ADWOA ABOAH
The proud founder of GURLS TALK and an inspiration to many!
Adwoa Aboah- model, feminist, activist, and the founder of GURLS TALK. This powerful twenty-six-year-old is constantly walking runways and launching global fashion campaigns. Plus, she was voted model of the year. Adwoa is one of the fashion industry's most heard vocal activist. Today, she is leading important discussions around the position of women and of a diverse society; with an empowering message for girls and women to help one another, by sharing experiences that result in one united sisterhood. This is a movement liberating and expressing the real power of women.
This space is for girls to discuss problems, questions,mental health, sex, gender, social media and more. Excitingly GURLS TALK not only wants to support girls express themselves, through steps of their lives but to find a voice that is becoming louder as well as recognised and addressed as important.
ADWOA'S STORY
GURLS TALK began when Adwoa Aboah shared her story in 2015 after failed suicide; she talked openly and confidently about how she overcame her struggles with mental health, bipolar disorder and drug addiction. That is when she made GURLS TALK. Adwoa sharing her story made a big change for the future. Adwoa is true to herself and this is what makes her truly an inspirational and sensational woman for all. Her story and campaign has influenced many girls becoming a woman into the outside world. She proves that anything is possible to build with the right help and support. Connecting with women and men that we are strongest when care and love of others is at hand, and to feel comfortable and happy in your own skin, for everybody is unique.
" I BELIEVE THAT I AM LOVED,
I AM NOT ALONE
I BELIEVE IN HAPPINESS"
"GURLS TALK is a movement that strives a platform, for girls to openly express and share their experiences and stories in a trusting and supporting environment. Successfully, creating a wide community of girls, from all various backgrounds; looking beyond external differences and to explore what it means to be a girl in the 21st century." - ADWOA ABOAH
Adwoa Aboah has developed a movement for girls so they can have the type of help and support, that Adwoa wanted when she was younger. Her success is bringing women together, able to express the need for assurance, trust and for equality to become as one independent woman. Through GURLS TALK, Adwoa found out that when girls and women confided, they were going through the same things years apart from each other. Which is magic!
Adwoa has held many events in London, Los Angeles and Mexico. In March 2018 Adwoa teamed up with TEEN VOGUE and COACH to hold GURLS TALK festival. At the event, there were talks activities and panels on: mental health, sexualitly, body positivity and so much more! Hosted by Adwoa Aboah, the event was created as a way to come together, to discuss and share issues that matter personally in a a supportive safe environment.
In New York, there were loads of girls and boys coming to see what GURLS TALK is all about and what they had to offer. At the workshops they featured the address of sexual health and self-expression through poetry and art. There were also workshops very importantly about race. As there are all different types of girls that are within GURLS TALK community; that everyone has something to relate to.
Adwoa insists that her founded community is not just for girls, she is adamant that boys need to be a part of this conversation arising too. The event in Brooklyn, New York was open to anyone. This event was the first time for mental workshops specifically for men. One focused on sexual abuse and sexual assault from a male perspective.
This is a very important feature for GURLS TALK as men have a very hard time with the pressure of the media and the search for help too; everything to the way they dress, what you can and can't talk about, body image and self-expression.
In the UK alone suicide remains the most common cause of death for men aged 20-49. Including 15 year old or above boys and girls committing suicide in the UK, 78% of them being men. 6% of fathers will have a mental health problem. There has been an even higher rate in sexual assault toward men. Men are struggling for the place to speak out about their own problems. For GURLS TALK to open it up to boys is going to make our community so much closer, that we feel comfortable bringing issues up and solving them together.
GURLS TALK has clearly shown that this space we can all own together as girls and boys, women and men, mums and dads. This is a place somewhere for everyone can fit in somehow of better understanding and reliability.
GURLS TALK is hoping to be in schools. In PSHE lessons there isn't enough understanding about identity, race, sexuality, mental health, money problems that are not covered or not taught at all. Some schools don't have enough funding to teach PSHE. These are the most important lessons that we need to understand. Is this what society lacking in and failing? What is our government doing to our education and schools?
Girls absolutely love the GURLS TALK community on-line and outside the computer screens. When GURLS TALK first came around, it was an Instagram account uploaded in 2015 encouraging women to share their stories. Within the on-line site girls can share empowering experiences. Female poets and artists are able to share their creations.
ADWOA ABOAH AND GURLS TALK AT THE MARCHES
The Women's March Washington, January 21st, 2017, brought millions of people around the world, making all voices heard on issues: reproductive rights and women's health, gender-based violence, LGBT rights, civil rights, immigration rights, religious freedom and worker's rights. Between 3,267,134 and 5,246,670 people participated in the march. The crowds were peaceful and full of passion. The event was the largest single political demonstration since the anti-Vietnam War protests in the 1960's and 1970's. The march was for unity becoming an unforgettable experience. Adwoa drove a bus of feminists supporting GURLS TALK, down from New York to Washington. This movement many remarkable identities and speeches that history shall remember for their great importance. The famous, most inspiring and determined woman, civil rights activist, Angela Davis. In her speech, she described that we are at "a challenging time in history." She stated that we were at this march to, "prevent the dying cultures of racism hetero-patriarchy from rising again." Davis asked the audience who gathered to be stronger in their demands for social justice when under the Trumps presidency. That "No human is illegal." "Women's rights are human rights all over the planet and that is why we say freedom for Palestine. We celebrate the impending release of Chelsea Manning and Oscar Lopez Rivera, but we also say free Leonard Peltier, free Mumia Abu-Jamal, free Assata Shakur. Over the next few months and years, we will be called upon to intensify our demands for social justice, to become more militant in our defense of vulnerable populations. Those who defend the supremacy of white male hetero-patriarchy had better watch out."
Adwoa Aboah also joined the period poverty march created by Amika George.
AMIKA GEORGE
There have been recent reports that indicate school girls missing school days during their period; because they're unable to afford tampons, sanitary towels and the general needs when a girl is on her period. Last year, a charity named "Freedom4Girls" was set out to help girls in schools providing them sanitary towels. They usually sent sanitary to Kenya but recently had to redirect a delivery to Leeds because of girls in the North needed sanitary.
A young girl, Amika George, a sixth form student; read that girls her age and even younger were missing their education because there was no sanitary support provided by their schools or nearby. No girl is receiving this essential need, we shouldn't have period poverty and is mainly down to the UK Government and it is addressed as a woman's issue. Amika set up the "Free Periods Campaign", to which she speaks the unspoken truth; in a world where women have to hide the fact we have a natural thing called "periods". Period poverty is a reality that goes unnoticed and if so, it is not dealt with. Her campaign includes the idea against TV adverts depicting badly what the reality of a period is. Instead of showing the natural red colour; sanitary adverts demonstrate their products with a (blue-coloured) solution which is meant to be a "period"?
There is no reason for this natural function to be considered embarrassing and censored. We need this to change and for period poverty to be resolved. Girls and boys need to support Amika! Let's change our generation and ones to come, away from period poverty, help the young girls of our communities. Get involved in the next march you see to end period poverty.
Follow Amika George on Instagram to keep up with her campaign: @amikageorge
Adwoa Aboah is changing and improving diversity within the fashion industry and on the catwalks. Celebrating Adwoa's movement, a jewelry house, Ashley Clarke created a pendant necklace embossed with the unique GURLS TALK logo. Also working closely with COACH and VERSACE.
The new influential Editor-in-Chief of Britsh Vogue said,
"Adwoa's work with GURLS TALK clearly shows that she has an authentic voice that speaks to a new generation about their hopes, fears, dreams and aspirations. Her monthly column within British Vogue will deal with how to navigate the modern world as a young woman of today."