Social media and bullying have left adolescent girls feeling overwhelmed and stressed. It’s an issue that won’t go away, so ROX’s 20-lesson curriculum is designed to equip girls with the tools necessary for success in these tough situations.
Dr. Patty Diversity Fellows are women of color with licenses in social work, counseling, education or school psychology who are passionate about empowering girls. With their support, this organization can train and license school counselors, social workers and licensed educators to deliver its program in schools.
A Safe Space for Empowerment
A safe space for girls is a supportive area where they can safely and confidentially discuss their worries and fears. It also serves as an outlet to ask questions, gain knowledge, develop skills, and receive encouragement in regards to personal growth.
Safe spaces can help to promote and protect the rights of girls and women in humanitarian and post-crisis contexts. UNFPA’s guidance note provides an overview of what a safe space is, along with key principles that should be adhered to when creating such areas in these settings. It draws upon lessons learned from UNFPA partners in Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq, Syria and Turkiye as well as experiences documented by Gender-Based Violence coordination mechanisms.
Establishing safe spaces for girls and women is essential to giving them the knowledge, skills, and support to overcome difficulties and live without violence. Furthermore, it gives them a chance to form relationships with others who share similar experiences, making them feel less alone and more empowered.
In Mali, the UNFPA-led Safe Spaces initiative has helped reduce social isolation among girls and young women by connecting them to community services and resources. Participants meet weekly with mentors to discuss topics such as teen pregnancy, family planning, gender-based violence and sexual and reproductive health.
The Safe Spaces program has helped over 4,000 girls and young women build resilience, self-esteem and confidence, as well as access psychosocial support. This is an integral component of the program’s overall goals of preventing child marriage and increasing girls’ educational opportunities.
Nurturing Confidence and Self-Discovery
One of the most essential things we can do for our girls is provide them with tools to develop self-confidence. Not only will this boost their chances of realizing their aspirations, but it will serve as a shield against social and academic difficulties that lie ahead.
There are many programs to choose from, but ROX stands proud of its 20-lesson co-curricular curriculum which has been validated with more than 20,000 participants since 2006. This program incorporates cutting-edge cognitive neuroscience research as well as fun psychoeducational activities and age-appropriate materials from literature and media. Most importantly, it offers just enough esteem interventions, mentorship and leadership in a safe yet supportive environment to ensure maximum outcomes.
Luck, determination and hard work can go a long way towards increasing your chances of success in the real world. That is why we are on a mission to foster generations of empowered girls who take control of their own relationships, experiences and decisions.
Leading the Way
Girls often face gender inequality at home and in school, as well as professional obstacles. Leaders can support a girl’s journey towards empowerment by providing her with opportunities and resources to advance in her career.
Establishing an environment in the workplace where all employees feel equal is one of the most effective ways leaders can assist girls in reaching their objectives. It’s also beneficial to set high expectations for each team member and then reward them when those expectations are fulfilled.
Empowering women means providing them with the capacity and opportunity to participate in decision-making and implementation; to influence decisions with knowledge, self-dignity and assurance. It’s a process that alters systems which deny women their rights and power.
The UN Global Compact envisions a world in which everyone enjoys equality and freedom from discrimination and violence. It strives to remove obstacles that prevent women from fully participating in their lives, improving their health, education and economic well-being.
Today, many girls experience negative messages about their bodies and relationships from peers and adults in their community. This can be a source of stress for young people and necessitates leadership abilities to help them cope with these difficulties.
Kiski Area Intermediate School’s female empowerment program, ROX (Realizing Potential Through Empowerment), debuted this year and has been met with enthusiastic student endorsement. Led by ROX facilitator Michele Claypool, the co-curricular experience is designed for middle school girls.
The program is designed to teach girls how to express themselves clearly and confidently. They utilize a 20-lesson curriculum that has been validated with more than 20,000 girls since 2006. Through it, girls gain confidence, recognize their unique gifts, and learn ways to navigate social media effectively.
Mentorship Matters
Mentorship can be an invaluable asset for women seeking to advance their careers. It also serves as a great opportunity to build connections and network with influential people in your field.
Mentoring relationships can take many forms, from informal to formal, depending on your requirements. Ideally, it should be an ongoing process with regular meetings for information sharing and advice exchange. You could choose someone professional or close to you personally; alternatively, it could also be with a group of people in the workplace, volunteering organization, etc.
Mentorship can be a powerful tool to increase self-awareness, acquire new abilities and craft effective strategies for success. Studies show that those with mentors tend to receive raises, promotions and stretch assignments more frequently than those without.
One way to identify a good mentor is by searching for someone with similar interests and passions as you. It could be someone from your community or someone in your career field whom you admire greatly.
Younger girls often need guidance and support from older adults who have been there before them, so a structured peer-to-peer mentorship program can be beneficial. For instance, PLANE’s Girls Matter Mentorship Program gives older secondary school girls the chance to plan and run weekly/ monthly dialogues with younger secondary girls who have an avid interest in leadership.
In a world where girls are constantly bombarded with messages about what success looks like, it is essential for them to have relationships with real people who can offer positive examples of work ethic and achievement. These connections are an excellent way to teach your daughter how to tackle complex obstacles and get back up when she has been knocked down.
Equipping Girls for Success
Girls who complete secondary education and attain higher wages tend to live healthier, longer lives, earn higher wages, and participate more fully in community life. Unfortunately, 129 million girls around the world remain out of school.
Education girls separately allows teachers and schools to focus on their individual needs, struggles and interests. This promotes positive outcomes for girls such as increased academic success, wider subject choices, greater self-assurance and resilience.
Girls-only education offers a secure haven for girls to build self-confidence, form friendships and realize their individual potential. It also challenges them to rethink their own values and beliefs about themselves as individuals as well as their place in society.
Girls can reach their highest potential when given the support and opportunities to pursue interests traditionally associated with men, such as science or technology. With these supports, girls are empowered to reach for the stars.
Felesia is one such girl. As a DREAMS Ambassador, her story has inspired other girls to pursue jobs that have traditionally been filled by men.
She is living proof that it’s possible to break through gender barriers in any field if you work hard and are willing to overcome challenges along the way. With the necessary training and resources, she is now pursuing her dream career in public health.
With the increasing prominence of digital technologies in daily life, it is increasingly essential for girls to have access to appropriate tools and abilities that will enable them to succeed. That is why the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) is dedicated to promoting gender equality in the digital age by equipping girls with essential digital competencies for their future success.
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