A World-Wide Perspective
When you have an international student body like SMUS, foreign policies aren't so foreign after all. For Kayler Kim, a current Grade 10 boarding student from South Korea, this was especially true when Korea’s new government announced plans in 2022 to abolish the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family. The Ministry had overseen the prevention of sexual harassment and domestic violence, coordinating youth and family policy and outreach, supporting greater women’s social participation, and much more for over 20 years. She was just 13 at the time, and felt discouraged. “I always wanted to do something about it, but there's not a lot that we can do, especially as a youth, as a female student living in Korea facing those things… it had already become a norm.”
In Grade 9, she decided to join Girl Up at her international school in Korea, a chapter of the United Nations organization by the same name that focuses on leadership development initiative and equity for girls and women in spaces where they are unheard or underrepresented. While that gave her a semblance of hope, it didn’t feel sufficient. “I was genuinely touched by all my upperclassmen trying to make an impact by spreading awareness, but then also I was like, why aren't you actually taking action? I want to do something about this.” When Kayler decided to come to SMUS the following year in the fall of 2023, it was a priority for herself to invigorate Girl Up on campus.
Kayler approached Ailo Streitel, a Grade 10 day student, about perhaps joining Girl Up at SMUS, and she was well equipped for the role. “I had some prior knowledge of Girl Up because I'm family friends with the High Commissioner of London,” Ailo explains, “and he had previously worked with some of the Girl Up girls from the UK, they did a project on women in leadership roles and he shadowed them to see what it's like to be in a leadership role under the King.” With Kayler as the President, Ailo joined Girl Up as the Creative Director to help support the club’s goals and initiatives. “I've always wanted for my career path to be in a role of politics, and I feel like being in Girl Up has made me realize that maybe a lot of women don't get those opportunities or aren't respected in those positions.”
Empowering a Diverse Community
Experience and passion are great qualities in leadership, and in order for the Girl Up executive team at SMUS to function well and lead a whole club, they needed someone who was meticulous and organized, able to keep the group on track as they continued to grow on campus. Ridley McLeod, a day student in Grade 10, was asked to step in to fill this role as the club’s Secretary. Kayler describes it as "one of the most important roles, you have to be really diplomatic and have a good memory, and Ridley does." For Ridley, joining Girl Up was the perfect blending of interests. “Working on gender equity and similar topics is something that I'm very passionate about. I’m non-binary, and I’ve learned a lot about myself in the last couple years, done research on SOGI [sexual orientation and gender identity], and am familiar with gender-equity struggles in different countries. It’s something I’m really interested in learning and talking more about.”
While Girl Up as an organization was founded by the UN in 2010 for the empowerment of adolescent girls’ education, health and safety, the societal perception of gender equity has shifted to include more than girls and women. “Why ‘Girl’ Up? Like why only women? There are so many underrepresented groups, minority groups that work can be empowered. We’re not saying women or other groups are better than men either. We just want everyone, all groups, to be supported,” Ailo, Ridley, and Kayler emphasize.
For International Women's Day (IWD) this year, Girl Up had the opportunity to speak at Chapel, and even do an engaging collaborative performance with the Piano Club, which featured four people on one piano at the same time. Several members of Girl Up spoke on the history of IWD, and the various ongoing issues that different communities face. Intersectionality is at the core of equality for humans, and the Girl Up club at SMUS is intent on actionably supporting that.
“We were in search of an organization to work with, and then we found the Support Network for Indigenous Women and Women of Colour (SNIWWOC) in Victoria,” Kayler says, and everything just clicked. “They’re already such a marginalized group in which we have such a big population within Vancouver Island, and Canada itself. And yet, they're still underrepresented, especially when it comes to healthcare or education in many aspects, they're not able to access or receive what they deserve.” The club reached out to Catherine Carriere Der, the Program Coordinator for SNIWWOC, who agreed to a collaboration with Girl Up with mutual enthusiasm.
Making a Local Impact
With momentum and interest from fellow students after that engaging Chapel session, and now a local organization to work with, the Girl Up club charted a course of action. Their goal was to fundraise $150 to supply and assemble hygiene care packages for SNIWWOC, first by putting on a bake sale at SMUS. Girl Up decided to collaborate with the Food Club at the Senior School to make the baked goods, a great way to further engage and utilize the student community. As a boarding student in Symons House, Kayler says that “there were even students baking on their own in the boarding common rooms to help out, day students at home too,” and student participation towards this goal really grew. “I got so many emails that week,” Ailo laughs. “People saying that they were gonna bake with their soccer team after school, they really rallied a group. It was amazing to see how many people were interested in this initiative.”
They also decided to diversify their fundraising efforts, and put on a student raffle for a $100 gift card to Hillside Mall. Students were able to purchase tickets, and the winner was announced just before spring break. From all their efforts and collaborations, and with guidance from teachers at SMUS such as Ms. Gardiner, Ms. Carvalho, Reverend Fletcher, and Mr. Jones, the Girl Up club blew their $150 goal out of the water, and raised a whopping $917 for SNIWWOC in just one week.
Girl up purchased the items necessary for the care packages, including menstrual products, dental hygiene products, and specific boxes for the care package itself, for SNIWWOC to distribute as needed. The remaining money was given as a cash donation to the organization, to be used in their ongoing efforts as they see fit.
“The potency of community, both within and beyond our school's confines, cannot be overstated,” shares Elisha Gardiner, SMUS’s Service and Community Engagement Coordinator. “Internally, it forges bonds that transcend mere proximity, allowing us to exchange interests, passions, and achievements in a supportive environment free from scrutiny. The alignment of volunteer opportunities with personal interests ensures enduring commitment, addressing the challenge of volunteer retention for many of our partnering organizations. Recognizing and reciprocating this symbiotic relationship's value enriches our institution and the broader community immeasurably.”
Building Lasting Change
The club of nearly 30 members, including six executive members like Ridley, Ailo, and Kayler, have an amazing accomplishment under their belts to fulfill their initial goal of taking action to make a difference in healthcare… but they’re not stopping there: education is still a big area that marginalized groups are facing barriers to access. Girl Up’s next goal includes partnering with students at the Junior and Middle School, The Literacy Circle in Victoria, and more, to create long-lasting change in the community.
As a club, they want to be able to forge Girl Up into something that will live long after they graduate from SMUS, so that other students can get involved. “On top of helping the community, I think it's a great experience to be a part of Girl Up, because you get to start working on big topics while you're younger. Of course you're not gonna be great at it at first, we’re only teenagers, but it gives you time to improve on your skills and then by the time you graduate, you can take those skills and experience with you into whatever you decide to do,” Ridley nods. “The community we’ve built within this club is so supportive, uplifting, inspiring, too. It’s so full of love.”
The club’s staff sponsor, Ms. Nicole Carvalho, has been able to witness the effects that this initiative has had on the members of Girl Up on campus first-hand; “The group is VERY passionate. All of the students act as leaders within the club; they are able and willing to step up and share the load—whether it's volunteering at the most recent bake sale, or to speak at Chapel, or to chair a meeting. This group has verve and energy that does not quit!”
For Kayler, Ailo, Ridley, and the rest of the Girl Up members, their passion to make an impact while leaving a legacy transcends geography and time, and their actions, goals, and initiatives with Girl Up continue to build momentum. “We’re advocating for ourselves and our generation, but also what the world would look like when our kids are born—or even the little kids in Junior School and Middle School. When they look up at the Senior School students and alumni, or just adults in general, we want them to look up and see hope and possibility for the future.”
