Empowered girls become empowered women and empowered women change the world. One of the key initiatives for the Empowering Girls Ambassadors in Rotary Zones 28 & 32 was hosting two pilot Empowering Girls Youth Leadership Programs in collaboration with Toastmasters District 123 and District 46. Toastmasters International is a world leader in communication and leadership development. In May 2019, Rotary and Toastmasters formed an alliance and this Empowering Girls Youth Leadership Program (YLP) was a great way to strengthen and promote this alliance.
The Empowering Girls YLP program provides a platform and space for girls to interact and have empowering discussions as they discover and amplify their voices and ideas over eight weeks. The program’s unique workshop style design enables the girls to develop speaking and leadership skills through practical experience in a safe space as they work on: Public Speaking, Using Body Language & Gestures, Active Listening, Giving Feedback, and Impromptu Speaking.
As a co-ordinator of the pilot in Zone 28, I empowered 14 girls across Canada, and they empowered me. I really can’t put into words how happy I was to see their growth, to listen to them speaking with more confidence and to hear how their voices and ideas are amplified even amid the ‘likes’ and ‘so yea’. Girls had the opportunity to discuss any topic of choice. As a result, we heard topics including but not limited to ‘What is Hijab for a Muslim Woman’, ‘Female Superheroes Should Not Be Overlooked’, ‘Why I Like Animal Crossing’, ‘Focus on Learning Instead of Grades’, ‘Assumptions’ and ‘Pizza and All Its Glory’. There’s still some convincing left to do that pineapple belongs on pizza, and some uncertainty if Ford is better than Dodge, for now we’ll agree to disagree on both.
The goal of our program is to truly inspire and empower girls 10-17 to become great leaders in their schools and communities. Based on feedback we’ve received we had a successful pilot with 85% participants completing the program and recommending it to others. Here’s what one participant had to say: “There’s no such word to describe how wonderful this program is to me. When I was in the meeting, I didn’t feel afraid of being an international student who might pronounce something awkwardly. I wasn’t afraid of people judging my beliefs and thinking. I feel love and appreciation because of who I am. It’s my pleasure to see many other girls grow up and improve every week. We stand with each other to make our voice heard. I admire what you and other hosts have done for us. Thank you so much for creating a place for us to gain our self-confidence and strength. Even now the program is over, the past 8 weeks will never go away from my memory.”
Thank you to everyone who has supported this pilot in one way or another. A special thank you to our Toastmaster volunteers that served as facilitators and mentors. If you’d like to learn more about this program or host one for your district, please send me an email at nikitaw.rotary@gmail.com. I’m always happy to connect and explore how together, we can #EmpowerGirls. After all, empowered girls will change the world.