International Women’s Day is today which means a lot of of chats, discussions, events (both online and offline) will be going on simultaneously around the world in honor of women.

International Women’s Day celebrations have already taken place and many more will certainly ring on throughout next week to honor women and girls around the world and call for more ways to empower and uplift them. In large part International Women’s Day is a global celebration of the giant strides women have accomplished even while realizing there is still a long way to go towards gender equality. Now that International Women’s Day is directly upon us you might wonder what you can do to celebrate simply, yet make an impact. Here are some ideas.

1. Honor a Woman Making a Difference: Oxfam America is accepting 200 – 300 word essays about women in your life who are making a difference. By sharing your personal story about a phenomenal woman who is lighting the way for others you will bring attention to the ways in which women are changing the world for the better. Share your story and read others at www.oxfamamerica.org/IWD.
2. Share Catapult’s “Cover Story” Campaign: We read and see glossies every day and that’s what has made Catapult’s Cover Story campaign that more powerful. Using the airbrushed aesthetics of a traditional magazine to tell the raw stories about child brides, human trafficking, and sexual exploitation of girls, Catapult’s Women’s Day campaign has effectively made people sit up and take notice about issues that often fail to move the mainstream. Buzzfeed called the campaign “jarring” and Design Taxi called it “visually arresting.” This International Women’s Day, you can share the campaign from Catapult’s Cover Story microsite and help open a few eyes about these worldwide issues that affect women and girls. www.catapult.org/coverstories.
3. Shine a Light on Women’s Success Stories: So often we talk about how far women and girls still have to go to gain an equal footing with men and boys that we forget to stop and celebrate success stories. Thankfully Pathfinder has taken the time to highlight success stories of women who live in middle and low-income countries. In their “Women Who Dare” campaign Pathfinder has shared success stories like Dorothy’s, a woman who lives in rural Ugandan and has five children yet she is only 22.  She now uses family planning and couldn’t be happier. Read all of the stories at www.pathfinder.org/stories/index.html. And while you’re there be sure to take Pathfindder’s pledge to stand up for women and girls.
4. Watch a Film in Honor of Women: For the entire month of March you can take part in the #SheDocs film festival where 12 extraordinary films about women and their accomplishments can be streamed online for free. Watch and share these documentaries widely. Check out all 12 documentaries at http://itvs.org/women-and-girls-lead/shedocs including the first documentary: Alice Walker: Beauty in Truth.

As lofty as this may sound the future of women and girls rests on our ability to continue talking about and educating others about gender-based inequality. Happy International Women’s Day.

Photo Courtesy of Plan International