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Dublin, 01/03/2018 – A Dublin Guide Leader will be a voice for 10 million girls on the United Nation’s world stage.
Aisling O’Boyle, age 21, is one of 12 youth representatives from around the globe selected by the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts (WAGGGS) to be part of its delegation at the 62nd Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) in New York.
The commission runs from 12 to 23 March and is dedicated to documenting female experiences, promoting equality, shaping global standards and empowering women. This year the commission’s theme is rural women and girls. Despite the unique challenges girls face, their voices are often missing from government decision-making and fall through the cracks of data used to drive policy.
As the world’s only movement for every girl and any girl, WAGGGS selects a delegation to represent girls during these discussions each year. The aim is to provide girls with a stronger collective voice, while having their views listened to and reflected at all levels of decision-making. Aisling will help ensure the voices of 10 million Girl Guides in 150 countries around the world are heard on issues that matter to them.
Aisling joined Irish Girl Guides as a Brownie at the age of six (Brownies is the branch of Irish Girl Guides for 7-10 year olds) and is now a leader in Centenary Guide Unit in Dundrum. She believes Guiding is of great importance to girls because it pushes girls out of their comfort zone by introducing them to new activities, new cultures, and new ideas.
Aisling believes two of the largest challenges facing girls today are harmful stereotypes and discriminatory gender norms. “I believe gender equality can be achieved but, for this to happen, it must be driven and directed. This process begins with empowering girls and young women by investing in education and providing them with an outlet to form opinions and develop confidence,” she said.
Aisling, who is in her final year of a Political Science and Geography degree at Trinity College Dublin, is delighted to have been selected as a CSW delegate and is excited to see how the theories of Political Science she has studied in college apply in a real-world policy context. She looks forward to highlighting Irish girls’ concerns about issues such as access to education, violence against women, the gender pay gap, and the lack of women in senior leadership positions.
ENDS
For more information, please contact:
Ireland – Aisling O’Boyle, CSW delegate
World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts
Phone: 087-6991332
Email: aislingoboyle1@gmail.com
Fiona Murdoch, Communications Officer
Irish Girl Guides
Phone: 085 8570565
Email: communications@irishgirlguides.ie
NOTES TO EDITORS
Irish Girl Guides has approximately 12,000 members. Guiding started in Ireland in 1911 and operates throughout the 26 counties with 1,800 volunteer leaders providing an informal educational programme of fun and challenging activities that foster confidence and leadership skills in girls and young women, enabling them to develop to their full potential and to become responsible citizens. Girls from age 5+ can choose to earn a wide range of badges, including Community Action, Cultural Diversity, Disability Awareness, Drug Awareness, Online Surfer, Science Investigator and Global Traveller.
The World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts (WAGGGS) is the world’s only movement for every girl and any girl because we believe that each of them deserves to be the best they can be. The diverse Movement represents ten million girls and young women from 150 countries. Free to make what they want from the Movement, girls learn by doing, making friends and having fun. In safe, local spaces, girls develop the skills and attitudes to change themselves, their communities and our world. WAGGGS keeps the global Movement thriving, united and growing. www.wagggs.org