Ways to Help Girls Become Strong Women
At Camp Kupugani, our Midwest summer camp near Madison, Wisconsin and Chicago, Illinois, 14 years ago, we started with a girls-only session (later growing to include boys-only and blended (intentionally coed) sessions). Our focus was then (and continues to be) to give girls a safe place to be themselves, being mindful of sometimes-limiting societal pressures. We want all of our strong campers to be proud of who they are as they are (while also striving to improve to be their best selves). Check out this article from Greater Good Magazine about how to raise strong women in a sexist world. See our summary below, and read the full article here.
- Pay attention to how you pressure girls to say yes.
- Be mindful of what you are asking them to do and what it may mean.
- It should be what your child wants, not what you want.
- Illuminate the pressures they face in asserting their needs.
- Help your children learn to say “no” and mean it.
- Show them how to get their words across without being perceived as “bossy.”
- Challenge the “language police.”
- Help your daughter to drop the word “just” when explaining her point of view.
- Honor the way girls use language.
- Help your daughters to figure out what they want to express.
- Help girls embrace their negative feelings.
- It is okay for girls (or anyone) to get upset.
- Don’t divert feelings; try and understand them.
- Don’t emphasize looks too much.
- Value who she is beyond her looks.
- Focus on qualities she can intentionally control.
- Be aware of the extra pressures on girls of color.
- According to a recent study, girls of color were six times more likely to be suspended due to “unfeminine behavior.”
- Listen to your daughter when she expresses noticing a bias.
Source article: https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/six_ways_to_help_girls_become_strong_women_in_a_sexist_world