JORDANA ALTER CONFINO
2006 YOUTH AWARD
Girls Learn International, Inc.
United States
In eighth grade, Jordana Alter Confino decided to do something about her passion for providing the opportunity of education to girls around the world. As a young girl herself, she was astonished to find that two-thirds of the world’s uneducated children were girls.
In 2003, she responded by collaborating with her mother and sister to form Girls Learn International, Inc. (GLI), an organization opening doors for not only those young women in severely limited circumstances, but also for hundreds of students in America to be a part of positive social change for young women on a global scale. The goals of the organization are to aid in universal education for female children, involve American students, spread awareness of human rights among middle and high school students, and develop stronger cross-cultural communication and understanding worldwide.
To date, there are over forty GLI chapters throughout the U.S. which each support and correspond to one partner classroom in an area of the world where girls have been denied access to education in the past. Jordana currently directs activities for the Westfield High School in Westfield, New Jersey which has raised $3,000 to provide the Muktar Mai school in Meerwala, Pakistan with computer and internet access.
In addition to her local GLI chapter, she chairs the Junior Board for the organization nationwide. She is an effective orator on the subject of difficult issues facing girls around the world, having inspired schools around the U.S. to join GLI by spreading awareness through magazine and newspaper articles as well as television spots including ABC and NBC Morning News, and personal speaking events including the annual GLI Chapter Summit.