Girls Give Forward | A Scholarship Fund for Girls and Young Women

Dearest gentle reader,

In the fashion of Lady Whistledown, I write this post to reveal a ravishing tiny little secret, more of a lesson really, that has been itching in my mind for the past few months.

But before I confess my secret, I would encourage you to grab a piece of paper and a pen — or a blank Google Doc if you so wish to be modern and start curating a list. Please accompany me in listing what is most important to you.

When I first applied to Minerva University, my most important accomplishment was summoning the courage to list everything I have always wanted to do as a young girl who spent most of her life nerding out in school. Who was I outside of the School of the Nations?

It was the process of applying to college that forced me to reflect on myself and think of what I wanted to do for myself and not for fancy extracurriculars. I used to call it the F*ck It List, a long bullet-point list of experiences I wanted to have, including playing the piano, reading books, learning languages, making myself uncomfortable, and much, much more. It was during my gap year in 2020 year that I finally reconnected with the butterflies in my stomach, and worked as hard as I could in my feminist work with Girl Up and Global Fund for Women to finally publish my book and do stuff that scared me.

It has been four years since.

And so much has changed.

(How much have you changed in four years?)

I have, indeed, accomplished and experienced most of the things on my list, and as a rising senior at Minerva University, I am about to close a chapter in my life I fought so hard to write. It is so bittersweet to look back and think that where I am is exactly where I dreamed of being years ago.

So what is left?

Well, I am a feminist and an active activist. My activism is important to me because it gives me the confidence to feel comfortable in my skin and heal from the wounds of my past. I have accomplished so much through my activism and my education that I am amazed at how much we can grow from the things we do in life!

(What else do you want to pursue and experience in your life?)

I am about to close my university chapter but I am not ready to let go of my activism; both are part of my life. So, while I end a chapter, I can also help other girls open theirs with all the experience I have gained over the years.

For this reason, I have been working on Girls Give Forward (GGF), a scholarship fund and accountability group for girls and young women who are writing the manuscript of their new chapter in their lives. This fund was created with the support of the Youth Fund, seeded by the UN Foundation.

GGF is a simple idea: four girls get together for three months to hold each other accountable and achieve a goal in the next three months and get financially compensated to do so. The catch? We have to invest a percentage of the money in another girl we want to see thrive, thus creating a positive chain of investing in other women.

So if you are interested in applying to university, want to prep for a job, develop a new skill over the next three months, or do something that frightens you, join us in this highly experimental project! Let’s build a way to invest in young women to foster the girl effect and see what happens.

I will include a link to the application form below as well as a detailed explanation of how the fund will work.

And if this project is not for you, please tell me what you want to do with your life so I can also hold you accountable.

XOXO,

Giovanna Basso

Apply here