ABOUT GGM UK
Established in June 2016 and registered as a charity in Jan 2018, Global Girl Media UK enables underserved females from all ethnic and religious backgrounds to access media education, mentoring and internships, work opportunities and connection to our alumni network.
We empower young women through digital media training, to bring their voices to global platforms, and balance the skewed media landscape. To borrow the words of GlobalGirl graduate Danielle Desouza, we believe that being a woman and being from a minority are not obstacles or faults, but motivators for creating change.
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Our rationale is simple. One of the keys to achieving gender equality in the UK, and globally, is to bring balance to the stories in the media. Often, news reports and features are biased and blinkered, favouring white males, and vilifying women and people of colour. Representation of girls and women is often sexist, stereotyped or simply non-existent. To achieve balanced content that truly represents our diverse nation, we need to change the voices behind the messages - bringing more women, and women of colour, into the white male-dominated media industry.
To this end, we provide free training and support to young women aged 14-22 in writing, reporting, broadcasting, podcasting and documentary filmmaking - preparing them for careers in the digital media industries. We provide a safe space where girls gain the confidence to overcome any obstacles that may hold them back.
Our flagship scheme is our annual three-week Summer Academy, where participants gain hands-on skills from leading women professionals, and produce their own short films on social issues that are important to them. A highlight of past Academies has been visits to the busy newsrooms of the BBC and Reuters. In 2020, due to Covid-19, we moved our course online, which enabled us to reach more students globally, from Greece to South Africa.
We also run Masterclasses, Mentoring Schemes and two-day Mini Trainings in skills such as filming with a smart phone, developing your story, and creating social media content.
We produce content by, for and about girls and young women. We encourage our GlobalGirls to explore their creativity and leadership skills, by taking charge of our blog, podcasting and social media marketing. We offer them the platform to tell the untold realities of our society.
When a GlobalGirl finishes her training, it’s not the end of our relationship. Our alumni form strong bonds, and are supported with ongoing training, mentorship, internships, equipment, news of work and funding opportunities, spaces for ideas-sharing, platforms for their content, speaking opportunities and invitations to special events.
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Launching in March 2021 is our first GlobalGirl Media Film Festival, giving a platform to young women filmmakers around the world, and offering learning opportunities and fostering connections for a future generation of powerful women's voices.
GLOBALGIRL MEDIA INTERNATIONAL
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GlobalGirl Media UK (GGM UK) operates as an affiliate charity to the established, international organisation Global Girl Media (GGM), which was launched in the USA in 2008, by Amie Williams. GGM has trained over 300 young women in numerous countries (including USA, UK, Greece, Morocco, Mexico, Kosovo and South Africa), and produced over 450 videos and 400 blogs.
GGM UK exists as a separate entity to GGM, maintaining full financial and organisational autonomy, but benefits from GGM’s global network, brand, curriculum and established business model. The affiliated organisations share information, expertise and resources. The cooperation enables GGM UK graduates to connect with their international peers, as well as share GGM UK content and work on a global distribution network, GGMN TV.​ It also offers GGM’s graduates access to the stories and reports generated by GGM UK, broadening out the pool of information and support offered to all GlobalGirls.
