Singer Jessie Ware will join an array of women from sport, TV, the arts, science, business and politics to take part in a day-long event at London’s Southbank Centre tomorrow, Friday 11 October
The UN has declared this Friday, 11 October as the International Day of the Girl, a moment to celebrate girls' potential and their achievements, while acknowledging the difficulties that millions of them face around the world.
Friday's event will launch with an all-female speed-mentoring takeover of the London Eye, where two hundred London schoolgirls aged 11-18 will meet with leading women from across all industries, including Ruby Wax and Jenny Eclair, for 15-minute sessions, where they will discuss their life aspirations and challenges.
The day also marks the launch of Southbank Centre’s WOW Days initiative, which aims to encourage schools to bring feminism into the classroom. It's modelled on the Centre’s annual WOW – Women Of The World Festival, which takes place every March to coincide with International Women’s Day.
The Southbank Centre wants to encourage schools across the UK to hold their own WOW festivals in March 2014, to celebrate the achievements of girls and women, and to discuss issues that prevent them from reaching their full potential.
Plan International was the first major organisation to call for an international day of recognition for girls and achieving it for the first time in 2012 was one of the earliest goals of the campaign. Singer Jessie Ware and a whole host of famous names are expected to participate.
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