Girl-Up Launches First Meeting of the School Year
Sarah Porter
Staff Writer
On Tuesday, October 26, Girl Up kicked off its first in-person meeting since 2019. In previous years, Girl Up has held its meetings through Zoom due to distance learning; and consequently, struggled to get outreach through an online setting. Now, with the implementation of the Lunch and Learn schedule and a five-day, in-person school week, Girl Up is finally able to have their meetings face-to-face.
“It feels good [being in person] because I finally got to meet some of our leadership [team]. For example, some of [our team] didn’t really know them, but I actually got to know them through good conversations in person,” said junior Yanelvis Gomez, Social Media Manager for the club.
“[The] online [setting] with[in] Girl Up felt like people were more scared to speak up in the meeting whereas, in person, the discussions are a lot better and we are able to include more people,” said Junior Elizabeth Lane.
“To only hear about it online was very hard to get connected to, whereas now it’s very easy to decide you are going at lunch,” said Junior Amelia Pattarini.
There is value for women finding a place where they can find solidarity with other women through a shared experience, and sometimes that requires the discussion to occur face-to-face.
“It’s good for women to have a safe place in school to discuss how they feel,” said Junior Alex Smith.
Now, with Girl Up finally running, a set of new, fresh faces now lead the club — consisting mostly of juniors and seniors. However, many of the girls in the leadership roles experienced a significant portion of high school through a Zoom screen and thus feel the oddity of participating candidly. These roles include Reece Waller as club president,
“At first it was a little bit weird to [transition] from computer screens to in-person. We struggled to identify what each of us wanted to do…so, we [had] to come up with a new plan to adhere to the new changes,” said Gomez.
“It’s always hard when new people step into the roles, [but] I have complete confidence in the girls [that] step into the role…former leadership really gave underclassmen [the opportunity] to see what it was like to be ready [to handle club operations],” said Kiyak.
Furthermore, students face social challenges as they transition in person, slowing the process of adjusting to club meetings.
Nonetheless, Girl Up hopes to continue traditional past projects like their annual Period Product Drive, a community service project where members distribute menstrual products to women in poverty. Furthermore, the new team is planning to attend the annual Women’s March in January. Additionally, club meetings center around feminist-based discussions on topics like challenging gender norms and practicing intersectionality.
“We need to address intersectionality the most, [and] the idea that it should be all women, not just white women.”
Smith spoke about what is, to her belief, “the most important issue in feminism today is how pretty much all women’s issues are up for debate. Nothing stays consistent [and] women’s rights are always up for question.”
One of Girl Up’s missions this year is to include men in their forums to diversify their meetings and discussions.
“I feel like it’s a misconception that Girl Up is just for girls. Anyone can join despite whatever you identify as, and we encourage boys to come,” said Lane.
“I guess the way people perceive feminism is the biggest issue with feminism. [It is] often warped to be pro-women and anti-men, which is not right,” said Pattarini.
The “girls supporting girls” Girl Up club will hold its next meeting on Thursday, December 9th in room A-230.
