Washington, DC — This holiday, The Body Shop US is donating $1 for every holiday gift sold* to Plan International USA (Plan). This gift will contribute to Plan’s work to empower girls globally and help them dream big. Some 1,200 youth, through national leadership and advocacy programs, will transform gender norms by creating new narratives about girls focused on power, intelligence and capability.
“We’re so excited to be able to partner with Plan in order to fully support our young girls here in the U.S. and provide them with the support they need to reach their highest potential and fulfill their dreams,” said The Body Shop US General Manager Andrea Blieden. “This initiative is so near and dear to our founding. Our brand was born based on our founder’s strong feminist views, and so empowering young girls – and really women overall – is deep-rooted in our DNA.”
In the U.S., seven in 10 girls ages 14 to 19 (72 percent) surveyed say at least once in a while they feel treated with less respect because they are a girl. Further, the majority of adolescent girls surveyed in the United States (83 percent) say our culture causes them to feel less powerful than boys.
Plan was established to help alleviate these inequalities. The independent development and humanitarian organization advances children’s rights and equality for girls, and believes in the power and potential of young people.
“For too long, the narrative about girls has been limiting, perpetuating a culture where girls feel undervalued,” said Shanna Marzilli, chief marketing officer at Plan International USA. “For 80 years, our organization has been working to overturn this trend and this partnership with The Body Shop US presents such a great opportunity to further advance this cause. I’m excited to see the result of our efforts.”
Specifically, Plan’s Youth Leadership Academy (YLA), which The Body Shop’s Christmas campaign will directly support, seeks to engage and train youth to participate as active citizens in their communities to bring about meaningful impact. The YLA is a residential academy, where 50-60 students, mostly girls ages 14-18, are selected each year to participate in a week-long program aimed to equip them with leadership, advocacy, and communication skills.
Through the program, selected participants will have access to workshops hosted by international development professionals and are given the opportunity to apply and practice their newly acquired skills within their own communities. Each student will design a Leadership Development Project over the course of the YLA to address at least one Sustainable Development Goal within their community.
For more information, please visit www.thebodyshop.com/en-us/dream
About Plan International USA
Plan International USA is an independent development and humanitarian organization that advances children’s rights and equality for girls. Plan believes in the power and potential of young people. Working together with children, young people, supporters, and partners, Plan strives for a just world, tackling the root causes of the challenges facing girls and all vulnerable children.
About The Body Shop
Founded in 1976 in Brighton, England, by Anita Roddick, The Body Shop is a global beauty brand. The Body Shop seeks to make a positive difference in the world by offering high-quality, naturally inspired skincare, body care, hair care and make-up produced ethically and sustainably. The Body Shop pioneered the philosophy that business can be a force for good and this ethos is still the brand’s driving force. The Body Shop spans 3,000 retail locations in 66 countries. The Body Shop, along with Aesop and Natura, is part of Natura &Co, a global, multi-channel and multi-brand cosmetics group that is committed to generating positive economic, social and environmental impact.
*Donation will be made up to $50,000 based on holiday pre-packaged gift boxes and bags sold in-store and online at The Body Shop between November 1 and December 31, 2019.
