{"id":14751,"date":"2025-10-23T10:04:31","date_gmt":"2025-10-23T14:04:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newpirdev.wpengine.com\/?post_type=learning-center&#038;p=14751"},"modified":"2025-10-23T10:04:31","modified_gmt":"2025-10-23T14:04:31","slug":"inside-the-impact-girls-future-ready-foundation","status":"publish","type":"learning-center","link":"https:\/\/pir.org\/for-orgs\/learning-center\/resources\/inside-the-impact-girls-future-ready-foundation\/","title":{"rendered":"Inside the Impact: Girls Future Ready Foundation"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>At fifteen years old, Zofia Kierner decided she could not wait for someone else to change the world around her. Growing up in Central Eastern Europe, she saw how few opportunities young women had to practice leadership, build confidence, or connect with role models. That same year, a World Health Organization <a href=\"https:\/\/pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/articles\/PMC5719479\/#:~:text=Background.,demographic%20factors%20and%20well%2Dbeing\">study<\/a> confirmed what she already sensed: young women in her region ranked among the lowest globally in self confidence and self perception.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>She began by organizing small workshops, bringing girls together to learn, share ideas, and imagine something bigger. What started in one community has grown into the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.girlsfutureready.org\/\">Girls Future Ready Foundation<\/a>, with six global programs across Central Eastern Europe and the United States. More than 90,000 young women have participated, finding not only skills but also a sense of belonging and belief that their voices matter. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/pir.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/44249156-1-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-14757\" srcset=\"https:\/\/pir.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/44249156-1-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/pir.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/44249156-1-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/pir.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/44249156-1-768x513.jpg 768w, https:\/\/pir.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/44249156-1-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/pir.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/44249156-1-2048x1367.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/pir.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/44249156-1-scaled.jpg 2560w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Building Momentum as a Young Leader<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In the early days, Zofia believed leadership meant having all the answers. She quickly discovered something different. \u201cAs a young leader, I thought I needed to prove I knew everything before starting,\u201d she recalls. \u201cBut what drew people in was the energy and passion I showed up with.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That shift, from waiting until she felt ready to leading with enthusiasm, set the tone for how the Foundation grew. With each step, mentors, peers, and partners joined in, and momentum built steadily.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/pir.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/image-1-1024x683.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-14753\" srcset=\"https:\/\/pir.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/image-1-1024x683.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/pir.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/image-1-300x200.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/pir.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/image-1-768x512.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/pir.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/image-1-1536x1024.jpeg 1536w, https:\/\/pir.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/image-1.jpeg 1600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>A Summit by Young Women, for Young Women<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The idea for the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.girlsfutureready.org\/summit\">Girls Future Ready Summit<\/a> came from noticing a gap. Most conferences for young women were created by adults and often missed what participants most needed. Zofia wanted to change that. The summit would be designed by young women themselves, shaped by their ideas and ambitions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"819\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/pir.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/image-819x1024.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-14752\" srcset=\"https:\/\/pir.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/image-819x1024.jpeg 819w, https:\/\/pir.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/image-240x300.jpeg 240w, https:\/\/pir.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/image-768x960.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/pir.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/image-1229x1536.jpeg 1229w, https:\/\/pir.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/image.jpeg 1280w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 819px) 100vw, 819px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size\">photo by Igor Andrychowski<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The response was immediate. One of their largest\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.girlsfutureready.org\/summit#ABOUT-THE-SUMMIT\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">summits<\/a>, held in September 2025, gathered 500 participants, 50 speakers, and 45 partner organizations, including Roche, Swarovski, Klarna, AirFrance KLM, KRUK and Bank Pekao. Behind the numbers was something harder to measure but even more powerful: the atmosphere. Attendees describe walking into a room filled with energy, hearing speakers who sounded like them, and realizing they were not alone in their goals. Many left not only energized but carrying new connections, tools, and opportunities they could act on right away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Collaboration and Connection<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The summit showed how powerful collaboration can be when young women lead the design. Global brands stood alongside student organizers. Experienced leaders shared stages with first-time speakers. Conversations crossed generations. By the end of the event, girls who had arrived unsure of their place were exchanging contact information with mentors, planning projects, and discovering a new sense of possibility.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"819\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/pir.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/image-2-819x1024.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-14754\" srcset=\"https:\/\/pir.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/image-2-819x1024.jpeg 819w, https:\/\/pir.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/image-2-240x300.jpeg 240w, https:\/\/pir.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/image-2-768x960.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/pir.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/image-2-1229x1536.jpeg 1229w, https:\/\/pir.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/image-2.jpeg 1280w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 819px) 100vw, 819px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-medium-font-size\">photo by Igor Andrychowski<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cStanding in that room, seeing so many ambitious young women together with leaders who believed in us, felt transformative,\u201d Zofia shared. \u201cIt showed that our voices matter.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Looking Ahead<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Foundation runs six annual programs ranging from mentorship to masterclasses. New Youth Advisory Boards with corporate partners are giving Gen Z a formal seat in decision-making, ensuring that youth leadership is not just symbolic but structural.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Plans are already underway for the next Girls Future Ready Summit. Zofia\u2019s vision is to make it the largest youth-led women\u2019s conference in Europe, a place where girls leave not only inspired but also equipped with the tools and networks to shape their futures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>What began as one teenager\u2019s determination in Central Eastern Europe has grown into a movement reaching across continents. Through workshops, mentorship, and global summits, the Girls Future Ready Foundation helps young women build confidence, develop leadership skills, and carry those lessons into their own communities. Each story adds to a growing generation of young women leading with purpose and conviction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Zofia Kierner was <a href=\"https:\/\/www.prnewswire.com\/news-releases\/public-interest-registry-announces-2025-org-impact-awards-finalists-artist--actor-common-to-host-302527016.html\">named a 2025 .ORG Impact Awards Rising Star Finalist<\/a>. Learn more about her work and the<\/em><strong><em> Girls Future Ready Foundation<\/em><\/strong><em> at <\/em><a href=\"http:\/\/girlsfutureready.org\"><em>girlsfutureready.org<\/em><\/a><em>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":40,"featured_media":14753,"template":"","article-type":[576],"bit-type":[],"learning-center-category":[609],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v24.5 (Yoast SEO v24.5) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Inside the Impact: Girls Future Ready Foundation - PIR<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/pir.org\/for-orgs\/learning-center\/resources\/inside-the-impact-girls-future-ready-foundation\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Inside the Impact: Girls Future Ready Foundation\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"At fifteen years old, Zofia Kierner decided she could not wait for someone else to change the world around her. 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