About Us
For over two years, Madison SOS (Speak Out, Sister!) has connected Madison teen girls of diverse backgrounds through grassroots activism, leadership development, discussion forums, citizen advocacy, and community-based art focusing on local social justice issues.
Natalia speaking at the 2008 Girl Scout Convention, where she was honored as a National Young Woman of Distinction.
Founded in early 2007 by Natalia Thompson, then a sophomore at Madison West High School, Madison SOS is a teen-led organization engaging teen girls in dialogue and activism on the issues that most matter to them. Natalia founded Madison SOS after discovering that Madison offered teen girls few opportunities to affect positive change on the issues affecting their lives – either through participation in policy-making or through grassroots action. Since 2007, Madison SOS has served as a unique space for girls across Madison to explore community leadership and to speak out on the issues they face, on their own terms.
Madison SOS teen leaders at the state capitol in April of 2009, where they lobbied for comprehensive sex education.
Our work is guided by these goals:
- To empower Madison young women as agents of social change
- To provide teen girls with various forums to:
- Explore their power as community leaders and activists
- Develop key leadership, activism, and advocacy skills
- Learn about and engage in discussion on the issues that most matter to them
- Connect with teens of diverse backgrounds
- Express themselves
- To develop sustainable avenues for teen girls to inform and actively participate in making the decisions and policies that affect their everyday lives
- To collaborate with community leaders and stakeholders to advance the status of teen girls in Madison