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Social entrepreneur motivates SMLS girls to be leaders by Julia Le Oakville Beaver Staff 13 | Friday, April 15, 2016 | OAKVILLE BEAVER | www.insideHALTON.com Be creative. Be bold. Be yourself. Seize every possible moment and navigate your life with "absolutely no fear" and compassion, social entrepreneur Farah Mohamed told students at St. Mildred's-Lightbourn School (SMLS) Thursday (April 14). "You are 50 per cent of the population. You are young and keen and equipped with tools that many of us did not have," she told a room filled with mostly girls. Mohamed encouraged them to take every opportunity that's afforded to them -- especially in an environment like SMLS where young girls can come and be the "best versions of themselves." Her advice was part of her address to the school community as part of its 125th anniversary celebrations, which recognizes the SMLS' rich history and achievements. Throughout the year, SMLS has been marking the milestone occasion through a variety of events, including its Welcome Back Breakfast last September and Founders' Day last Oct. 15. Currently, there are three rooms in the Oakville Museum at Erchless Estate on Navy Street that have been dedicated to SMLS memorabilia as part of its anniversary celebrations. It will be on display until June. Homecoming Week will also take place next month from May 2-7. It includes a Time Capsule Farah Mohamed, the founder and CEO of G(irls)20 was the guest speaker at St. Mildred's-Lightbourn School. She delivered a message to help cultivate a new generation of female leaders through entrepreneurship and education. | photo by Graham Paine ­ Oakville Beaver (Follow on Twitter @halton_photog or facebook.com/HaltonPhotog) Chapel on May 2 and a Celebration of Gratitude May 5. SMLS head Dorothy Byers told students, parents and teachers, who gathered in the school gymnasium, how fitting it was to have Mohamed speak at the school on a day that also happens to be National Look Up At The Sky Day. "We do know there are endless possibilities if we have the courage to see them and Farah Mohamed will speak to you about exactly that," she said. Mohamed, who was born in Uganda and immigrated to Canada in 1972 as a refugee, is the founder and CEO (Chief Empowerment Officer) of G(irls)20, which promotes economic and educational empowerment of girls and women, and cultivates a new generation of female leaders through education, entrepreneurship and global experiences. Since 2010, it has been running programs such as the G(irls)20 Summit, which invites one girl, aged 18-20, from each G20 country and one from Africa to work through the G20 Leader's agenda with a focus on how to economically empower girls and women so they contribute to the growth of their communities and countries. The girls also provide advice to G20 leaders on how to increase female labour force participation as it is key to economic growth. For her work with G(irls)20 over the years, Mohamed, who grew up in Burlington, was recognized with a Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal. Among a number of awards, she was named BBC's Top 100 Women in 2014, the Top 25 Most Influential Women in Canada by Women of Influence in 2014, RBC Top 25 Canadian Immigrants in 2015 and 100 Most Inspiring Women in the World by SALT magazine in 2015. Through personal experience and life-learned lessons, Mohamed shared why she's passionate about investing in girls and youths. "Our most important asset is youths," she said. "If you look at the numbers alone, 1.8 billion people are between the ages of 10-24. see Future on p.19 DIRECTBUY MEMBERSHIP OFFERS SO MUCH MORE THAN JUST INCREDIBLE SAVINGS! ACCREDITED BUSINESS BBB We combine unbeatable product knowledge, design know-how and customer support, product-savvy specialists, trusted designers and shopping consultants to deliver the right styles for the right price - Guaranteed! DirectBuy is a savings club that provides members a tremendous opportunity to save on merchandise they purchase through us. We now offer the DirectBuy Savings Guarantee! What are you waiting for? MISSISSAUGA Visit mississauga.directbuy.com Call (905) 608 9244 COME IN TODAY TO LEARN ABOUT OUR NEW MEMBERSHIP OPTIONS!