Join The Girl Effect
Thoughts and an Invitation to Join The Girl Effect
I have learned that amazing things can happen when good and well-intentioned people keep an open mind, love in their hearts, and the trust that what emerge is likely to be far more spectacular than anything designed by one or a few of us. Let me give you a real life example.
In May of 2008, 16 good women met for a four-day retreat at Triple Creek Ranch in Darby, Montana. We were there as guests of owner Barbara Barrett, who generously gave this gift to our Girl Scout Council so that we could share in thoughtful conversation and exploration of our own leadership, in order to help shape the vision for girls’ leadership in Arizona. The group of colleagues, women whose leadership accomplishments include serving as prime minister, college presidents, CEOs, entrepreneurs, authors, and philanthropists, arrived on Thursday and left on Monday as a small but mighty community of women bound by values, aspirations, and friendship with a renewed and dedicated interest in the future of leadership for girls and women.
Out of this circle, self-dubbed “The Carpet Riders,” has flowed a wealth of ideas, resources, and experiences. One was an invitation I received to be part of a work-study trip to Nepal last November. Upon receiving the invitation, intriguing as it was, I had to ask what it had to do with Girl Scouts—or girls here in Arizona–would my time be well spent half a world away? Following my instincts and with a bit of encouragement from those around me, I went to Nepal and discovered, first-hand, The Girl Effect: the transformational possibilities that lie in supporting the physical, emotional, and intellectual needs of girls in developing countries.
Concurrently, things here at home in the U.S. were pretty interesting. The economic meltdown was well underway. We had just elected Barack Obama in an election unlike any before it. The voices and values of America’s young people were being heard in a whole new way. Our youth challenged us to higher standards of character and told us they were ready to lead the way to a new civil society. Our own research (Girl Scouts Leadership Institute) with both girls and boys revealed that youth all across this country held high aspirations and strong opinions about leadership. This is a generation who is well aware of the emerging realities of a global community and see themselves as the “make it or break it” generation—a generation that sees the health of their future tied to their ability to affect social change locally and globally.
In continuing conversation with the members of “The Carpet Riders” and other thought partners, connecting the dots between The Girl Effect on the other side of the world and the call to a different America wasn’t hard. If girls and women have proven to be the key elsewhere, why not right here in the U.S.? What can American girls do to connect with girls across the world to make it a better place for everyone? How might we support youth, young women and young men as social change agents in what they see as the crucible through which civil and healthy society will rise or fall?
In the right sidebar is a link to the white paper, The Girl and Woman Effect, that presents this case, written in partnership with my colleagues Barbara Cecil, Mary Lee Hoffman and Jane Ferguson. Please accept my warm invitation into the dialog. I’d love to hear your thoughts, questions, and ideas.