Have you ever come across a community program, university course or advertisement and thought it could have used a bit more insight from the very people it aims to target?
I have, and that is why I have been admirer the work of GirlSPARKS for a while now. So you can imagine my excitement when I was recently asked to serve as a Goodwill Ambassador on their behalf! I already consider myself a lifelong advocate for the recognition and inclusion of girls in all aspects of my personal and professional life. And the GirlSPARKS tools have helped me do that in a better-informed way.
You may be wondering, what is GirlSPARKS?
It’s a global training initiative working with organizations and individuals to deliver more effective programming for adolescent girls through an experiential and tailored Girl-Centred Design approach.
Now you may be thinking, why girls specifically? Well, unfortunately:
- Globally, 1 in 3 women experience gender-based violence in their lifetime
- An estimated 650 million women alive today were married before their 18th birthday
- 131 million girls around the world remain out of school
Girls across the globe face barriers when it comes to equity and inclusion in so many areas of life. But when these rights are invested in, there are benefits not just for girls but their larger communities as well. The evidence around the value of investing in girls continues to grow. However, a disconnect persists between this evidence and the ability of practitioners to identify marginalized girls, prioritize their needs in the design process, and engage them over time and at scale.
This disconnect is where GirlSPARKS steps in. Their Girl-Centred Design approach provides the skills, knowledge, and tools for practitioners to place adolescent girls at the center of program design and implementation. The method consists of three core modules:
Find Her: Finding the most marginalized girls through data collection tools
Listen to Her: Bringing girls into the center of program design through girl consultations and safe spaces
Design with Her: Tailoring the design approach to meet adolescent girls’ unique needs through learnings from previous modules
While organizations or other entities may think they know what girls need or want, I value the GirlSPARKS approach because it centres around girls’ actual thoughts, actions, and insight. And their input is vital when trying to sustainably and genuinely empower them through any method. Instead of creating for girls, GirlSPARKS helps you to understand how to create with girls.
GirlSPARKS offers training on Girl-Centred Design through in-person workshops and a free online introductory course. Through the broader GirlSPARKS community, practitioners can connect and share resources.
I began my girls’ advocacy journey through personal connection and informal advocacy networks. The introductory Girl-Centred Design course has allowed me to expand my technical training around advocacy. I have been able to apply the Girl-Centred Design approach to all aspects of my work – even if the population I am working with isn’t all girls.
It is essential to continue to expand our understanding of concepts, perspectives and approaches when it comes to advocacy and people-centred work of all kinds. GirlSPARKS provides an engaging environment and resources to initiate that expansion. Be sure to check out their website and social media to stay updated on all the resources they offer!
