Arrowhead Club Feature: Girl Up

Girl-Up is a United Nations-sponsored organization that fights against gender discrimination all across the world.  It supports organizations such as United Nations Children’s Fund, United Nations Population Fund and the UN Refugee Agency to provide underprivileged girls with a healthy and well-rounded education.  

Jennifer Passler is the Girl Up Advisor of Arrowhead’s chapter.  She says she is “so energized by (her) members’ willingness to participate.”

She says although the Covid-19 pandemic has decreased the amount of in-person activities, involvement has not decreased.  Events that would have otherwise taken place in-person took place virtually.  

Girl Up’s national chapter organized a Women in Politics event that state and national political figures attended, and it was held virtually.  The group also created a talent video to spread holiday cheer to local nursing homes and communicated with pen pals across the country and the world.  

Arrowhead’s chapter is planning a fundraiser for Afghani refugees attending school in Wisconsin.

Another event that the group partook in was a book club.  They met (virtually) once per month and “discussed books on various gender topics.”

Passler and the rest of the club are hopeful that as COVID restrictions continue to lift, they will be able to work more closely with the Women’s Center’s youth support programs such as organizing an easter egg hunt and educational crafts.

One of the most important factors of Girl Up is their community service.  One of their highlights includes raising money for the Light for Refugees Foundation.  

According to Passler, “90% of refugees living in settlements have no access to energy. Thus, women and girl refugees are often harassed while walking at night, and children cannot effectively study after sunset. This organization provides solar lights to refugees.”

The Women’s Wisdom Initiative believes in the power of using art to heal.  Arrowhead’s Girl Up participated in their Traveling Postcards program, in which members crafted uplifting postcards for survivors of gender-driven violence.

The club also collected and distributed goods to underprivileged girls and women in local areas; they collected toiletries to donate to the Women’s Center of Waukesha, collected and assembled craft kits for children at the Women’s Center, and assembled and packaged sets of reading and math flash cards with the United Way of Greater Milwaukee and Waukesha.

Those interested in joining can follow Arrowhead Girl Up on Instagram (@girluparrowhead) for information on the next meeting.