LS&Co. Unzipped

Welcome to our blog. Here’s where you’ll find a “behind-the-seams” look at what’s going on with Levi Strauss & Co. You’ll hear from a variety of voices, from both inside and outside the company. And you have the chance to share your thoughts. So read on — and weigh in!

Nov 18 2011

Girls Unite in San Francisco

If you paid a visit to Levi’s Plaza this past weekend, you witnessed the power that teenaged girls have to change the world.

On November 12, 2011, Levi Strauss & Co. hosted San Francisco’s first Girl Up Unite for Girls tour. Girl Up is a campaign of the United Nations Foundation that gives American girls the opportunity to channel their energy and compassion to raise awareness and funds for some of the world’s hardest-to-reach adolescent girls.

The Girl Up Unite for Girls Tour brings together hundreds of enthusiastic girls (and boys, too!) who want to make a difference in the world.

It was inspiring to see so many teens and their families gather together in one place for such an amazing cause. Girls learned about hardships of their counterparts in developing countries and how they can help girls just like them get access to education and health services, and, to be safe, counted and positioned to be the next generation of leaders.   

The energy and compassion of the girls in San Francisco was contagious!

One tour-goer from Orange County, California, gushed about her first Unite for Girls experience.  "I just love how so many girls have gathered here to help our sisters around the world," said, Iman P., 14, right before she ran to drop off her personal letter to a girl in Guatemala.

The energy really kicked up when actress Alexandra Daddario entered the room. Chic and graceful, Alexandra made time for a little girl talk with the Teen Advisors. This group of hand selected girls engages and inspires other teens to get involved with Girl Up, and loved meeting Alexandra!

Over at the Malawi kiosk, Teen Advisors Joi Stevens and Emily Harwell dared attendees to walk a few steps in a girl from Malawi's shoes.

The challenge -- carry jerry cans filled with water across the room! While it may seem easy, the girls realized just a few steps in how hard it was and were astonished to find out that young girls in Malawi must do this every day.

Our friends at 10x10 added a great addition to the Ethiopia kiosk where the girls signed a certificate that they were against child marriage and rocked pledge rings with the words "diva" and "rock star" inscribed.

San Francisco-based singer Olivia Somerlyn hit the stage and performed her song "I’m Just Fine" to kick off the program.

"Olivia Somerlyn is using her music and her voice to help girls change the world," said our grand MC Aaron Sherinian of the United Nations Foundation.

It was no surprise that Project Girl Performance Collective had us all on the edge of our seats with their bold spoken word, in-your-face skits, and choreography to match.

The closing panel, including Emily Courey Pryor of the UN Foundation and Denise Sunning of the Adolescent Girls' Advocacy & Leadership Initiative, was a reminder of what Girl Up's does best: provide easy and relevant ways for girls to make a difference.

Thank you Levi Strauss & Co. for hosting this fabulous event, and thanks to all your awesome volunteers!  Levi Strauss & Co. even ended the event with a Girl Up High $5.01 donation for every person who received a custom fitting for Levi’s® Curve ID jeans.

 

 

Posted By: Gina Reiss-Wilchins, Director, Girl Up

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Tags: Events,Levi Strauss & Co.,Levi's®,Social Responsibility

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