Education Gives Every Girl A Chance to Be the First

by Hannah Jang, Chief Blogger

It's a simple phrase with a powerful message: She's the First. What began as a media campaign to raise awareness about the importance of girls’ education in the developing world has taken the social media world by storm.

Launched in 2009, She’s the First took the basic principle of educating girls’ in the developing world to a whole new level. Tammy Tibbetts, Founder of She’s the First, leveraged her experience as Web editor at Hearst Digital Media to create an online directory of schools that offer sponsorship programs for girls’ education in third-world countries. The site, which relaunched in 2011 as an interactive web platform, was quickly embraced by social media audiences, reaching 161 sponsors last year.

However, She’s the First is more than just a website. It is a “storytelling platform about the lives and dreams of girls worldwide,” says Tibbetts. Through its social-media driven approach to transformational giving, She’s the First has been able to share the inspiring stories through Map Your Impact and creative fundraising ideas such as the Tie-Dye Cupcake Bake-Off. She’s the First partners with charitable NGOs, as seen in its Directory, and posts first-hand updates about the girls on their blog.

Research consistently shows that countries that work to improve conditions for women and girls have better development outcomes in terms of health, future wages, and family life. She’s the First aims to address this issue by helping girls be the first in their families to graduate and hopefully go to college.

Making a difference to the world may seem like an enormous task. But every effort and contribution counts, no matter how small or insignificant it may seem. As Tibbetts insightfully advises: “Start small. Don’t think you have to be perfect in the beginning. Just be better than what you were before.”

So, what are YOU the first to do?

 

About Tammy Tibbetts

Tammy is an entrepreneurial spirit and social media connoisseur who mixes her corporate experience with the creativity, energy, and resourcefulness of the start-up world. After graduating as a journalist from The College of New Jersey, she was as a web editor with Seventeen, CosmoGIRL, and Teen, launched DonateMyDress.org, and now reaches millions of teens daily as the social media voice of Seventeen. Prior to STF, Tammy volunteered as Director of Operations for a non-profit that sponsored children’s education in Liberia. Moved by the “style and substance” mantra of her role model, Ruth Whitney, the legendary editor-in-chief of Glamour, Tammy began to explore how she could apply her media industry skills to social entrepreneurship. The rest is history! @tammytibbetts

                                                  Left: Tammy Tibbetts, Founder of She's the First 

                                                  Right: Cynthia Hellen, Founder of Girls Who Rock

 

The Team

 

Christen Brandt - She's the First History

Maisy Page, Elizabeth Stoltz, Sarah Vandiver, Brianne Riviello, Lauren Strupp, Genevieve Tabios, Sonya Elefante, Conor Harrington, Marissa Calhoun, Lauren Goodwin, Casey Kraft, Katie Riley, Monica Townsend, Lisa Travnik, Brittany Brothers, Kate Lord, Hannah Brencher, Carla Blumenthal, Jeff Boodie, Sarah Bruning, Ale Foresto, Jill Irvin, Stephanie Scott, Laura Simmion, Tom Somerville

You're Invited! "How She Does It" Dinner Series Featuring Susan McPherson, Senior VP at Fenton

Register online: http://nywsesusan.eventbrite.com/

EVENT DETAILS
Date: Monday, April 2, 2012
Time: 6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. (ET)
Location: Crepes du Nord, 17 South William Street

 

Join us for this evening of dining and conversation as Susan discusses with us Fenton and how you can incorporate social good and compassion in your career and every day lives. Our interconnected lives and worlds make supporting causes with authenticity not only possible but contagious. Come engage as Susan shares her tips and tactics for success in the growing world of "shared value." 

 

About Susan McPherson

Susan McPherson is senior vice president/director of global marketing at Fenton, the nation’s leading public interest communications firm. McPherson focuses on creating visibility for the firm and its clients on a global scale while also continuing to help further grow the corporate responsibility practice.  She’s a regular writer and contributor for publications such as the Harvard Business Review, Triple Pundit, Forbes and Environmental Leader on sustainability and global development issues and routinely speaks at industry conferences. She has more than 20 years experience in marketing, public relations, CSR communications and business development. Prior to joining Fenton, McPherson was vice president, CSR services at PR Newswire. 

McPherson holds a B.A in history from the State University of New York at Albany and conducted graduate studies at Boston University’s College of Communications with a focus on broadcast journalism. She serves on the board of Bpeace, an organization dedicated to assisting women in regions of conflict and post-conflict start businesses. She also is a member of Echoing Green’s Social Investment Council, Social Media Week’s New York Advisory Council and the New York Leadership team for 85Broads. Additionally, she serves as an adviser to the non-profits: Plant A Fish (a new nonprofit created by Fabien Cousteau), She’s The First, The Adventure Project and The OpEd Project. Recently, McPherson was selected as a Vital Voices global corporate ambassador and is a strategic advisor to the new start-up, Positive Luxury.

 

Event Host

Smorgas Chef Restaurants serves fresh Scandinavian food based on centuries of Danish, Norwegian, and Swedish culinary traditions. The first location was established on historic Stone Street in the Financial District as a modest sandwich shop, which grew into a full-service restaurant and bar. As its popularity grew in the city, Smorgas Chef added 2 more locations, one in the West Village, and one on Park Avenue in the Scandinavia House Cultural Center. Most recently, Smorgas Chef opened its fourth restaurant - Crepes Du Nord, a French-Scandinavian Creperie on South William Street in the Financial District. Scandinavian cooking, with its focus on fresh unprocessed ingredients, vibrant herbs and delicate flavors, is gaining more attention around the world. Unique ingredients from Scandinavia such as cloudberries, herring, and lingonberries are regularly featured on Smorgas Chef’s seasonally driven menu.

Additional Info

Please note that some items on the menu may contain ingredients that could trigger food allergies, such as nuts and gluten. Let us know prior to the event if you have allergies and we will inform the kitchen. Also, all sales are final and refunds will not be issued. Thanks for your understanding.

The Right Person, the Right Place, the Right Time

by Hannah Jang, Chief Blogger

As the social media landscape continues to grow, the term "networking" has taken on a whole new meaning. Social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn makes it so easy to meet new people and stay connected with friends. It's easy, it's convenient, and it's literally at your fingertips. Yet, some people even feel social networking has diluted the meaning of the word "friend" and reshaped the social landscape for the worse.

But as Taryn Miller-Stevens, Director of Partnerships at Change.org reminds us, "it's not about the people we know but the relationships". Building relationships is a delicate and somewhat complex matter, especially as we try to navigate through the numerous technology applications and platforms that are at our disposal. Although social media is changing how we build relationships, there is an intangible value to in-person meetings. No social media is going to replace the benefits of real-world face-to-face interaction. The best way to network is to leverage social media so that it enhances and enriches our in-person interactions.

This perfect blend of social media and face-to-face networking took place at our "Spring into Action" event held on March 6th. The evening was divided into three parts: Speed Game-Changing, Goal Circle and Think Tank Accelerator.

In a similar arrangement to speed dating, 22 women sat across from one another and introduced themselves for a couple of minutes. At the sound of a whistle, one row would move to the next person. Some women quickly exchanged business cards while others took out their iPhones to make the friend request or connect on LinkedIn. This icebreaker produced such high-energy that Taryn had to incorporate a yoga meditation technique which involved 30 seconds of silence.

The energy eventually picked back up as Taryn divided the women into smaller groups to form a “Goal Circle.” Each woman was given about 10 minutes to share about her company, current project and challenges while receiving feedback from the other women.

To wrap-up, circles were rearranged to provide a forum to discuss the following topics: generating money from nontraditional sources, advertising and branding, and finding the right people.

Of the three, finding the right people can be the most challenging. But just like speed dating, it's a numbers game. Except through the power of social media, you have many more opportunities to stay in touch.

An Evening in Honor of Leymah Gbowee

The Metro NY Chapter of the US National Committee for UN Women invites you to an evening with 2011 Nobel Peace Laureate Leymah Gbowee, a Liberian peace activist, trained social worker and women’s rights advocate.  She is Founder and President of the Gbowee Peace Foundation Africa, head of the Liberia Reconciliation Initiative and Co-Founder and Executive Director of Women Peace and Security Network Africa. She is also the Newsweek Daily Beast's Africa columnist and the mother of six.

Date and Time: Tuesday, March 13 from 6-8 pm (ET)

Location: Bank of America Tower at One Bryant Park

For more information or to RSVP: http://evening-with-leymah-gbowee.eventbrite.com/

General Admission: $115. Includes reception with Ms. Gbowee and a copy of her new book, Mighty Be Our Powers. 

Patron Admission: $300. Includes reception with Ms. Gbowee and a copy of her book, Mighty Be our Powers.  Patrons will be listed in our program. The first 30 patrons will received a signed copy of the book.

Special Pre-Event Screening of Pray the Devil Back to Hell. 5:00 to 6:15 PM: All attendees are invited to a special pre-event screening of Pray the Devil Back to Hell, the award-winning documentary about Ms. Gbowee’s leadership of the Women of Liberia Mass Action for Peace – which brought together Christian and Muslim women in a non-violent movement that played a pivotal role in ending Liberia’s civil war in 2003. Pray the Devil Back to Hell is a co-production of Fork Films and THIRTEEN.