Red Nose Day

Supporting Young Women to Become Global Leaders of Tomorrow

A case study explores how money raised through Red Nose Day supports programs focused on leadership development and educational support for Black and Latinx girls and young women.

November 11, 2021

Join the Community Builders Challenge, a NEW hands-on SEL learning experience that combines creativity and compassion to inspire students across the country to build a better world.

Learn More

A case study explores how money raised through Red Nose Day supports programs focused on leadership development and educational support for Black and Latinx girls and young women.

Tida has big dreams. The 20-year-old wants to become a U.S. Senator; the first female president of The Gambia, her country of origin; a doctor; honor the sacrifices her parents made for her; and empower and uplift her local communities — and she’s already got a head start on those dreams. This fall, Tida began her freshman year as a Government major at Smith College in Massachusetts, becoming the first person in her family to attend university in the United States.

Tida’s inspiring journey began about five years ago when she immigrated to the United States from The Gambia with her father and brother, settling in New York City.

A few months after arriving in the U.S.,Tida joined Harlem-based The Brotherhood Sister Sol (BroSis) and signed up for their programming after finding a flyer outside her classroom.

“I had nothing to do here. I only know my family (on) my dad's side,” Tida said. “I had no friends in the beginning, and I decided to join BroSis to explore my areas of interest and be a part of something greater.”

Money raised through Red Nose Day supports several multi-layered programs at BroSis focused on leadership development and educational support for Black and Latinx youth in historically marginalized communities, especially girls and young women. BroSis’ holistic programs include after school care, counseling, summer camp, job training, college and employment preparation, activist training, community gardening, mental health support, and arts education. BroSis is a place where youth have a voice, develop new ways of thinking about the world, and are supported to step into their power as agents of change.

Tida has grown a lot through her participation in BroSis programs. “I learned to be myself and to take risks. I learned to be open to anything, and I learned to become myself. [BroSis] has provided a lot for my family and me.”

At BroSis, the high school senior has found a support system — a sisterhood — that is different from what she has at home, being the only woman in her immediate family living in New York City while her mother is still in The Gambia, working as a nurse and taking care of her grandmother.

“It's hard to be here with my dad and my brother with my mother back home in Gambia,” Tida added. “Every time I come here [to BroSis], it's a whole different feeling.”

Tida beams with hope and confidence. She feels empowered by a community that encourages her to express herself through authentic and creative means. And, perhaps most importantly, Tida’s relationships and experiences at BroSis have helped shape and amplify her voice as a young leader for social justice.

Tida Empowerment image

Today, Tida is one of several young women that are members of the Liberation Program at BroSis, which holds space for youth leaders to learn and develop skills that help them identify problems within their communities, analyze solutions, and take action to create change. In the process, members also learn about past and current leaders in the movement for social justice, equity and inclusion on the local, national, and international stage. Program facilitators nurture, coach and educate girls and young women as they prepare them for a politically-engaged future and self-sufficient adulthood.

“BroSis has definitely helped me to become a facilitator in different areas. It has allowed me to grow and be out there for other people,” Tida added, noting that BroSis empowered her to positively influence other people, and as a result, six of her friends joined the program.

More than anything, Tida wants to be the kind of leader that builds a better and more beautiful world — a world filled with compassion, understanding, and love for all communities and all people.

“I want to be a legend at the end of the day,” she added. “I’d like to be someone people know. I like to help people.”

Tida has already taken steps toward making her big dreams come true, and now, with the love and support of The Brotherhood Sister Sol, she’s well on her way. Learn more about Red Nose Day’s focus on Empowering Youth.

No items found.
Empowerment
Project Spotlight

Red Nose Day in School is a free educational program designed to teach young students about the impacts of poverty on children, foster empathy building, and celebrate acts of kindness in the classroom and beyond. This year-round program includes lesson plans, routines and videos to help students practice core reading and writing skills while also helping them realize their power to make a difference for others. Learn more.