Julia Cuba-Lewis {Women: A Force for Change}

Julia Cuba-Lewis has always felt that her life work has been to empower girls and women. “I have cared about gender justice from a really young age, and I’ve always seen the world through that lens,” Julia states. “I didn’t quite know how, but I knew that I would do this work.”

After working at several women’s organizations in Chicago—at one point, she worked with seven at the same time—Julia made her way to Texas where she joined Girls Scouts of Central Texas and worked with at-risk girls. It was here that she remembers learning about Girls Empowerment Network (GEN); she even took her troops to a few of the organization’s workshops. Working alongside the nonprofit, Julia finally felt like she had stumbled upon the resource she had been seeking for so long. 

“It was so exciting to me that there was a source in our community that was answering girls’ questions that they sometimes find hard to ask their parents or friends,” says Julia. “And this organization wasn’t afraid to tackle it head on and understand the experience.”

When the position for CEO at GEN opened up, Julia didn’t even think twice about applying. “It felt like love at first sight,” she recalls. She joined in 2006 and has been dedicated to the organization for more than a decade.  

GEN operates on the strong conviction that girls are powerful, and their mission is to help girls believe that is true. Through school-based curriculum, leadership conferences, and now virtual services, GEN’s programming is focused on ensuring girls know that they are unstoppable. To do this, they’ve created a dedicated support system that girls have access to no matter what questions they have or what obstacles that need help working through.

A main component of their programming is based around self-efficacy, which is one’s belief in her ability to succeed. Julia acknowledges that by instilling this belief in girls at a young age, it can become a building block for the future generation of women. “If every girl we reach suddenly believes that she’s unstoppable,” Julia says, “then I think we’ll have a female president, and we’ll have more women in leadership around the world. I also think we’ll see better treatment of people, especially if we can raise the voices and beliefs of girls of color.” 

Even though she’s been committed to female empowerment for practically her entire life, Julia knows that her work is just getting started. “Every day I get out of bed, ever since I was a kid, knowing that this is what gives me life,” she states. “I can’t stop.” 

When the pandemic began, GEN’s first instinct was to reach out to their community to see what they needed. What they learned was that the girls they serve were seeking a way to stay engaged and connected with one another while at home. This spurred the idea for their Spark Kits. The hand decorated kits, often marked with empowering messages and notes of encouragement, include 25 self-guided and collaborative activities to do at home. The girls also gain access to an online community where they can engage in group or one-on-one sessions. 

Contact:
girlsempowermentnetwork.org
@girlsempowermentnetwork