PRANJAL JAIN
INDIA & UNITED STATES, 19
Project: Global Girlhood
Basic Human Needs: Education
As a South Asian immigrant female growing up in New York, Pranjal felt alone, with no resources and no female role models she related to. At age 17, Pranjal returned to her birth city, Jaipur, India to explore her roots and identity. She interviewed the women of Jaipur, learning their stories outside of Western narratives and biases, which made her believe in the power of storytelling, representation and connection to break down social, cultural and geographical barriers. In December 2019 Pranjal formed Global Girlhood – a womxn-led organization revolutionizing representation in media, education and leadership by inspiring storytelling, fostering intercultural dialogue and representing the heights womxn soar. They encourage women to source stories of empowerment from their community, publish those stories across platforms and use them to create community on and offline. Global Girlhood’s Connectivity Contributors are young people from a diverse range of cultures, locations and backgrounds who react to the stories published. Their responses foster intercultural dialogue, challenge beliefs and build community. In creating this space, Pranjal hopes the world will stop judging womxn on their respective cultural, social and geographical biases, and learn from womxn speaking their own truths. Global Girlhood has a community of 9,400+ members, 100+ journalists and Connectivity Contributors from 88 countries, sharing stories of womxn 13 to 78 years-old. Pranjal envisions Global Girlhood as a pioneer in creating a world where women from all backgrounds have their voices heard and are valued agents of change making and history.