b'Soroptimist InternationalReport for the High-Level Political Forumtransform communities. Many of the girls attendingfacingashadowepidemicofviolenceand thecampalreadyreportedchallengesintheirdiscrimination.Apolicerepresentative,lawyer, communities that they wanted to change, and withdoctorandothersfactuallyexplainedprocedures these newfound abilities they would be able to beavailable to support the girls if they were to face agentsofchange,socialinnovatorsandglobalviolence,howtoreportit,andhowtoidentify citizens.Throughactivitieslikedebating,thegirlspeople who could be experiencing trauma and the were able to critically engage with social ideas, andsupportavailabletothem.Manyofthese analysethecauses,impactsandvaluesofsocialprofessionalsalsosharedtheirpersonal phenomenon.Theseabilitieshavelife-longperspectives and motivations to help women and relevance, enabling the girls to engage in politics,girls, inspiring those at the camp to use their own leadership,andsustainabledevelopmentmorepassionstobettertheserviceswomenandgirls broadly. receive. The girls attending also had their own view and expressed a keen interest in gender equalityEradicatingviolenceandpromotinggoodhealthcoming from households where men have multiple were significant topics of discussion in this camp.wives, they had their own views on how womens Both of these issues have been prominent duringroles should change.theCOVID-19pandemic,withwomenandgirls Uniting alobal Movement During the COVID-19 Pandemic Examples: What the Girls Will Do Next: As part of the programme, graduates from the Leadership Academy are expected to design and implement their own project in their community, using the skills they have learned by attending the Academy. This increases self-confidence and helps demonstrate how girls can be agents of change, supports knowledge exchange, and furthers womens and girls roles in leadership positions. These are some examples of what the girls who have most recently participated plan to do when they return to their own communities:Angel & Flora will return to their home of Baringo County and startDianaproducedadetailed Blessings & Christine areplan to support marginalised returning to their respectivetheirownagriculturaltraining andtreeplantingproject.Theychildren in her community of schools with the knowledgeMusembebybuildingan of how to establish a peeralsowanttousetheirprize-winning project proposal to workorphanagebeforegoing learning and support group.forward to qualify a human withlocalauthoritiestobuild more boreholes.rights lawyer. Conclusions & Recommendations:Girls must be recognised as agents of change, and be empowered to contribute to society and create the world that the want to live in. The girls of today will be those who will live with the consequences of climate change, political inaction and other sustainable development issues. Their views and voices must be heard and given maximum consideration.Local and national authorities must undertake action to consult more with girls and respond to the information they obtain from initiatives such as youth assemblies, leadership camps, citizens assemblies and focus groups.Schools and educational institutions must adapt lessons and curriculums to include global citizenship education, environmental education and leadership skills that will empower women and girls. These institutions should also undertake gender analyses to ensure that women and men, girls and boys, do not have different experiences in the education system, including in the development of soft skills which have a life-long impact.12'