By Evette Franklin – Secretary - Global Girl Project Board of Trustees
If you told me 20 years ago that today I'd not only be part of an all women board but I'd be 4 years in and loving the experience, I would have told you no no and no.
For several reasons.
Firstly I didn't have positive female relationships. Especially in my 20's I seemed to find it difficult to connect with other women. I won't go into the whys and wherewithals but that was my experience.
Secondly, the idea of being on a board was never on my radar. The boards I was even aware of were populated by old white men.
Lastly I never considered the possible impact of being part of a nonprofit at that level.
In September 2018 I joined the Board of Global Girl Project and took on the role of Secretary.
I met the founding director Julia Lynch through Capoeira and she infected me with her passion for the work that Global Girl Project does with girls from the Global South.
As a Black woman that grew up in Kingston Jamaica and London UK, I've had first hand experience of the power of connecting and learning from and with people from different cultures, countries, and backgrounds.
My experiences of work, travel and lifestyle outside of my culture have shaped my growth and worldview. So, I understood the power of the work that GGP does, and the importance of exposing marginalised girls from the Global South to other girls from different cultures and countries, as well as giving them the tools to use their voices to talk about issues that were relevant to their communities.
Ultimately, it’s been my diverse upbringing between the Caribbean and Europe, exposure to personal development, entrepreneurship and ongoing learning beyond university that got me to a place where I could give value to the board of a nonprofit organisation.
So what about the women?
Well of course we're not a monolithic entity.
There are limitless ways to experience and show up as a woman.
Our GGP board over the years grew from 3 to 7 incredible women of different professions, different social and economic backgrounds and of course like our girls we are from different cultures and countries.
We bring so much powerful variety of knowledge, experiences and skills to the table that it blows me away.
When I was the only entrepreneur in the group I definitely had moments where I questioned why I was even there.
However these women make me feel valued and value the worldviews and perspective that I bring to our multicultural table.
I also believe that for our girls to know that our organisation is led my women is a powerful model for them to be exposed to.
If you don't see yourself in places and spaces it's difficult for you to even imagine you can be a part of said place or space.
As women together the environment we've created is intentionally inclusive and co creative.
No we are not men hating feminist, we are GGP feminist.
That's another story and I'd love it if you took the time to read about what this means for GGP. It's a great reframe (for me personally) of what it means to be a feminist organisation. You can read it here.
Today our all female board is seven women from six different countries, multiple cultures and living in four different countries.
We have created a culture where all our voices are heard and respected. Where we aren't afraid of difficult conversations about authenticity, integrity, bias, race and inclusivity.
Any conversation that makes us better, makes our organisation better, makes our partnerships and programs better is embraced.
Being an integral part of GGP has become something I'm truly proud to belong to.
I shout it from the proverbial rooftops very loudly and will continue to do so.