GirlsBuild’21 Summit urged young women to change the future of planet
This year’s GirlsBuild’21 National Virtual Summit drew more than 10,000 young women from the South Los Angeles area and across the country to discuss environmental justice, a defining moment for our country. This year’s theme, “The Planet’s Future Starts Here,” featured a day of female empowerment and leadership with dynamic speakers and inspirational panel discussions around sustainability, diversity, equity, and physical and mental health.
Notable speakers included U.S. Senator Alex Padilla and Summit Co-Chair Nina Westbrook among others. Hosted by the LA Promise Fund, the summit provided an inspirational experience created to engage and empower young women to impact social change by identifying challenges in their community and finding solutions.
“Proudly, young people have been at the forefront, marching and mobilizing for a healthier, more sustainable planet and a brighter fairer future for all,” Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco) said. “I believe that there is nothing more wholesome than the full participation of women in our communities and in our politics. This world needs more young women leaders like you.”
Keynote Speaker Jason Momoa shared his strong commitment to putting the planet first.
“My passion for the ocean definitely comes from having that Hawaiian connection, but also when I was in school in Iowa, I grew up in a very small town, and from a very young age, I just wanted to recycle and wanting to help mother earth, and I was really interested in sciences, and I wanted to become a marine biologist, and so I feel like I did a lot of environmental studies, and that was just where my passion stemmed from, and I had just a big interest in the rainforest and global warming,” Momoa also shared, “It’s cool now being Aquaman because it gets to come full-circle. I get to exercise and put my voice to so many things that I’ve cared about since I was a kid, and that’s been the biggest honor.”
The LA Promise Fund believes young women will define the vision for what our communities, schools, and country can be, and that work starts now. For more information, visit www.girls-build.org.
