Supporter Spotlight: Global Girl Leading Summit 2026
Supporter Spotlight: Global Girl Leading Summit 2026🌟
In October 2025, girls from over 30 schools across the UK, Mexico and Kenya came together for the Global Girl Leading Summit, joining our #PowerToChange workshop to learn how they can lead change in their communities.
On the 10th October 2025, some of our colleagues had the privilege of attending the annual Global Girl Leading Summit, hosted by the Mulberry Schools Trust in honour of the International Day of the Girl Child. As part of the day, we were delighted to deliver our #PowerToChange workshop, supporting students to explore their ability to create positive change in their communities.
The Global Girl Leading Summit brings together girls, educators and role models to celebrate the power and potential of girls everywhere. Held at Mulberry School for Girls and streamed online, the summit opens conversations about the challenges girls face locally and globally, and the ways they can work together to lead solutions and advocate for one another across borders.
At its heart, the summit is founded on four key objectives:
- Empowering girls with knowledge, skills and confidence.
- Building a global sisterhood of girls who advocate for each other.
- Creating a space for connection, discussion and debate .
- Developing leadership and advocacy skills.
For the summit, we adapted our #PowerToChange workshop, which usually focuses on our Change Agents Programme, to align with the aims of the Global Girl Leading Summit. We tailored the content to create a space where girls could lead the conversation about the challenges they face and the futures they want to shape.
As a result, we focussed on the following:
- Strengthening skills, confidence and solidarity, building on the summit’s goal of empowering girls to challenge inequality and claim autonomy.
- We connected the discussions to the principles of our Adolescent Girls Programme, which equips girls in conflict-affected communities with life skills, vocational training and community support.
- We aimed to show that girls everywhere share the power to advocate for change, uplift each other and build a global sisterhood, leaving participants with practical tools and inspiration to continue leading the change they want to see in their own communities.
We ran the #PowerToChange workshop for approximately 300 students, representing around 30 schools from across the UK as well as international participants from countries including Mexico and Kenya. The students explored a range of issues that mattered to them personally and in their communities, including:
- Working towards cleaner streets in London.
- Tackling female genital mutilation in Kenya.
- Addressing illiteracy in Mexico.
- Challenging sexism at school.
- Advocating for access to period products.
- Closing the gender pay gap.
We guided the students to think critically about the issues they wanted to tackle. First, they identified the problem they wanted to address. Next, they developed a plan outlining how they would approach it, considering the steps needed to make a difference. They then mapped out stakeholders who could support them and thought about how to communicate their message effectively. Finally, we reminded them of the importance of ongoing follow-up, as meaningful change takes time and persistence.
This approach allowed the students to gain the tools and confidence to become leaders in their own communities, whilst also bringing attention to worldly issues - a step toward creating a global sisterhood. By learning to tackle challenges in their local and national contexts, they are also able to amplify the voices of those in communities around the world who currently lack the resources to advocate for themselves. In this way, their action at home contributes to broader, meaningful change internationally.
The workshop also closely mirrors the work we do through our Adolescent Girls Programme (AGP). Adolescence is a crucial time for development, and many teenage girls, especially in conflict-affected regions, face extreme poverty, gender-based violence and limited access to education. The AGP provides the knowledge, skills and support that help girls take charge of their futures. Early intervention is key to breaking cycles of poverty and inequality, and the work we did at the summit reflects this ethos, giving young people the confidence and inspiration to create positive change in their own lives and communities.
After the panel, our team hosted a booth where students could ask questions, learn more about the organisation and share their ideas one-to-one. Many asked about volunteering opportunities, where to find further information and how to pursue a career in advocacy, ending the day on an inspiring note.
We were thrilled to receive such kind feedback from the Mulberry Schools Trust following the summit:
Your involvement as a workshop host was vital to the success of this event… many students and staff positively highlighted your workshop and the skills they gained to make tangible changes within their communities… The energy of the day was unmatched – a space where girls knew they were seen, heard and capable of shaping change.
If hosting a similar workshop at your school or organisation is something you’d be interested in, please get in touch with our Fundraising & Marketing Officer, Daisy, at [email protected], and she’ll be happy to support you.
You can also watch highlights of our #PowerToChange workshop here to see it in action:
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