Last month I was privileged to host the “Girls Do Good” book launch at the Rove Hotel Downtown, and what a day we had! Written by the incredibly inspirational, Jos Dirkx, Girls Do Good is a truly beautiful collection of empowering stories from amazing young girls all around the world who are following their dreams and changing the world in their own incredible and individual ways. From stories about Halima, a child bride at 15, to Ayane, a rugby player from Japan, to our very own, UAE- based, figure skating champion, Zahra Lari, Girls Do Good has stories that will motivate you to create the change you want to see in the world.
As empowering as the stories of these real-life super-heroes are, there’s so much more to this book. It’s the stories behind these stories; it’s the passion for educational tools and not just educational theory. It’s the desire and needs to create opportunities for safe-space dialogue on topics that affect so many of us. It’s about building stronger connections through storytelling and about building empathy and understanding what really goes on in our world today!
Naturally, having the opportunity to interview Zahra Lari herself at the event was absolutely brilliant. Zahra shared with us her passion for figure skating and told us what keeps her motivated to continue to work towards her goals on a daily basis, whilst also maintaining her academic focus. But the part of the day that really stole my heart was the kid’s panel, where I interviewed a fantastic group of young people from all around the UAE and asked them about challenges they are currently facing today and what we can do to make our world a little better and brighter. Answers from our young panelists like learning to be yourself, not judging others being kinder and supporting each other, brought tears to my eyes.
The Girls Do Good team has recently returned from their international launch in New York, where they took time to visit a range of schools in the area, spreading the word about these real-life game- changers. To learn more about Girls Do Good, visit their social media channels to find out where they’re off to next.
Linda Bonnar
@LindaBonnar
Life Coach, Author, Trainer & Keynote Speaker.