the picture to address

Author: Ilana Drake

news of young women being
unable to attend school in
afghanistan because of the
taliban means the world
needs to fight,
the world needs to fight
for women

because 130 million girls
lack access to education,
too large a number for
us to sit back as we
focus on what we see
as “progress”

rural girls are 2 times
as likely as urban girls
to be out of school and
period poverty means
that girls miss school

and the social determinants
of health interact with
the ability to access

an education and knowledge is power.

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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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Ilana Drake is a sophomore at Vanderbilt University in the U.S. and is studying Public Policy. She is twenty years old and serves as a United Nations UNA-USA Global Goals Ambassador for SDG 4 (Education).

Like a Phoenix

Author: Melina S. Farahmand

Like a Phoenix, continue to
rise from beneath the ashes,
with the magic that lies within
and take that power to shatter
every glass ceiling and create healing
Within a nation that is too busy grieving instead of dreaming, we are pleading with you,
To rise into the fire filled sky
with your wings created by kings —
Rise like the Phoenix, trailblazer.

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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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Melina Farahmand is a 21-year-old author, activist, filmmaker, and storyteller from California, U.S. At twelve years of age, she founded Past Present Future Co., a news and media entity to educate, inspire, and cultivate a world in which women’s empowerment and sustainability issues are debated and discussed. Through a vibrant conversation of the relevant problems of the day, Melina believes people can bring about change in their communities.