Seré quien soy / I will be who I am

Autora: Wendy Palax, miembro del Consejo Asesor de Niñas de She's the First

Las miradas no fueron la herida, las palabras que me recorrían de arriba hacia abajo fue la nota más aguda que hubiera escuchado.

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Los rostros eran los mismos, los mismos que dicen ser "Familia". 
Los mismos que me llevaron a un gran abismo. 
Los mismos que siguen sin creer. 
Los mismos que juzgan sin saber.
Los mismos que dicen ser "Familia".

Esa tarde se convirtió en un lugar lleno de preguntas sin respuestas. 
¿Dónde voy a vivir?
¿Con quién me debo casar? 
¿Debo caerles bien? 
¿Qué carrera llevar? 
¿Cumpliré con los requisitos para no fallar?

Y sobre todo, el eco de las palabras rebotaban en mi mente.
"Eres mujer no pierdas vergüenza algún día" 

Creí que no me había afectado
Creí que era ilusión mía
Creí que eran mentiras 
Creí que debía aceptarlas para encajar. 

Observé y me di cuenta que eran las mismas palabras y etiquetas, para ser aceptada en un mundo lleno de maldad y ciclos repetitivos.
Ciclos de etiquetas, requisitos, reglas. Para mantener un papel, orden y sobre todo ser aceptada. 

¿Estoy en el camino correcto? 
Me pregunté
Me observé 
Me escuché 
Me acepte
Me convertí 

El espejo de mi habitación reflejó aquel puño de inseguridades a
un enredo de flores y espinas adornando la habitación. 
Yo no quiero ser una más que dejó sus sueños anclados por la sociedad. 

Mi voz será mi aliado para llegar a cada rincón. 
No llevaré los requisitos de la sociedad. 
No llevaré las reglas para ser aceptada. 
Llevaré mis requisitos, 
llevaré mis fallas a la sociedad. 
Viviré disfrutado los días que vendrán.  

Seré un rompecabezas 
Seré la pieza faltante 
Seré voz 
Seré silencio
Seré la solución 
Seré yo. 

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Una niña con educación es imparable- pero barreras como la discriminación de género, pobreza y explotación impiden que muchas niñas se graduen. Nuestras Jóvenes Embajadoras crearon la campaña El poder de la Poesía para amplificar las voces de las niñas sobre este tema para el Mes Nacional de la Poesía y la Semana de Acción Mundial por la Educación.

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Wendy Palax, de 18 años, es una orgullosa mujer indígena maya y miembro del Consejo Asesor de Niñas de She's the First. Vive en Sololá, Guatemala. “Soy valiente y resistente y me dedico a aprender, comprender y lograr mis sueños. Quiero ser una líder en mi comunidad y en mi país. Quiero romper barreras y empoderar a otras. Soy una joven decidida. Soy una mujer indígena decidida. Romperé los estereotipos y demostraré que tenemos potencial”.

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I will be who I am 

The looks were not the wound, the words that ran up and down in me was the sharpest note that I’ve ever heard. 
The faces were the same, the same that claim to be “Family”. 
The same who took me to a large abyss. 
The same who continues without believing. 
The same who judge without knowing. 
The same who claim to be “Family”. 

This afternoon has turned into a place filled with questions without answers. 
Where will I live?
Who should I marry?
Should they like me?
What career to take?
Will I meet the requirements not to fail?

And above all, the echo of the words that bounced in my mind. 
“You are a woman, do not lose shame one day”.

I thought it had not affected me
I thought it was my illusion 
I thought that they were lies
I thought that I should accept them to fit in. 

I observed and I realized they were the same words and labels, to be accepted in a world filled with evil and repetitive cycles.
Cycles of labels, requirements, rules. To maintain a role, order, and above all be accepted.

Am I on the right path?
I asked myself
I observed myself
I listened to myself
I accepted myself
I became

The mirror in my room reflected that fist of insecurities to 
a tangle of flowers and thorns adorning the room. 
I don’t want to be one more that left her dreams anchored by society. 

My voice will be my ally to reach every corner.
I will not bear the requirements of society.
I will not carry the rules to be accepted. 
I will carry my requirements, 
I will take my faults to society. 

I will live enjoying the days to come. 
I will be a puzzle
I’ll be the missing piece 
I’ll be voice
I’ll be silence
I’ll be the solution
I will be me. 

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A girl with an education is unstoppable—but barriers like gender discrimination, poverty, and exploitation prevent many girls from reaching graduation. Our Youth Ambassadors created the Power of Poetry campaign to amplify girls' voices about this issue for Poetry Month and the the Global Action Week for Education.

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Wendy Palax, 18, is a proud Indigenous Maya woman and a member of the She’s the First Girls Advisory Council. She lives in Sololá, Guatemala. “I am brave and resilient and dedicated to learning, understanding, and achieving my dreams. I want to be a leader in my community and in my country. I want to break barriers and empower others. I am a determined young woman. I am a determined Indigenous woman. I will break stereotypes and prove we have potential.”

Unboxed

By SarahAnne Nigra, 21, She’s the First Youth Ambassador

You can try to take my freedom

My decisions

Strip me from my innocence

Destroy property that doesn’t belong to you

Wipe my dreams with your words

Remove my power

Leave me feeling helpless

Push the standards society has set for girls like me

Tie me down with restrictions

And critique my every move

But the most powerful thing I have is my voice and knowledge

It might get silenced from your ignorance

But you cannot take that

My mind and intelligence will never be yours to take

That will stay even when you try to put me in a box I will find my way out

Every obstacle I encounter I am freed from because I am in charge when it comes to

My education

My dreams

My goals

The knowledge I carry

I will be heard

You can try to take what’s not yours but my mind will always win.

This is a never ending battle

but the willpower I’ve gained from walking out of the impossible cannot ever be

broken

It will not be easy but it is my path

And my voice and decisions will not only be listened to but heard

An educated and respected woman I will always be even when the odds are not in my

favor.

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A girl with an education is unstoppable—but barriers like gender discrimination, poverty, and exploitation prevent many girls from reaching graduation. Our Youth Ambassadors created the Power of Poetry campaign to amplify girls' voices about this issue for Poetry Month and the the Global Action Week for Education.

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SarahAnne Nigra is a 21-year-old college student who is working toward becoming a psychologist. Outside of her schoolwork, she is a model who loves writing poetry, horseback riding, and volunteering at her local stable. She is also a Youth Ambasssador for She’s the First. “Girls’ rights to me means all girls should have a voice and it should be heard.”

A woman, content

Author: Jessica Chukwu

She does not want children
This feels contradictory
Mutually exclusive as if “she” and this particular desire cannot exist at the same time
She knows it’s religion not God that makes this phrase feel
The way it does
uneasy, as if something is out of order
a man would hear what I want and say “that’s out of order”
a woman would hear what I want and say “that’s out of order”

so I guess I’m out of orders
out of rules and restrictions 
out of a need to think beyond myself, I guess I don’t have the woman “gene” or conviction 
a contradiction 
I am a postmodern woman, I have nothing to say to tradition. 

it’s Christmas time, the room’s aroma is rich with jollof rice and chicken. My family are gathered around while “fresh prince” plays on the tv. We are laughing, conversing and catching up. A quick fire round of charades begins, the music blasting on speakers soon follows. The afro beats of the early 2000s take us back to our childhood.  We sink deeper into the evening. Eating our sugar filled deserts. My aunty starts asking us about our goals, our future, what we think our families will be like, how many children we want. All of us are sitting in a circle like shape, the most intimate where the warmest conversations are born. The cousins are answering, response range from 2 to 5, we are laughing at each other’s answers and envisioning our cousins as parents. 
As the gentle laughter dies down again so the next person can speak
I see that the next person is me.

I’m uncomfortable but they don’t know.
I blink and look at my aunty extra hard, maintaining eye contact, willing my eyes to waver so she will know I don’t want to answer. When this quickly failed I prayed to Gaia and hoped some womanly instinct would tell her to move on. 
She doesn’t. So, I lie “I don’t know maybe 2 or 3,  my aunty shoots a smile my way, nods and moves on to my little sister.

My answer was distant. Impersonal.

“How many children do you want?”, enquiring about secondary desires when you have already gotten my primary desire incorrect. 
“How many children do you want?” the question preceding that, whether I even want children is already answered for me and I must accept it.

“How many children do you want?” a question that would like me to speak, a question that silences me.
So, I cannot.

often
a woman is seen as a mother in waiting.

I am a woman, content.

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A girl with an education is unstoppable—but barriers like gender discrimination, poverty, and exploitation prevent many girls from reaching graduation. Our Youth Ambassadors created the Power of Poetry campaign to amplify girls' voices about this issue for Poetry Month and Global Action Week for Education.

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Jessica Chukwu, 19, is from London and Nigeria. “Growing up the stencil that is consciously and subconsciously put onto girls via the media, family, and teachers’ expectations of what a ‘woman’ is, was prominent. The idea that there is a set of outer and inner characteristics that entrench one as a woman is a ridiculous and harmful narrative I am motivated to eradicate. Such notions limit and constrain creativity and freedom, as well as perpetuate shame for those that do not fit into this strict patriarchal mould. I think that is unfair, because creativity and freedom are the qualities that create a fulfilling life. I am passionate about women's rights because I believe women should be able to mould a life of their choosing, with their mind and their wants.” She enjoys writing poetry, and her favorite author is Chimamanda Ngozie Adichie.

End period shame, stigma and poverty.

Author: Hope Wambui Ochieng

I am a slum girl, sooo what. Being a slum girl does not make me less a girl, iam proud because I know my right of equality. 

Going to school using a rug like a pad and oops I stain my dress, pointing fingers and laughter becomes the talk of the day, I gain courage to be strong for I have no one to defend me but am still proud to be a slum girl.

I can't fit in the group of girls, speaking fluent English, with branded clothes and a rich lifestyle but am still proud to be slum girl and cannot complain of what my parents didn't offer to me, could be that is what they had.....let's end  period stigma, shame and stigma.

I hope wambui ochieng as a stands for the girl child to get free sanitary towels in my efforts to make this world a better place towards ending period poverty, stigma  and shame. Iam I will and I must join sdg 17 in partnership to support sdg 

3 for good health and well being

4 for quality education

5 for gender equality

And because iam a slum girl I salute and appreciate those faces that smile back when they hear my name HOPE the slum girl.

#endperiodpovertyandshame

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A girl with an education is unstoppable—but barriers like gender discrimination, poverty, and exploitation prevent many girls from reaching graduation. Our Youth Ambassadors created the Power of Poetry campaign to amplify girls' voices about this issue for Poetry Month and the Global Action Week for Education.

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Hope Wambui Ochieng, 12, was born and raised in Kibera, Nairobi, Kenya. “I started poetry at the age of 6 years, creating awareness and sending messages of hope. During covid era, as the school were closed down due to the pandemic, I saw girls stain dresses for using rags, and some approached me to talk to mum on their behalf so she could get them sanitary towels.” Hope used poetry as a way to advocate for for her school to provide sanitary towels to girls from vulnerable families . “I took up the task of requesting sanitary towels from well-wishers, organisations and try restore their dignity and respect back. My request is for more well wishers, organisations, partners from all walks of life to come on board, support my initiative and be the change she desires in life.” Follow Hope on Instagram at @hopethepoet.

The Joy of Learning

Author: Aliza Puri, She’s the First Youth Ambassador

My grandmother learnt the first letter at 65
I remember her strive
To write her name
Thinking about how signing her name instead of thumb prints
Would be a changed game
For her.
I remember her eye beaming with pride
As she tried
To remember the letter and what they look like
And what they sound like
And I couldn't be happier for her.

My mom was married off in 9th grade.
The exchange of her education with household responsibility was not a fair trade.
Reading and writing Nepali is no big deal
But English is the real deal.
My mother can't understand my English poems
But she will still watch the whole video
And it has become a norm
For her to ask me for a translation
"K vaneko yo video ma Aliza?"
What are you saying in this video, Aliza?
But she is learning and even though she doesn't like to believe
At the age of 50 she is growing.
She is learning to read English
The words probably sound rubbish to her
She recently learnt to post her comments in social media
And she needs no body's help
Sometimes she may comment
"Beuteful" instead of "beautiful"
Under my picture
But I know what she meant
And I am proud of her

For me,
I love learning Maths and Sciences,
I love to read poems and stories in Nepali and english
I am amazed by learning how our body works in perfect coordination
How the systems in the earth work
And how this universe work
Thanks to the education that I have received

I learnt about the stars and sky
And the ants and fly
and moons and sun
and our heart and our brain
and men and women
and the rock and mountain
and the river and sea
and also about you and me.

But I also learnt that maybe you aren't as blessed as me.
And that makes me feel a little bit guilty
I feel greedy
For not being able to share everything that I have learnt so far
I feel angry
That sometimes those who can
Choose not to.

I hope someday,
All of us would learn about this amazing world, and our amazing body,
And amazing people in this world.
I hope one day,
All of us would learn and grow
Not just academically
But also as person
We will learn to be kinder and braver
And world would really be this amazing place
That I believe it is.

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A girl with an education is unstoppable—but barriers like gender discrimination, poverty, and exploitation prevent many girls from reaching graduation. Our Youth Ambassadors created the Power of Poetry campaign to amplify girls' voices about this issue for Poetry Month and the Global Action Week for Education.

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Aliza Puri, 20, is a She's the First Youth Ambassador (and co-creator of the Power of Poetry campaign!). Currently studying medicine in Nepal, Aliza has been involved with She's the First since she was a student at our graduated partner Kopila Valley School! Aliza sees poetry as a creative outlet for her activism. Read her poem, "Dear World," a letter to the world from every girl who has been abused, who finds it hard to come forward and ask for justice because she is too scared and embarrassed—until she decides to fight for herself.

Give Me a Pen

Author: Sukeji Modi, She’s the First Girls Advisory Council Member

Living in a world where I call my home 
Yet I feel marginalized with pain & grieve 
Asked questions as to why I felt so!
Society defined me in a way too doom!
I cry and mourn every to live my dreams 
Give me a Pen!

Allow me to discover the lioness in me 
That can change society and sprinkle a light 
Far above all sentiments enacted on me 
They call me names and put me in chains 
Robbing all my dreams and fantasies 
I want to live and make a change 
Give me a pen!

Witnessing abuse and denial from school
Abandoned from play and all my games 
Kept in dismay behind the walls
Hooked in toxic beliefs and wicked counsels 
Kindly break the chain and hear my pen 
Give me a pen!!

Perceived as a tool for marriage, a puppet, and less important human 
Yet with my pen, I can do wonders
Liberate my world and speak justice 
Unleashing all the pain and speaking the gain 
The truth of my power and strength of my days 
Give me a pen!

Ready to change history 
Ready to break narratives
A rising of what empowerment  means to every girl 
It's every  girl that has a pen that step in and brings the change 
I need to rise to build myself 
Give me a pen!

I dream so big every day 
I need a school and a pair of shoes 
I need some books and a piece of chalk 
I want to read and write my truth 
I want to fly and to reach the sky
Give me a pen!

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A girl with an education is unstoppable—but barriers like gender discrimination, poverty, and exploitation prevent many girls from reaching graduation. Our Youth Ambassadors created the Power of Poetry campaign to amplify girls' voices about this issue for Poetry Month and the Global Action Week for Education.

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Sukeji Modi Sube, 21, is the Executive Director of Girls' Voices for Change in South Sudan. She is also a girl child activist, public speaker, and a member of the She's the First Girls Advisory Council. Currently, she is a first-year student at the University of Juba studying Medicine. She is passionate about fighting gender-based violence, empowering girls, leadership, creative art, and public speaking. During her free time, she likes to sing, dance and read.

I Use My Voice

Author: Camille S. Campbell, She’s the First Youth Ambassador

I use my voice to change the world
to help the silent to be heard.
For girls to choose their own path
to spread equality at last.
I use my voice for blocks to burst
for every girl to be the first.

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A girl with an education is unstoppable—but barriers like gender discrimination, poverty, and exploitation prevent many girls from reaching graduation. Our Youth Ambassadors created the Power of Poetry campaign to amplify girls' voices about this issue for Poetry Month and the Global Action Week for Education.

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Camille S. Campbell, 18, is a She's the First Youth Ambassador (and co-creator of the Power of Poetry campaign!) She's also an award-winning author of four books, including Her Poems: Women Poets Who Changed the World. The #1 Amazon New Release is used in many classrooms. Camille’s writing has been recognized by The New York Times, Girls’ Life, Scholastic, Bow Seat, Penguin Random House, and various journals. She’s an education activist in her home state of Arizona, U.S. When she’s not writing, Camille enjoys silk painting, playing classical guitar, and reading mystery books. You can read more about her on camillescampbell.com.

Untitled

Author: Yellow Beams

i 

do you think of women when you look at the sun-setting sky?
a half moment which lasts a good amount of time,
if only you pay some mind. 

like how the potential of a girl,
can only be seen when you spare a piece of your time
to give her a good study.
then you decide, 
“ah - isn’t she phenomenal, 
how very unusual for her kind”

running on the same field of admiration,
eyes steered by blindness’ attention; how can you marvel in her direction
but not notice her arched back 
and dark under eyes?
from working all her might,
for this singular sight.

thank god.
at least now the world knows.

ii 

do you think of women when you look at the sun-setting sky?
a fleeting red of beauty,
but sometimes so bright it can scare me.

like how a woman is perceived,
when she’s on rear of a chariot filled
with the weight of earth entirely.

an attempt at being exemplary
grit, strength, all of the qualities
just to be misunderstood - mistaken for an ablaze wildfire 

“what a mighty temper”

can you give me an answer, to why when a woman displays an ounce of courage
it is always mistaken as rage
as if red only portrays anger
not rigour. 

iii

how much would you bet, 
for her to make it back before the sun sets,
bound for home to assume the role she left off

atop her head lays an ambition
but for now there are bellies to be filled
bellies, she decided were always going to be more important than her dreams

and we ball it all into a mother’s sacrifice
all the while she plasters on a smile
to admit in bold
in the end i am just a woman 

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A girl with an education is unstoppable—but barriers like gender discrimination, poverty, and exploitation prevent many girls from reaching graduation. Our Youth Ambassadors created the Power of Poetry campaign to amplify girls' voices about this issue for Poetry Month and the Global Action Week for Education.

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This author chose to remain anonymous and publish under the pseudonym Yellow Beams. She is a 21-year-old student who spends most time either reading or watching youtube videos. “I'm trying out different creative forms as an outlet to my thoughts and as coping mechanism.” You can read more of her work on her Tumblr.

If I Ever Have Children

Author: Adelia Khalid

If I ever have a daughter, 
I will teach her to be brave.
I will tell her to be wise.
I will teach her modesty but I will also teach her pride,
I will tell her that her worth is not defined by,
The size of her lips or her hips or her eyes,
But of the honesty of her heart and the intricacies of her mind, 
I will tell her to smile,
Because the world needs more smilers, 
I will tell her to work hard,
Because sometimes she will have to work twice as harder.
I will tell her that there will be people who think that she doesn't deserve the things that she's achieved,
I will tell her that there will be people who will never believe what she has to say, 
Never listen to her just because of who she is,
I will teach her that she is not just a supporting role in someone else's story.
I will tell her that she is more than just her body,
That she was not put on this earth with the sole purpose of satisfying someone else,
That she is not an accessory to a crime she didn't commit,
I will teach her to have empathy.
I will teach her that her existence is a resistance to those who disagree.

My daughter,
I will teach you to be kind, 
But if someone touches you, 
In a way you know they shouldn't,
I promise you,
I don't think they will make it home.

If I ever have a son, 
I will teach him to be strong, 
I will teach him to be gentle,
I will tell him that it is not a crime to feel,
That crying to human beings is just as important as watering is to a tree, 
I will tell him that his worth is not defined by.
Muscles and emotions you think you have to hide,
And there is nothing wrong with liking the colour pink,
And that you are not excused from kitchen duties and dirty dishes in the sink, 
I will tell him that people will expect too much of him,
And if it gets too much,
I will be there for him and tell him that he is more than enough for me.
There will be people who will tell you that you are inherently vicious,
When you and I know otherwise,
I will teach him that violence is never the answer,
I will remind him to protect his sister when
I won't be able to.
I will tell him that it is more than okay to say "I'm not okay" "I love you,"
I will teach you to be brave, 
To stand in the eyes of hate,
Shout to the ears of wrong-doers,
Listen and let their victims tell their story,
I will teach him that his existence is a resistance to those who disagree.

I will teach you to be kind, 
I will try to be kind,
But if you come home having touched someone's daughter,
In a way you know you shouldn't have,
Not even thinking if the same happened to me or your sister, 
Even when I've taught you to, 
I assure you,
You will no longer have a home to come back to.

If I ever have children, 
I will teach them to love,
Until the world starts to do the same,
In the meantime, my child, 
I will promise you,
I will love as furiously as I hope you do too,
So that when you get here,
You won't have to.

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A girl with an education is unstoppable—but barriers like gender discrimination, poverty, and exploitation prevent many girls from reaching graduation. Our Youth Ambassadors created the Power of Poetry campaign to amplify girls' voices about this issue for Poetry Month and the the Global Action Week for Education.

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Adelia Khalid, 21, is the #1 MPH [the Malaysian bookseller] bestselling author of All Minds Are Broken. Growing up in Malaysia, she would be seen with a book wherever she went. Her love for books and reading moved her to start writing her own stories. Eventually, she wrote her debut novel at 17. She is currently pursuing her Degree in English Literature at Universiti Malaya. She writes songs and poetry in her spare time.