GDST girls to represent UK at the United Nations

Two Year 13 students from Nottingham Girls’ High School jetted off to New York in March to represent the UK at the UN Commission on the Status of Women 61 (CSW61).

This amazing opportunity was offered to Jenny Raw (17) and Rachel Wibberley (18) who were handpicked as delegates of the National Council of Women Great Britain (NCWGB). The invitation stemmed from their work with the National Council of Young Women (NCYW), an organisation that works with the NCWGB to lobby government on issues that young women care about.

The girls put forward the views of young women by way of a Youth Statement for which they gathered information from students at their sister GDST schools.

The main theme this year was women’s economic empowerment in the changing world of work, and there were also discussion on challenges and achievements in the implementation of the Millennium Development Goals for women and girls, and the empowerment of indigenous women.

Speaking ahead of the conference,Jenny, who is also Head Girl at the school, said:

“Representing the National Council of Women Great Britain at the UN will be an invaluable and amazing opportunity for me. It will draw on my interest in the issues women are facing around the world, as well as developing my leadership skills.”

Fellow student Rachel added:

“I want to have a role in shaping the world for others and I am excited about my opportunity to represent the NCW at the 61st Commission. By giving me the opportunity to augment my insight into the global issues women are facing and develop my communication and leadership skills, I can become more effective in my aim to highlight the fact that many younger women take great interest in the progression towards gender equality.”

Nottingham Girls’ High School’s well-established NCYW group meets regularly and plans events such as marking the International Day of the Girl, Human Rights Day and International Women’s Day.

The school’s Head, Julie Keller, commented:

“This is an extremely exciting opportunity for the girls and we were over the moon when we heard the news that they had been asked to attend the event in New York. The school has a strong link with the National Council of Women and we couldn’t be more proud to represent them in New York at an international event.”

Cheryl Giovannoni, Chief Executive of the GDST, added:

“We are proud to support Jenny and Rachel as our GDST global outreach ambassadors, using their time at CSW61 to share the views of girls and young women across the GDST network and gather information to share with the network on their return.”

Since they returned to the UK they have been interviewed by Metro.

You can find out more and follow Jenny and Rachel’s adventure on their website and via Twitter, or watch their video below.