L.A. Promise Fund has booked a major name for its Girls Build L.A. Leadership Summit: Hillary Clinton.
Clinton will take the stage Dec. 15 in front of 5,000 young women from L.A. County public schools and deliver the keynote address about activism and leadership from the Los Angeles Convention Center stage. Megan Chernin, L.A. Promise Fund co-chair, says the organization is thrilled to have Clinton join for what is “the largest event of its kind in the nation,” one geared toward the city’s “future leaders.”
This year’s event will feature themes around technology and social impact, and include performances and appearances from accomplished professionals in the technology and entertainment sectors.
In its third year, the Leadership Summit celebrates the girls who participate in the Girls Build L.A. program, an initiative run by the L.A. Promise Fund that challenges young women from public middle and high schools across L.A. County to use STEM principles and 21st Century learning skills to effect social change. Girls Build L.A. has thus far engaged 20,000 girls and awarded $120,000 in scholarships.
Said Veronica Melvin, L.A. Promise Fund CEO: “Girls Build LA empowers young women from across the county to find their voices and develop essential skills to pursue solutions for the greater good, just as Clinton has made it her life’s mission to fight for social justice.”
At the culmination of the Girls Build L.A. initiative in May 2018, participants will gather together to present solutions to the various challenges they have identified. Last year, 500 young women participated by becoming change agents, engaging 5,000 peers in STEM and maker fairs and coding clubs, and another 5,000 in health and mindfulness fairs and workshops.
Previous Girls Build L.A. events included a screening of Hidden Figures featuring guest appearances by stars Octavia Spencer, Janelle Monae, Aldis Hodge and music composer and producer Pharrell Williams, and a screening of He Named Me Malala paired with a video message from then-first lady Michelle Obama.