Girls Belong Here

Joining forces for a more equal future.

A Decade of Youth Leadership in Action

Celebrating Our Global Past and Powering a Connected Future

Girls Belong Here is Plan International Canada’s flagship youth leadership initiative, launched in October 2016. Created for girls, young women, and gender-diverse youth aged 14 to 24, the program equips globally minded youth with the networks, skills, and platforms to advance children’s rights and equality for girls worldwide. Participants step into leadership roles alongside CEOs, government officials, and senior leaders in the private, non-profit, and public sectors, bringing bold ideas to the table, gaining hands-on experience, and co-creating change. Until we are all equal, let’s help raise the next generation of leaders.

The countdown to October 2026 is on, marking 10 years of impact, innovation, and youth-led change. Join us as we celebrate this milestone and build the future of leadership together.

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From GBH to Global Action

Alumni leading change around the world

Marya

Marya is a global advocate for disability justice and inclusive development. She champions equity for racialized youth with disabilities through education, storytelling, and policy engagement. Through the Girls Belong Here program in 2023, she completed a seat share with AstraZeneca Canada and was later appointed to a global youth task force preparing for the UN Summit of the Future, where she presented a bold youth manifesto calling for meaningful youth leadership across international decision‑making platforms. She has since used these experiences to spotlight disability justice across social channels and has led global speaking engagements, with her social media presence opening doors to opportunities worldwide.

Christina

Christina is a 2024 GBH alum who completed her seat share with Brother Canada. Building on her GBH experience, she expanded her global impact by facilitating youth‑leadership workshops and was later selected as a 2025 Eureka Fellow advancing youth‑led health innovation. Following her GBH experience, she was also named a One Young World Legacy Ambassador, where she connects and inspires Montreal youth within the broader global One Young World network. Drawing on the leadership foundation strengthened through GBH, Christina is also the founder of FanmIn, a grassroots initiative promoting gender equality in Haiti, and launched APEDI (Aide aux Personnes Déplacées Internes), which has supported roughly 500 people with hygiene kits, trauma counselling, and menstrual health education.

Yvonne

Yvonne, a 2025 Girls Belong Here participant from Lebanon, has become a powerful global voice for gender equality and education. Her GBH experience strengthened her commitment to girl‑centered policy change and opened doors for her global advocacy. Since then, she has represented young people at the Financing for Development Conference in Spain with Plan International and served on the Malala Fund’s Advisory Group, helping shape a global agenda that puts girls’ rights first. Building on this momentum, Yvonne founded Hawa, a youth‑led initiative using sports and community engagement to expand education opportunities for girls in Lebanon—demonstrating the impact of GBH in shaping globally minded young leaders.

Celebrate the Journey

Fund the future—support the next decade of changemakers

Train Youth Leaders in Canada

Get Involved

See what’s possible when girls, young women, and gender-diverse youth lead. From boardrooms to global forums, their voices are transforming industries, influencing policy, and driving bold change across the world. Whether you’re a young changemaker ready to rise or an organization ready to stand beside them, Girls Belong Here is your gateway to impact.

For youth: break the glass ceiling

Girls, women, and gender-diverse youth are creative, passionate, and capable, but they continue to be underrepresented in leadership roles across industries, especially in STEM and in decision-making spaces. Girls Belong Here is here to change that. Apply to Girls Belong Here to build your advocacy skills, collaborate with decision makers, and drive meaningful change. Applications open in the fall  – don’t miss your chance to be part of a transformative journey!

For partners: Champion the next generation of changemakers

Hosting a youth leader for a one-day immersive experience is a powerful way to welcome globally minded, diverse advocates into your organization. It sparks meaningful cross-generational dialogue and gives your team fresh insights into leadership, inclusion, and innovation.

Youth leaders can contribute lived experience and bold ideas to real-time initiatives such as branding, CSR strategy, or social impact campaigns, while your team supports them through personalized coaching and mentorship. To learn more or get involved, contact us at girlsbelonghere@plancanada.ca.

Thank you to all our incredible Girls Belong Here partners – past, present and future.

Legacy partners

Reflections from youth participants and partners

Corus Entertainment

In 2024, Corus Entertainment invited two youth ambassadors to partake in seat shares with executives. They discussed all things career-related, including goal setting and overcoming challenges.

Youth ambassadors and company leaders engaged in discussions about diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I), as well as the importance of creating room for the voices of young people to be heard – especially the voices of girls.

BMO

Since 2019, BMO has been a proud partner supporting the Girls Belong Here program. In 2023, youth ambassador Kaitlyn took part in a seat share, spending the day with BMO’s chief marketing officer and other staff.

While exchanging ideas with executives, Kaitlyn learned about social impact marketing and building an online business presence. She also took part in networking and got to showcase her own non-profit, Orange for Change, which sells bracelets to fundraise in support of Indigenous communities.

AstraZeneca

AstraZeneca has been a longtime partner of the Girls Belong Here program and even served as a global sponsor in 2022, going beyond Canadian borders to also offer seat shares in their United States and Sweden offices.

Most recently in the fall of 2023, AstraZeneca offered an innovation hub for five youth ambassadors. They joined executives to discuss sustainability challenges and to identify ways to effectively tackle pressing issues affecting the planet. They also discussed career paths, engaged in networking, and exchanged ideas to drive innovation at the company.

Pfizer

On International Women’s Day in 2023, Pfizer Canada invited a youth ambassador to participate in a seat share alongside the company’s president.

They talked about being a leader in the pharmaceutical industry and the importance of including diverse perspectives and inputs as well as ensuring equal opportunities to contribute, especially for girls and women. They also exchanged ideas on how to reach and engage with younger generations to ensure their voices are present and heard in important conversations.

Highlights: A look back at previous years

Go back to the 2023 Girls Belong Here Celebration Event and the 2022 fall program through these wrap-up videos. Watch youth ambassadors and partners share their perspectives, experiences and learnings.