TROY, NY (05/19/2011)(readMedia)-- Ninety million school-aged girls around the world can't attend school due to poverty, violence and prejudice. Emma Willard School is trying to change that by being the driving force behind AUDACIA, a global forum designed to help educators and human development specialists and philanthropist ensure every girl everywhere a quality education.

It took 22 students from Emma to convey the transformative benefits of educating girls and, at the same time, give AUDACIA a bold, dynamic visual identity. Archbishop Desmond Tutu and his wife Leah are the Honorary Co-Chairs of AUDACIA and Emma Willard School is the founding sponsor.

"This is a compelling symbol created from the minds, hearts and hands of educated adolescent girls in solidarity with girls their age around the globe who are denied education," said Donna Blackwell, Executive Director of AUDACIA. "I can't think of a better way to underscore the commitment by everyone at the Emma Willard School to the mission of AUDACIA: "Education for every girl, everywhere."

Trudy Hall, Head of School at Emma said, "AUDACIA means fearlessness, daring, courage, and confidence in Italian and Spanish. Emma students attacked the project with the same trademark student leadership and compassion for vulnerable people and societies that made Emma Willard School the first Fair Trade High School in America."

By designing the AUDACIA logo and producing the video themselves, the girls gained hands-on branding guidance from SS+K founding partner Mark Kaminsky. SS+K is the agency responsible for the ubiquitous yellow LiveStrong bracelets for the Lance Armstrong Foundation, During a field trip to SS+K headquarters in New York City, Kaminsky taught students the key principles of design, branding and logo development.

"Students were reminded throughout the process of the value in their own education," said Lindsay Jessee, art teacher at Emma Willard School. "This is not something that every girl has access to. It's important to them to give other girls the opportunities they have themselves."

The students then met with Khania Curtis, a graphic designer and architect with Davis Brody Bond Aedas who mentored them through a weekend workshop on the use of original art and technology to convey the essence of AUDACIA: An open book in the style of a blossoming lotus flower representing the opening of knowledge and the journey from girlhood to womanhood, coupled with a multi-colored and textured original font conveys the mission of AUDACIA and the diversity of girls worldwide.

Please click on the video by Elle Anderson.

About AUDACIA

AUDACIA is a two-day invitational forum, which will take place on September 26 - 27, 2011 in Manhattan. It is designed to be a highly interactive forum offering attendees unique and valuable opportunities for dialogue and meetings with potential collaborators. Participants include educators and human development practitioners with proven or promising educational interventions, but who need help improving, sustaining or replicating them. Others are philanthropists, foundation executives and business people who want to invest resources – money, technology, information and volunteers – in programs that reflect best practices. These are programs designed to make a measurable, significant and sustainable impact on improving both the access to and the quality of education for girls.

About Emma Willard School

As the oldest private girls' school in the country, Emma Willard School has been empowering girls since 1814. Pioneering educator Emma Hart Willard envisioned a world where girls had the same opportunities as boys and where girls could receive unparalleled educational leadership. Emma will celebrate its Bicentennial in 2014.

Posted Thursday May 19, 2011 at 12:06 pm by Emma Willard School
Last Updated Friday August 12, 2011 at 11:05 am