The 2018 theme for International Day of the Girl “With Her: A Skilled GirlForce” highlights the pressing challenges that girls face in entering the workforce.

The challenges start young, as girls across the world carry the burden of gender stereotypes and structural disadvantages that keep them from learning relevant skills for employment, and often, from attending school completely.

An estimated 132 million girls worldwide are out of school. While 9 out of 10 girls worldwide complete primary education, only 3 out of 4 complete secondary. The vicious circle of low education, low productivity and poverty affects girls and women disproportionately, with low female labor force participation and earning gaps between women and men.

Recognizing the importance of education in her own life and for all children, Victoria Ibiwoye, a youth representative at the Global SDG 4-Education 2030 Steering Committee, is working to change global education policies, while also running a grassroots movement to support education in Nigeria. We talked to Victoria about her motivations, experiences and her message to other young people around the world.

What does the theme ‘A Skilled GirlForce’ mean to you?

21^st century skills are necessary for today’s workforce and skills acquisition is an integral part of education for development that is truly sustainable. Even today, there are certain jobs that are naturally deemed fit for men and others for women. But if everyone, girls and boys, had access to quality education, and therefore to skills, we would gradually raise an army of active citizens, who could be economically and socially prosperous.

I believe we can create a Skilled GirlForce when we remove gender tags from our educational institutions and stop regarding certain career paths as no-go area for girls. Last week, two great women were awarded Nobel prizes – Donna Strickland for physics and Nadia Murad for peace. This goes to show that we can have brilliant women in physics, engineering and other fields that have been traditionally reserved for men by societal norms.

What inspired you to become an advocate for education?

Growing up, I suffered from a learning disability (dyslexia) and went through various identity crises due to a troubled childhood. I felt constrained by social norms. But the challenges I faced were blessings in disguise, because they pushed me to find my path in advocacy for inclusive education. Education gave me the confidence to find my voice. And my experiences motivated me to help children in marginalized communities, who like me, are often plagued by questions of identity. I wanted to ensure that they received early on the lessons I learned later in life.

An important aspect of my journey was my positive mindset. Despite all the barriers I faced, with my learning disability and being a girl, I never thought anything could stop me. I gained self-awareness through volunteering during my university days. This helped me unleash my potential and discover my niche for advocacy. I became a global youth advocate because of my will to create a more equal society, and the quality education and skills that I received.

Tell us about your foundation OneAfricanChild. What innovative approaches to education have you used and what were the results?

At OneAfricanChild Foundation, we have a commitment to redefine education - we serve the needs of children from disadvantaged communities in Africa through activity-based workshops, advocacy and empowerment programs centered on global citizenship. Some important skills we focus on are emotional intelligence, understanding  human rights, peace, leadership and entrepreneurship.

We work with both girls and boys, but we are gender sensitive and conscious that girls and boys are affected differently by the lack of access to quality education. In partnership with schools and communities, we provide mentorship programs to girls and teenage mothers in hard to reach areas with low access to education. The girls and young mothers are paired with volunteers, who share their stories of resilience to inspire and empower them.

For example, one of the volunteer mentors  who started out as a teacher ventured into shoemaking, a male dominated profession in Nigeria. She now uses her work and experience to inspire the girls to challenge themselves and change their status quo. With such examples from mentors, the girls feel more confident and motivated to shape their own narratives.

We believe that all children deserve a chance to an education that prepares them for active citizenship. Through our workshops, we have empowered thousands of children in Nigeria, Kenya and Benin with life skills necessary for them to design their own future and contribute meaningfully to society.

Tell us about your role in the UNESCO SDG 4-Ed2030 Steering Committee. How can young people engage in this process?

The SDG 4-Education 2030 Steering Committee is a global mechanism that reviews the progress on SDG 4 (inclusive and equitable quality education and lifelong learning opportunities for all) and provides guidance to states and the education community to ensure that we achieve the goal.

I am the youth representative of the Steering Committee. Since education policies fundamentally affect the lives of young people, my task is to ensure that young people’s concerns and recommendations are integrated into the decisions taken by the Steering Committee.

I don’t do this alone. I consult with young people across the world to gather their ideas and voices around the challenges in education.

At the Pan-African Conference on Education in April, I worked with other youth advocates to ensure that young people’s key concerns - including sexual and reproductive health rights, skills for work, and accountability – were reflected in the Nairobi Declaration.

Recently, I recommended the formation of a representative Youth Advocates Group to the Steering Committee. And I’m excited to say that the recommendation was received very positively, so there will be more opportunities for young people to engage in the global SDG 4 process.

Young people can also provide their ideas on education through the consultations at various SDG 4-related events. And, importantly, they can provide recommendations to the Steering Committee via twitter @Education2030UN.

What would you recommend to other young people who want to make a change?

To all my fellow young people, I’d say, your education and skills can only take you so far – the most important thing is for you to believe in yourself. Don’t wait for the perfect conditions or perfect time to decide to contribute to society.

If there is a social issue that you are moved by, work towards a solution with commitment to make a change in your communities. And constantly update your skills – volunteer and find opportunities to learn new skills. In this way, you will also gain confidence for the work you pursue.

What can global leaders do to ensure that all girls have access to quality education?

Global leaders need to take the front seat in making the empowerment of girls and young women a priority in their agenda and plans. We need stronger policies backed with commitments to give girls and young women equal opportunities they deserve as citizens with basic human rights.