Intersectionality Of Identity And Space Pondered At Chicago Global Leader’s Summit

Intersectionality Of Identity And Space Pondered At Chicago Global Leader’s Summit

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Twenty-five teenage girls, ages 14-16, converged on Chicago, last week, to discuss issues they face, and to strategize on how to solve them. Nine were from Chicago. The rest came from Chicago sister-cities. They participated in the Global Youth Ambassadors Leadership Summit, sponsored by Chicago Sister Cities International and the University of Illinois at Chicago. During the event, the girls met women leaders in business, government, and the arts. Discussions weren’t only limited to women’s issues. Many discussed how multiple identities and spaces intersect to create the issues they hope to address. Two participants, Elizabeth Ajayi, a student at St. Paul’s School for Girls in Birmingham, England, and Lauryn Schweickart, a student at Jones College Prep High School in Chicago, joined us to discuss what they learned.