The Council for the Advancement of Girls (CAG) is a student-run organization that educates and raises awareness regarding the issues that women encounter in the world. CAG is a student-led council run by the Center for the Advancement of Girls, and is a branch under Agnes Irwin that focuses on creating education centered around what is best for girls. CAG has weekly meetings that discuss different topics pertaining to women, or events coming up that are associated with CAG.
As International Women’s day approached, members of CAG (including myself) wrote small positive notes attached to lollipops which were handed out to all students and faculty on March 8. On March 8, CAG also held a “dress in purple” day for International Women’s Day; it cost $2 per person going towards the No More Secrets Campaign. No More Secrets is a campaign trying to raise awareness and help with period poverty around the world. Topics discussed in CAG include women in sports, diversity in women, how accessible feminine hygiene products are around the world, and more. CAG also hosts assemblies and forums to continue its mission of raising awareness about women’s issues.
The co-heads of the Council for the Advancement of Girls are seniors Molly Knoell and Shreya Kalra. Shreya and Molly both joined CAG freshmen year and each ran for co-head to “give back to the organization” and “implement new ideas.” CAG not only wants to educate on issues facing women today, but “empower girls in the lower, middle, and upper school.” “Giving back to the community including service events” is also a very important goal of the co-heads for the organization. Another important part of CAG along with learning about topics surrounding women’s issues is “discussions and debates.”
As co-heads of the Council for the Advancement of Girls organization, Shreya and Molly are female leaders and role models in the AIS community. They define being a leader as “an active listener who is willing to incorporate other’s ideas into what they do.” When encouraging others to advocate for female empowerment, they “continue to raise awareness about the issues females face and how we can empower women.” Shreya and Molly both look up to family members as female role models in their lives.
