As this tumultuous year comes to an end, it is now a great opportunity to pause and reflect on why we do what we do.

girledworld is all about our community. When we reflect on the ripple effect of the work we do, it presents itself in the comments section of the Instagram, Facebook, or LinkedIn posts that we share;. it exists in the feedback that our mentors share with us, saying that someone has reached out to thank them for opening their eyes to new opportunities; and it is in every interaction we have had over the past 4 years, connecting more than 30,000 students with hundreds of industry mentors from companies across the world.

With every world of work careers event, Design Thinking hack day, industry placement, skill-building workshop, blog post, industry mentor video and partnership we’ve delivered, we hope that our community of fearless, game-changing girls is a little bit more inspired to pursue their dreams. After all, this is why we exist. We are here to show young girls that they can achieve whatever it is that they want in life and more!

As a collective, and as individuals, young women are unstoppable. You only have to look at the first TIME 2020 Kid of the Year - the incredible 15-year-old scientist and inventor, Gitanjali Rao - to see that the next generation of young women are going to shape this world into something much, much better. And as an organisation, we are honoured to be able to play this role in inspiring the young female minds that will do just that.

As we look beyond what the year 2020 has been, we are grateful for the opportunity to operate digitally to deliver our mission. It is in 2021, that we look forward to bringing accessibility to the forefront of our offering, so young women all across Australia (and the world) can have equal access to the resources and opportunities that girledworld provides. After all, every young girl has the right to see what she can be and feel empowered to do so, no matter where she comes from.

To our community, thank you for a wildly wonderful year! It’s been an amazing year of learning, growing and innovating in a complex time for us all. But for now, it’s time to switch off, rest, relax and reflect on the year that was, before we step into the excitement and opportunity of 2021!

Over & out!

- The Team @ girledworld
Written by Imogen Kerr