A group of 10 ambitious and intelligent young women are about to go on an amazing international trip where cameras will follow three of the young women for the new documentary “The World They Knew.”
Many Americans will never see what the world is like outside their own nation’s borders unless it’s through a Google search or pictures from a friend.
Well Women Empowering Nations is ready to change that, specifically for a few young grade school girls.
Ten eighth graders will be traveling with Carlisha Williams, the founder of WEN, to the Girls Leading Our World Travel Seminar and Leadership Conference in Morocco and Gambia.
All the girls, including the three subjects of the new documentary, will have the opportunity to “explore North and West African cultures, tour historic sites, and participate in a girls’ leadership conference with local Gambian girls,” the WEN website explained.
The group of ten young ladies will have the same experience, but for Kyra, Christina and Kerrigan the experience will come with their very own camera crew.
While there isn’t any word out yet on why exactly these three girls were chosen for the documentary, a promotional video for the documentary helped give me a good guess.
The three girls are mature beyond their years and already realize that for them this trip is about so much more than just seeing another country – it’s about seeing another culture.
When asked what she was looking forward to the most, Kerrigan couldn’t even pick one thing. For her, it was the entire experience that had her overwhelmed and excited.
“To be honest, I have no words to describe how excited I am that I’m going to Africa so I really can’t pick a favorite part,” the curly headed girl said in the promotional video. “It’s just one big wonderful opportunity for me.”
Then there is Christina who we’re already predicting will have one of the most touching stories of the group.
She didn’t flash a smile as much as the other girls, but just a few minutes into the video and you start to understand why. Christina is battling her own personal problems, what exactly we aren’t sure, and she hopes that this trip will help her conquer those personal obstacles.
“I might find a connection,” she said to the camera. “They might have the same story as me, some might have bigger problems than me and maybe they can help me overcome my problems.”
Of course, it isn’t certain if the documentary will dig that deep into the lives of the young women or if it will strictly focus on the trip to Africa but there are certain things you can figure out without a full story.
Christina’s mature demeanor and insightful perspective on the entire trip definitely has us feeling like she is a wonderful young lady who might have had to grow up a little quicker due to the “complications” that she revealed are in her neighborhood. Either way, we’re excited to see her have such an amazing opportunity.
Last but certainly not least is Kyra. She is another old spirit in a young body who is ready to get a lot more out of the experience than a free trip.
“Well our stories should be told because… well, everybody is different and everybody has something special in them and I just want everybody to know like where I come from,” Kyra said.
The crew hopes to show the documentary “The World They Knew” at film festivals in the future once it is finally finished, but for now they just want to make sure they get the funding they need to make a dream come true for these young ladies.
WEN is in need of $35,000 in order to afford the trip for all ten of the girls including airfare, hotels, and other traveling expenses.
While that number may not be attainable for one or two people, with the help of the public these girls can get the chance of a lifetime.
You can donate here and give these deserving girls the chance to expand “The World They Knew.”
Remember that even the smallest contribution can go a long way. We spend a lot of time investing in hair, clothes, gadgets and other things we don’t really need. So now is the time to invest in something bigger than us – the futures of ten amazing young ladies.
And what better time than Women’s History month?
