We’re launching Next Level — G(irls)20’s response to this urgent disruption caused by COVID-19. Through this pilot program, we will provide young women and non-binary youth from the retail and hospitality sectors in Canada with leadership and social entrepreneurship training along with supportive coaching to navigate the changing economy on their own terms.

At G(irls)20, we’re often running applications for programs or helping out our friends with job applications. We hear the same thing often: It can be tough speaking about yourself and tying your informal and formal experiences. Worse, the impacts of COVID-19 have bled into networking and coffee chats— making it even more difficult to learn the art of selling yourself. But this is a skill that you can master if you ask yourself the right questions.

In preparation for the Commission on the Status of Women, we released five recommendations that world leaders must address to include young women and their full participation in decision-making spaces.

Young women have been disproportionately affected by the economic and social impacts of COVID-19 in Canada. Young women (18-24 years old) made up 59% of the total job losses when the pandemic began, and as of last month, young women are suffering employment losses three times worse than the national average –the furthest of any demographic away from pre-COVID numbers.

On March 15 to 26, the sixty-fifth session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) took place with one of the priority themes on “women’s full and effective participation in decision-making in public life”.

The whole idea of the project saying that young women are important to have on boards and our opinion is important…

As we close the chapter on 2020, I want to stop and reflect on how this year has changed G(irls)20 as an organization and how we have adapted to and have risen above the challenges that 2020 presented.

Diwali celebrates light, and this year the Diwali Awards, 2020 shone a spotlight on G(irls)20 as an organization that strengthens the Canada-India ties and empowers young women to continue to initiate change at a global level. This year, G(irls)20 was honored to be selected to receive the Roy MacLaren Humanitarian Award.