Delegates Announced for First-Ever G(irls)20 Summit

Summit highlights the importance of girls and women to economic prosperity

TORONTO, June 1 /CNW/ - The G(irls)20 Summit Organizers are pleased to announce the delegates for the first-ever G(irls)20 Summit. The selected girls will represent their countries at the Summit to be held in Toronto from June 15th to 18th at the University of Toronto just before the leaders of the world's most powerful nations gather in the city for the G20 meetings.

Modelled after the G20, the G(irls)20 Summit will bring together one girl from each of the 20 countries to discuss how girls and women can help solve some of the world's greatest challenges. A seat has also been allocated for a girl representing the African Union. While in Toronto, the delegates will work together to develop tangible solutions to these challenges and will participate in various workshops addressing financial literacy, media relations, problem solving, and how to utilize social media and technology to communicate globally.

The delegates were selected from among hundreds of applicants and were chosen based on their responses to questions that focussed on leadership, personal triumph and analytical skills.

"The G(irls) 20 Summit Ambassadors are remarkable young women who are each capable of being catalysts for change," said Belinda Stronach, founder of The Belinda Stronach Foundation, the organization spearheading the Summit. "This is a unique opportunity for 21 girls to bring forward the views of millions of their peers and collectively come up with solutions that will change minds, change lives and quite literally, change the world."

    
                             G(irls)20 Delegates

    COUNTRY                        NAME                                  AGE
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    African Union                  Laura Dolozi                           18
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    Argentina                      Maria Julieta Leiva                    19
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    Australia                      Jane Harris                            19
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    Brazil                         Thais Moraes                           19
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    Canada                         Leah Clare Stuart-Sheppard             19
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    China                          Xinyun Zhang                           19
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    European Union (Romania)       Simona Nicoleta Popa                   19
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    France                         Inès Le Bihan                          20
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    Germany                        Alexandra Valerie Rose Rieger          18
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    India                          Tanvi Girotra                          19
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    Indonesia                      Kartika Nurhayati                      19
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    Italy                          Alberta Pelino                         20
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    Japan                          Aiki Segawa                            19
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    Mexico                         Tania Patricia Montemayor Arroyo       19
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    Russia                         Anna Olegovna Malinovskaya             20
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    Saudi                          Arabia Anwar Islem Basunbul            20
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    South Africa                   Nomathemba Sibanyoni                   19
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    South Korea                    Eun-Hyang Go                           19
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    Turkey                         Irem Tümer                             19
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    United Kingdom                 Ruby Elizabeth Tabner                  20
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    United States of America       July Lee                               19
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"I'm honoured to be chosen to represent Canada at the first-ever G(irls)20 Summit," said Leah Stuart-Sheppard. "I hope to gain a better appreciation of the lives of girls and women outside my country, and the challenges they face. I look forward to sharing our ideas and developing practical and concrete suggestions on how to move forward."

Information about the delegates is available on the website at www.girlsandwomen.com.

A coalition of more than 23 national and international organizations is working with The Belinda Stronach Foundation on this worthy initiative. G(irls)20 is also generously supported by more than a dozen private sector partners including Aeroplan, Dove, Veritas Communications, MacroBlu and Google. Aeroplan will be donating thousands of Aeroplan Miles to fly the girls to the Summit in Toronto.

"Aeroplan is pleased to help bring together these young delegates from around the world to address such important issues as education, health and poverty," said Vince Timpano, President and Chief Executive Officer, Aeroplan. "We are proud to support this inspiring initiative that recognizes the powerful contribution women play in global economic development and productivity."

"Dove has a strong belief that when girls have confidence in themselves, they have the opportunity to reach their full personal potential in life. The G(irls)20 Summit aligns strongly with this philosophy and offers the ideal platform for the creation of actionable ideas that will allow girls and women to reach that potential," says Sharon MacLeod, Dove Director. "We look forward to building this partnership and meeting the girls."

About 3.3 Billion Ways and What's Your Number

The G(irls)20 Summit is part of an international campaign called "3.3 Billion Ways" which is based on the premise that there are 3.3 Billion Girls and Women in the World and therefore there are 3.3 Billion Ways to Change the World.

This campaign includes a global online discussion to solicit ideas around the UN's Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) that impact girls and women as well as a viral campaign called "What's Your Number?" which encourages girls from around the globe to sign up and claim their number to show their support for girls and women everywhere, and then spread the message to their own networks. In celebration of the upcoming Summit, media from across Canada have been asked to sport Tu Ly designed G(irls)20 t-shirts on June 1st to show their support and to show off their own unique number.

It's not too late to get involved. Log on to www.girlsandwomen.com to get your number and to order a Tu Ly designed t-shirt.

For more information please visit:

www.facebook.com/Girls20Summit

http://twitter.com/Girls20Summit

About 3.3 Billion Ways and the G(irls)20 Summit

Led by The Belinda Stronach Foundation, a coalition of national and international organizations has come together to raise awareness about the pivotal role girls and women play in ensuring economic productivity. Partners in the program include: Aeroplan, B5Media, Buck Productions, Canadian Crossroads International, Canadian Global Campaign for Education, Canadian Women's Foundation, Care Canada, Catalyst, CTV, Dove, Engineers without Borders, Free the Children, The Girl Effect, Girl Impact, The Globe and Mail, Google, International Center for Research on Women, Korean Women's Association United, Macro Blu, Make Poverty History, ONE, Oxfam Canada, Plan Canada, Right to Play, Save the Children, Standard Chartered, TakingITGlobal, The White Ribbon Alliance for Safe Motherhood, Tony Blair Faith Foundation, Veritas Communications, Virgin Unite, Vital Voices Global Partnership, War Child Canada, Women for Women International, Women's Executive Network & 889 Yonge.

For further information: interview requests and available photo opportunities, please contact: Laurie Weir, Veritas Communications, [email protected], P: [phone], M: [phone]