This week I watched the video “Girl Connected” on YouTube. The film was about five teenage girls from around the world with a dream, hope for a better future. Josi, Latifa, Ghazal, Ayesha and Michelle worked around their communities/ villages to help girls younger or their age to have hope as well for the future.

Josi from Peru wants to prevent teenage pregnancies. She has gathered teenagers around the villages and asked for them to meet at a park or commune place. She talks to teenagers how they can prevent from pregnancies occurring at an early age and also preventing STDs. Sex is not something that their parents talk to them because they are old schooled. They’re only worrying about teaching their daughters how to cook, clean and raise kids but it should not be like that. Teenagers both female and males should be informed. Josi talks to these teenagers and informs them and I think that is great, getting informed is not happening in the household or at school it should happen somewhere.

Latifa from Bangladesh is going from village to village to talk to young ladies and parents to prevent them from getting married at an early age. She was once going to get married at an early age but she opposed to it and her parents stood by her. She is now reciting people to help her spread the word. Not all young ladies have to get married at the ages of 12 or 9 years old. They are young and have a whole life ahead of them. Families are in poverty and don’t have anything to eat and the parent think that rearranging a marriage for them they will be in better hands. Latifa shared that the man she was going to get married to is now married and has kids but he unfortunately is not doing well. If that would of been her she wouldn’t have been able to continue her studies and would of been in the same place as she was, not having anything to eat but now with a husband and kids to look after. Marrying their young daughters is not the answer to their problems.

Ghazal from Jordan walks around taking peoples pictures and asking about their experiences. She says she is always the odd one in her group but she doesn’t mind it, she does what she wants to do and wants for others to do the same. She had made a curtain of recyclable bottle caps, she says creativity cannot be taught but letting people know that they can speak and do what their minds want is okay. Ghazal wants to know these peoples experiences so she can learn from them and dream big for her future. Speak your mind and do what you want, creativity comes in many forms.

Ayesha from India has epilepsy but she does karate. On Sunday’s she teaches girls from all ages karate, to be able to defend themselves if someone where to attach them. She said she heard someone get raped and that didn’t scare her, she wanted to become strong and be able to defend herself. The epilepsy doesn’t effect her when she’s doing karate, she feels free and it’s as if she didn’t have an illness. She wants to win the gold metal and bring it home. She dreams to become a karate coach and teach girls how to defend themselves so they don’t have to be sacred.

Michelle from Kenya wants to become an engineer. She says not many women are engineers and aren’t sure of themselves, they don’t believe the can study and become someone. Men have the upper hand and it should not be like that. She has a program where she lets women speak their minds and show them to have a high self esteem and confidence in themselves. She is studying at a university and she believes that just because a women wants to become successful as well it doesn’t mean that their taking away from men. It can be shared and not looked down upon. Women have rights as well to become something not have to stay at home and cook, clean and watch over the kids. That is not the only job of a women.