During the 2017-2018 school year, Girls Learn International (GLI) was one of PV’s fastest growing clubs. They gained new members rapidly by piquing the interest of those throughout the school. During the activities fair on the first day of school, they were able to obtain more new members and hope to gain more throughout the year.
GLI is a club dedicated to informing students about different worldwide issues. The club pays particular attention to feminism. Sophomore Muskan Basnet stated, “I learned more about feminism and what it was really about…coming to GLI meetings and learning something new made me more interested in topics that involve human rights, politics, activism, etc.”.
GLI was founded by PV alumni Ramya Kumar. Kumar graduated with the class of 2018 so the club is now being run by PV senior Lily Williams. Under Kumar’s lead the club gained the reputation of being a more left leaning political club, which turned some potential members away. However, this year under the new leadership of Lily Williams, the club will try to change this image. Basnet said, “Something that GLI is really trying to emphasize this year is that it is non-partisan. In previous years, GLI has seemed to be more in agreement with one political party/belief. However, that isn’t the case.”
The title of the club, Girls Learn International, has also turned away some members as many believe the name of the club makes it exclusive to women. However, Williams said, “The club is not just for females but any student interested in learning and advocating for human rights.”
Under Williams’s strong leadership the club hopes to gain a reputation of inclusiveness. Williams stated, “I hope GLI attracts a wide range of students and we are able to educate Pleasant Valley on matters of human rights through the year.”
The club meets every other Monday at 3:30 in Mrs. Peters’ room.
