Education is the starting point for opportunity – Michelle Obama
What does it take to inspire the next generation of confident girls?
A passion and commitment to helping them lead!
In support of International Women’s Day and The Day of Big Change Initiative for YWCA Canada, I and two other young women came together to lead a workshop on confidence and leadership for girls 10-12 years old in our local community.
Building confidence and leadership in young girls has been of ever increasing importance in recent months. From the United Nations empowering women talks during this month’s CSW59 events to Michelle Obama’s “Let Girl’s Learn” Initiative, the focus has shifted from simply ‘telling girls’ how they should be to educating girls on dreaming big and developing a support system so that they can thrive as women.
This workshop not only inspired the girls, but it also inspired us. These young girls were smart, articulate and bold in their own right. As a parent to a beautiful 16 month old girl, I know how important it is to start young when building girl’s confidence.
Here are 3 lessons these young girls taught me about confidence & leadership:
What We Say And Do As Parents Will Impact Their Confidence
As a parent myself, I understand how much we want our children to succeed. We want to put them in the right schools, the right activities and tell them how they should dress, act and speak in an effort to provide them with the best opportunities in life. We want them to succeed where we failed.
But we must be careful. We have to let them develop their own sense of self. Their own style. Their own way of being. Allowing them to make decisions that will build confidence, not our need to control every aspect of their childhood. When we try and micro-manage a young girl’s life, to the point that they are unable to make their own choices or feel bad about the choices they have made, we are in essence telling them that what they think isn’t good enough. We are teaching them to doubt their choices and in essence stop doing what makes them unique and a leader.
As parents, we must try and lead with them, not at them. We need to support young girls in their need to express their individuality. Those young confident girls will be the future leaders, develop their ability to think for themselves.
Teaching Girls To Be Confident In Who They Are Now Is An Investment Worth Making
During a part of the workshop, we asked the girls who inspired them most as a leader and what qualities they had that made them stand out. The girls talked to us about their teachers and favorite TV personalities. They talked about qualities such as courage, empathy and boldness. Three qualities that these young girls demonstrated in their own lives but had never considered themselves to have. It was so important, during the workshop, for us to show them how they all had demonstrated these leadership qualities through their stories and in their actions.
We have to teach girls to be confident with who they are today. We have to show them how their small actions today align them with the leaders they want to be tomorrow. Qualities of women and men they admire. They have to know that they have the power right now, in their communities and in their schools to be the leader they were always meant to be. We have to teach them to be confident in who they are today so that they can thrive as the women they will become tomorrow.
Girls Are Natural Leaders. Encouraging Them To Own Their Space In Society Will Help Them Thrive
As I mentioned, these young girls were smart, articulate and bold in their own right. Some had a strong sense of self and a conviction and passion for living life on their own terms. Some were more reserved and unsure of their place they should take in classroom environments. They weren’t clear on how and when it was appropriate to speak up and stand out for fear of being wrong or ridiculed by their peers. But when challenged and supported, they expressed their need to have a voice and be heard.
We must encourage young girls to face their fears. We need to encourage them to make mistakes, to raise their hands, to ask questions even when the answer may seem obvious. We need to encourage them to own their thoughts, own their voice and ultimately own their space because they have something important and worthwhile to offer.
When we do that. When we let them know that it’s okay to be wrong. That it’s okay to make mistakes, breakthroughs and growth happens and in their failures, they learn to lead. They build communities. They change lives. They inspire other young girls to do the same.
Leading these young girls in a conversation about confidence and leadership was so important. Not only for the girls, but also for us as young women trying to build and support the next generation of women.
I loved every moment of the experience, especially hearing their feedback on how the work we do was important.
So let’s #TakeTheLead and inspire girls all around the world.
Young girls need this. We need this. The world needs this.