THE VOICE OF THE GIRL’S PARLIAMENT
Through the Voice of the Girls’ Parliament (VOGP), we offer hands-on mentorship, skills acquisition and create experiences that build confidence in middle and high school girls, thereby propelling them to become future leaders. We equip members of this pseudo-parliament to represent their less-advantaged peers by speaking up on issues that will advance children’s rights and equality in Nigeria.
The Voice of the Girls Parliament is a hands-on way for girls to get a realistic view of life in the political trenches, during their meetings, they roll up their sleeves for some serious parliamentary debates and elect principal officers to occupy various sits for a year; the positions of Speaker, Deputy Speaker, Chief Whip, Majority Leader, Minority Leader, Clerk, Secretary and Committee Chairpersons are keenly contested and winners emerge and are sworn in.
Through the Voice of the Girls’ Parliament (VOGP), we offer hands-on mentorship, skills acquisition and create experiences that build confidence in middle and high school girls, thereby propelling them to become future leaders. We equip members of this pseudo-parliament to represent their less-advantaged peers by speaking up on issues that will advance children’s rights and equality in Nigeria.
Parliamentarians are aged 9 to 18 years and they come from diverse backgrounds to represent various segment of the society. Members of Parliament remain in touch through a monthly physical meeting and various online platforms managed by Helpline Foundation, the parliamentarians share experiences and their ideas on crucial issues, the Helpline Foundation serve as Secretariat helping to collate their views which are then shared on our website.
Through this program, Helpline Foundation is determined to build confidence in members of the Girls’ Parliament, as we only serve as facilitators to ensure a smooth session and coordinate their secretariat to ensure proper documentation; the girls take full charge of their parliamentary debates and arrive at resolutions based on democratic principles and set parliamentary guidelines.
In the course of the next year various activities, including parliamentary visits, advocacy visits and media appearances, have been lined up to equip principal officers and other parliamentarians who show enthusiasm with skills to ensure they realize their full potential.
