can get involved?
For young women under age 30 who have already created social change projects - nominate yourself to be a part of the fellows community ([email protected])
For those who want to help young women in their communities learn about social change - contact us about doing a workshop at your school or organization ([email protected])
For those who want to support young women changemakers - contact us about how to donate or volunteer for any of our fellows' projects ([email protected])
For those who want to help us build and grow girltank hubs around the world - contact us about volunteer and employment opportunities ([email protected])
What is your best advice to young people who are thinking of starting their own social enterprise?
Be bold and begin! Then utilize girltank's resources to support your efforts. We believe you are powerful and that you can be, do and have anything you desire!
Tara Roberts breathes passion and vision into her work as a writer, editor and publisher. Most recently, she launched girltank, a social enterprise designed to empower young women changemakers from around the world. Prior to this, Tara was the Senior Editor at CosmoGirl magazine and has served as the Lifestyle Editor at Ebony, Essence and Heart & Soul magazines. She has also published her own internationally distributed magazine, Fierce, a bold, pro-female and socially conscious magazine that encouraged women ages 21-40+ to excavate for their authentic, wild and powerful selves. Fierce was nominated by Utne magazine as one of the best new independent magazines in 2003.
Tara graduated cum laude from Mount Holyoke College and holds a Master’s Degree in Publishing Studies from New York University’s Gallatin School.