Empowering Resources for Girls? Need Suggestions.

[Melanie Mayo]

Mothering is working on an article on the topic of Empowering Girls and we would love your suggestions. 

Our goal is to put together a helpful list of resources that strengthen and encourage girls in their goals. This may be a website, book, magazine, organization or other resource--as long as it gives girls and young women a positive view of themselves and their role in the world. 

Please share your suggestions below and we will consider them for inclusion in the article. 

For those of you interested, we will also be putting together an article on empowering resources for boys in the near future.

This thread will be shared through our social media networks.

This gorgeous photos was submitted by Mothering member Veritas Vitae. Thanks for sharing!

[mama2evazoe]

Southern Girls Rock and Roll Camp Here's a link to their links to other rock camps around the country. My 13 y.o. has gone twice and my 12 y.o. once. They both loved it and came out having more self esteem.  

http://sgrrc.com/about/about-yeah/sgrrc-links/

[Stella81]

I think that 4-H does a great job of empowering young people in general but looking back, it's a great option for empowering girls. I participated in 4-H for over 10 years and ultimately became the president of my club. The participants were boys and girls but I never felt at a disadvantage or compared because of gender as I did in the classroom or in sports.

http://www.4-h.org/

[KHayden1]

New Moon Girls magazine

[Jay Braun]

Women Who Run with Wolves by Clarissa S. Pinkola-Etes, a fabulous read! With fairy tales, folk lore and the rights of passages for the female kind. A bit more higher level reading, but I believe girls can be given the challenge.

Also, I love this one fashion blog called Advanced Style Blog, It follows the dressing up of Elder Women, or "the advanced set". Its beautiful to study older women so that we have our whole lives to look forward to. It seems that young girls and these women of the blog are both connected by playing dress up. 

Edited by Jay Braun - 12/8/12 at 6:30pm

[CathMomGram]

This website - A Mighty Girl - has books, toys, and other resources for "smart, confident and courageous girls." I found great things here for my grandsons, too...

[dmater]

•  

   Girls on the Run: http://www.girlsontherun.org/

  

  Nonprofit Girls Running Program | GirlsOnTheRun.com

  www.girlsontherun.org

  Girls on the Run is a transformational learning program for 8 to 13 year-old gir

  ls. We teach life skills through dynamic, conversation-based lessons and running games. The program culminates with the girls being physically and emotionally prepared to complete a celebratory 5k running event. The goal...

   
•  

   

   http://williemaerockcamp.org/

  

  Willie Mae Rock Camp

  williemaerockcamp.org

[Veritas Vitae]

I randomly met a woman who won an Emmy for producing a science show for girls SciGirls.  After meeting her I came back and introduced the show to my nieces, the oldest of whom is featured in the picture above. 

Edited by Veritas Vitae - 12/5/12 at 11:11am

[dmater]

Nonprofit Girls Running Program | GirlsOnTheRun.com
www.girlsontherun.org
Girls on the Run is a transformational learning program for 8 to 13 year-old girls. We teach life skills through dynamic, conversation-based lessons and running games. The program culminates with the girls being physically and emotionally prepared to complete a celebratory 5k running event.

Willie Mae Rock Camp

https://www.williemaerockcamp.org   
Willie Mae Rock Camp for Girls is a non-profit music and mentoring program that empowers girls and women through music education, volunteerism, and activities that foster self-respect, leadership skills, creativity, critical thinking, and collaboration.

Moving Traditions 
https://www.facebook.com/movtraditions/info
Working with Jewish teenagers at the most fragile time of their development is our mission. Moving Traditions’ conviction is that teens long for an alternative set of values to guide them through their lives and that mentors who can access Jewish wisdom, folktale, and ritual can play a significant role in giving them that alternative. Great Jewish education is not about teaching people how to be more Jewish. It is about teaching people how to see the brokenness in our society, to see themselves as agents of change, and to work with others to make for a more just and compassionate world. 

Black Girls Rock 
http://www.blackgirlsrockinc.com/programs
Influential women from diverse industries engage mentees in positive discourses. Sessions expose participants to the stepping-stones for success via higher educational opportunities, strong work-ethic, discovering one’s individual voice and becoming positive role models for our global community.

[Neaera]

I work at a rock camp in my city, and there are Girls Rock Camps popping up all over the US, and as well as several in other countries. They can all be found here: http://www.girlsrockcamp.org/supporters/girls-rock-camp-alliance.

For the teen set, there are a lot of empowering/body positive articles here: http://rookiemag.com/

This program based out of San Fran seems really amazing: http://www.empoweragirl.org/

I am a big fan of Amy Poehler's Smart Girl at the Party website: http://www.smartgirlsattheparty.com/

I will come back as I think of more...

[prosciencemum]

What a great thread. Here's a couple of ideas from me. My main passion is empowering girls to realise that they can be scientists and/or get involved in science careers, so sorry for the bias towards that! 

Science - It's a Girl Thing from the European Commission might be worth a mention. Link for the English version is http://science-girl-thing.eu/en (also available in many other European languages). 

Also anything which involved Mae Jemison I think is incredibly empowering - for all girls, but especially girls of colour. 

(e.g. http://teacher.scholastic.com/space/mae_jemison/index.htm) 

My personal experience was that I found the Girl Guides (Girl Scouts) very empowering. Some time just with girls figuring out how to do everything for ourselves, camping, outdoors stuff etc. 

[ollyoxenfree]

As a general suggestion, check out the local universities and colleges for programs to encourage girls to enter the STEM fields. In middle school, DD attended a terrific program at the local engineering faculty. It was run by female faculty and grad students. They had tours of the labs and facilities, did some computer software design projects, made some jewelry with electronic circuits, and generally messed around and had fun. It was awesome. 

[mama2evazoe]

Rights of Passage for Girls (there's a boys camp too)

For thousands of years societies have performed “Rites of Passage” initiation ceremonies.  Mountain Wisdom Inc. has created a passage for girls to move into young womanhood.

The young girls will learn to respect themselves and others and to treat both with kindness. They will learn timeless ways and teachings of Native Americans to help them get in touch with the inner-self and their personal Spirit. Nature lessons are the foundation for these teachings.  Lessons for living in balance with the natural world, paying attention to their environment, and successfully working as a team to meet one’s needs, teaches a person about honor, respect and integrity.

http://mountainwisdominc.org/rites-of-passage-experience-girls-to-women/

[Bmpsunshine]

http://www.newmoon.com/magazine/ New Moon Girls

We received our first issue a couple of weeks ago. We Love this Magazine. It is a little expensive but there are no ads.