NEW YORK, Oct. 11, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- In celebration of International Day of the Girl, Gap Inc. today announced the expansion of its signature education program, P.A.C.E. (Personal Advancement & Career Enhancement), with new curriculum designed to improve confidence and life skills for girls in community settings. To coincide with this announcement, the company's namesake brand partnered with Condé Nast to showcase the inspirational stories of women who are currently participating in P.A.C.E.

At the center of Gap and Condé Nast's partnership is a 12-minute documentary-style film profiling the stories of three unique women – Mary, Margaret and Puwaneshwary – who are currently enrolled in a P.A.C.E. community program. The film shines a light on how access to education has changed the lives of these women who work on a tea plantation in Sri Lanka, where literacy rates for women are typically very low – 67 percent compared to the country's average of 90 percent (source: CARE Sri Lanka).

Created by the award-winning 23 Stories x Condé Nast studio and directed by internationally acclaimed filmmaker Vanessa Black, the documentary premiers on Vogue's digital channels in both the U.S. and the U.K. starting today.

"Condé Nast is known for its engaging visual storytelling and deep connection to culture, and with partners like Gap we're extending that approach to branded content," said Dirk Standen, editor-in-chief of 23 Stories. "Here we wanted to tell the story of the P.A.C.E. program by focusing on the unique stories of some of the remarkable women involved, and Vanessa and her team achieved that in this beautiful, moving documentary."

Gap Inc.'s P.A.C.E. program originally launched in 2007 to provide life skills education and training for women who make Gap's clothing. In 2013, it expanded beyond factories and into community settings around the world. Annual evaluation results have demonstrated that the P.A.C.E. program improves the lives of women and their families by developing women's knowledge, skills, and confidence.

"It is the personal journeys of the women involved with P.A.C.E. that inspire us and push us further," said Dotti Hatcher, Executive Director, P.A.C.E. "It is the stories we have heard and the women that we have worked with that have led to us creating the girls program."

As part of its pledge to advance the lives of 1 million women and girls through P.A.C.E. by 2020, the company is expanding its community programs further to bring new educational opportunities to girls between the ages of 13 and 17. P.A.C.E. for girls will focus on improving self-identity and self-confidence, and will help girls develop goals and aspirations for the future, as well as understand the information and skills required to fulfill those goals. The program will pilot in Haiti and India this fall, followed by Sri Lanka and other countries next year. The resources for the program were developed in partnership with the International Center for Research on Women (ICRW).

The video can be found on YouTube here and still imagery downloaded here. For more information, please contact Ellie.Heatrick@edelman.com or Catherine.Flint@edelman.com

About P.A.C.E.
Gap Inc. launched P.A.C.E. (Personal Advancement & Career Enhancement) in 2007 to help advance and inspire the women who make our clothes. In 2013, after realizing the life-changing impact it was having on participants, P.A.C.E. expanded to include women in community settings beyond the workplace. In 2016, P.A.C.E. expanded even further to include a program for adolescent girls (ages 13 – 17) in schools and other community settings in order to give them earlier access to valuable life skills and the opportunity to shape their futures. To date, over 45,000 women have participated in P.A.C.E. across 12 countries. Gap Inc. has committed to reaching one million women + girls around the world by 2020. To learn more, visit gap.com/pace

About Condé Nast
Condé Nast is a premier media company renowned for producing the highest quality content for the world's most influential audiences.  Attracting more than 100 million consumers across its industry-leading print, digital and video brands, the company's portfolio includes some of the most iconic titles in media: Vogue, Vanity Fair, Glamour, Brides, Self, GQ, GQ Style, The New Yorker, Condé Nast Traveler, Allure, Architectural Digest, Bon Appétit, Epicurious, Wired, W, Golf Digest, Golf World, Teen Vogue, Ars Technica, The Scene, Pitchfork and Backchannel.  The company's newest division, Condé Nast Entertainment, was launched in 2011 to develop film, television and premium digital video programming. For more information, please visit condenast.com and follow @CondeNast on Twitter.

About Gap 
Gap is one of the world's most iconic apparel and accessories brands and the authority on American casual style.  Founded in San Francisco in 1969, Gap's collections are designed to build the foundation of modern wardrobes – all things denim, classic white shirts, khakis and must-have trends.  Beginning with the first international store in London in 1987, Gap continues to connect with customers online and across the brand's about 1,700 company-operated and franchise retail locations around the world. Gap includes Women's and Men's apparel and accessories, GapKids, babyGap, GapMaternity, GapBody and GapFit collections.  The brand also serves value-conscious customers with exclusively-designed collections for Gap Outlet and Gap Factory Stores.  Gap is the namesake brand for leading global specialty retailer, Gap Inc. (NYSE: GPS) which includes Gap, Banana Republic, Old Navy, Athleta and Intermix. For more information, please visit www.gapinc.com.

Video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sw6EofWILhA

Related Links

http://www.gapinc.com

SOURCE Gap Inc.