<http://schema.org/articleBody>
"CAUSE: The United Nations Foundation's Girl Up campaign trains young women to be advocates for each other, positioning them as the next generation of movers and shakers. The organization is unique because it's for girls by girls\u2014a truly grassroots movement where young women play an active role in creating change. Nice! Los Angeles-native Annie Gersh joined two years ago and has since served as a teen advisor and co-chair on the national Girl Up board. Whether raising awareness for issues like early pregnancy or lack of clean water, she is active in helping people understand that girls can\u2014and already do\u2014influence the world in great ways.\n\nEFFECT: Leading the cause for teens in the U.S., Annie is on a mission to become a global leader someday. This year, she was the only teen invited to join the UN on an observation trip to Guatemala. There, she represented all American teens in an effort to improve heath, education, and the livelihood of girls in the developing country.\n\nGETTING INVOLVED: To become a part of Girl Up, start a club at your school, or apply to be a teen advisor, click here for more details!\n\nIN HER OWN WORDS: \"At a young age, my parents instilled in me the importance of giving back and thinking globally. When I was in 7th grade, I attended a Girl Up pep rally where Queen Rania of Jordan spoke about girls my age who had children of their own and were not able to go to school everyday. I was immediately inspired to get involved.\"\n\n\"I helped start one of the first Girl Up clubs at my school, which was a pilot club at the time and is now among over 250 Girl Up clubs in more than 30 countries. As a teen advisor, I had the chance to meet with government officials and UN representatives in Guatemala who run the programs supported by Girl Up. I was able to travel to Quetzeltanango and Totonicapan where I had the opportunity to visit Girl Up supported programs. Many of the girls in these programs said they dreamed of being doctors, teachers, and lawyers. It was amazing. Also, violence is deeply embedded in the Guatemalan culture because of the past civil wars, so this program emphasizes intergenerational dialogue between mothers, fathers, and their daughters to spark change in the community.\"\n\n\"Serving as a teen advisor has been the best experience of my life. If you're interested in taking a national leadership position for the campaign I highly recommend applying. You serve as the face of the campaign and have the chance to bond with fifteen other truly inspirational and passionate girls and the incredibly supportive Girl Up staff.\""^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.teenvogue.com/story/girl-up-united-nations-campaign>