Summary

Girls Talk Back was created by the partnership of the American Association of University Women – Honolulu Branch, Women’s Fund of Hawai’i (WFH), and Ceeds of Peace.

Our partnership launched this effort after identifying gaps in our education system’s ability to develop underrepresented leaders, specifically women of color and even more specifically Pacific Islander and Native Hawaiian women.

According to WFH’s 2017 report, The Status of Women in Hawai’i, 38% of Pacific Islander women and 14% of Native Hawaiian women live in poverty—the highest among all ethnic groups here. These data justify the urgency to focus more efforts on raising women leaders in our communities to help break cycles of poverty, inequality, and injustice. In our second year of Girls Talk Back, we served 23 young women and two student mentors, ranging from ages 15-18. These young women joined us from three islands and 15 different schools.