Log in
Ten years ago, when I first dreamed of Inspiring Girls International, nobody said yes.
asserted
nobody → log → International
I knocked on door after door, and door after door stayed firmly closed.
asserted
door → knock → door
I was told it wasn’t viable.
asserted
it → tell → ?
That the world didn’t need another charity, certainly not one focused on girls’ aspirations.
asserted
world → need → aspirations
That I didn’t have the international reach or influence to make it happen.
asserted
it → have → reach
Some of that rejection hurt.
asserted
Some → hurt → rejection
Being told no made me doubt myself.
asserted
me → tell → myself
And there were moments when it would have been much easier simply to accept that perhaps that people were right.
asserted
people → be → ?
But today, as we celebrate International Day of the Girl and the charity’s tenth anniversary with our new campaign Thank You for the No, I want to tell you this: being told no was one of the greatest gifts I received.
asserted
I → celebrate → gifts
Every “no” I heard only made me more certain that this work had to happen.
asserted
work → hear → ?
Because behind every closed door were millions of girls quietly lowering their ambitions before they had even had the chance to discover how high they could reach.
uncertain
they → close → high
So when the usual routes to funding closed, I found different ones.
asserted
I → close → ones
When people doubted the idea, I went looking for those who believed in it.
asserted
who → doubt → it
And when people questioned whether girls really needed role models, I listened to the girls who told us they did.
asserted
they → question → us
And they have been telling us ever since.
asserted
they → tell → us
Today, I'm proud to share what the charity has built.
asserted
charity → share → what
We now have 40 countries across our global network and over 1 million girls have engaged with Inspiring Girls International, online and in person.
asserted
girls → have → person
Over 300,000 girls have experienced our programmes directly, meeting extraordinary female role models.
asserted
girls → experience → models
We have created a movement that has fundamentally shifted how girls see themselves and their futures
Of course, the rejections didn't stop after the launch.
asserted
rejections → create → launch
They've continued throughout our journey, and each one has pushed us further, made us braver, challenged us to dream bigger.
asserted
us → continue → us
Every woman I know has received her share of nos.
asserted
I → know → nos
The entrepreneur told her idea would never work.
asserted
idea → tell → ?
The scientist whose research funding was rejected.
asserted
funding → reject → ?
The leader passed over for promotion.
asserted
leader → pass → promotion
The artist told to find a "real job."
asserted
artist → tell → job
The mother told she couldn't have both a family and ambition.
asserted
she → tell → family
As we step into our second decade, I want Inspiring Girls International to be a place where we celebrate what we can achieve in the face of people telling us we can’t.
asserted
we → step → us
I want us to recognise the transformative power of being told no and doing it anyway.
asserted
us → want → it
To understand that resilience, ambition, and breakthrough often live on the other side of rejection.
asserted
resilience → understand → rejection
What rejection pushed you forward?
asserted
rejection → push → you
What moment of "no" led you to a "yes" you might never have found otherwise?
uncertain
you → lead → yes
How has refusal redefined your path?
asserted
refusal → redefine → path
We're expanding our programmes, deepening our impact in the communities we serve, and continuing to say ‘yes’ to the work that others think we should abandon.
asserted
we → expand → that
To all the girls we've reached and the millions we'll meet: don’t ever take no for an answer.
asserted
we → reach → answer
To all those who said no to us early on: thank you, you made us unstoppable.
asserted
us → say → you
And to everyone reading this who has their own story of refusal transformed into resilience: I hope you'll share your experience with us.
asserted
you → read → us
Because if ten years of Inspiring Girls International has taught me anything, it's that being told no doesn’t define us.
asserted
told → teach → us
Our response to that word does.
asserted
response → do → word
Inspiring Girls is an international charity dedicated to raising the aspirations of girls and connecting them with female role models from a wide range of sectors, careers and backgrounds, helping them discover possibilities they may never previously have considered.
uncertain
they → dedicate → possibilities
Donations made to Inspiring Girls between 6-13 October are being match funded by Big Give.
asserted
Donations → make → Give
The Aporia
