“I believe that education is the single-most important civil rights issue that we face today. Because, in the end, if we really want to solve issues like mass incarceration, poverty, racial profiling, voting rights, and the kinds of challenges that shocked so many of us over the past year, then we simply cannot afford to lose out on the potential of even one young person. We cannot allow even one more young person to fall through the cracks.”
First Lady Michelle Obama, February 20, 2015
I have always believed in education. As Article 26 of the United Nation’s Universal Declaration of Human Rights outlines, “education is a fundamental human right.” The First Lady of the United States, Michelle Obama, also believes in education, and she is seeing to it that education is a priority of the Obama administration.
Mrs. Obama has set forth an agenda on education, with two major initiatives:
The Reach Higher Initiative (#ReachHigher)
Mrs. Obama is deeply involved in education initiatives domestically. In 2014, The First Lady launched The Reach Higher Initiative, whose goals is to “inspire every student in America to take charge of their future by completing their education past high school, whether at a professional training program, a community college, or a four-year college or university.” The Reach Higher Initiative aims to support President Obama’s “North Star” goal, that by 2020, America will once again have the highest proportion of college graduates in the world.
The Reach Higher Initiative works to do a variety of things: “expose students to college and career opportunities; help students to understand financial aid eligibility that can make college affordability a reality; encouraging academic planning and summer learning opportunities; and support high school counselors who can help more kids get into college.”
Let Girls Learn
Furthermore, the First Lady is also concerned with global education issues, particularly related to girls. In 2015, Mrs. Obama joined President Obama to launch Let Girls Learn, a U.S. government-wide initiative to help girls around the world go to school and stay in school! As part of this effort, Mrs. Obama is calling on countries across the globe to help educate and empower young women. Because education leads to a brighter future for the student, their family, the entire local community, and the world.
Today, 62 million girls around the world are not in school. Half of them are adolescents. This is a crisis of mass proportion, prohibiting women from having the education to shape their futures. Education of girls is essential, as countries with more girls in secondary school have lower maternal mortality rates, lower infant mortality rates, lower rates of HIV/AIDS, and better child nutrition.
A World Bank study found that every year of secondary school education is correlated with an 18 percent increase in a girl’s future earning power. But, so often, a girl who could change her world for the better is denied that future by the simple fact that she is not receiving an education. In many countries around the world education is not free, and girls can not afford to go to school, and/or the circumstances of her birth or the customs of her community do not allow for her education. Mrs. Obama believes that “a girl with an education can shape her own destiny, lift up her family, and transform her community.” And so, 62 million girls need to be given the opportunity of education.
The First Lady has learned first-hand about the “power of community-based solutions to eliminate barriers to adolescent girls’ education around the world.” Thus, a key part of Let Girls Learn will be to encourage and support these community-led solutions, and thus to reduce barriers that prevent adolescent girls from completing their education. The First Lady is working in concert with the Peace Corp’s 7000 volunteers in 60 countries to support community-generated and community-led girls’ education projects worldwide. The Peace Corps’ Let Girls Learn program will be phased in globally, starting in 11 countries the first year, including: Albania, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, Georgia, Ghana, Moldova, Mongolia, Mozambique, Togo, and Uganda.
As part of the Let Girls Learn initiative, Mrs. Obama is calling on each and every citizen to lend a voice to the initiate to make education accessible to all girls, regardless of circumstance. She asks that we join the#62MillionGirls social media campaign to use our voice in highlighting the importance of education for each and every girl worldwide. Please help by using your voice and Tweet or put on Instagram a black and white portrait with #62MillionGirls and what you learned in school: “In school, I learned __________. #62MillionGirls don’t have that chance.”
As teens, we are citizens of the world, our actions shape the future, we are the leaders of tomorrow. It is incumbent upon us to affect change. The First Lady has shined a light on education, she is asking us to help affect change. Change only happens when we as a community comes together to make it happen. Let’s support the First Lady in changing the face of education. I hope to see one day a world where every citizen, in every country, has full access to education. From that I see a better world for all.
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