International Day of the Girl
“I am brave. I get stronger every day.” ~ my 7 year old daughter.
Today I’m joining with Athleta, who sponsored this post, to promote International Day of the Girl. This year Athleta has partnered with Girl’s Leadership to encourage girls across the globe to use their power and voices – celebrating the unique things every girl brings to the table.
From UN Women:
“The 1.1 billion girls of today’s world are challenging the status quo. They’re redefining girlhood, and they’re doing so against the odds.
Across the world, girls face adversities that hinder their education, training and entry into the workforce. They have less access to information, communication technology and resources, such as the internet where the global gender gap is growing. A quarter of young people, most of them girls, are neither employed nor getting an education or training. This year alone, 12 million girls under 18 will be married, and 21 million girls aged 15 to 19 years will become pregnant in developing regions.
And yet, they persist, they succeed. They are innovating technology to solve global challenges, they are standing up for the environment, they are raising their voices against violence and they are preparing to run for office.”
I’m wildly passionate about helping all of my children understand the power of their voices and the influence their words and actions have on others. Today, however, I’m happily joining others to celebrate the voices of girls.
After having three boys, I was thrown a curve ball when the doctor declared, “Its a girl!” There was a meltdown at Target (seriously, why are there so many clothing options for girls?!), panic at the sight of bows, and a general sense of “how do I raise a girl?”
Turns out – raising a daughter became just as much my jam as raising my sons.
A couple years later, I opened an email and saw my second daughter’s face for the first time. A whole different wave of concern came in the months and years that followed. One of my biggest concerns was related to her cleft lip and palate. “How can I help her find her voice?” I wondered.
Turns out – finding her voice had nothing to do with speech.
“Powerful” is defined as having great power or strength.
My daughter – she is all kinds of powerful, but her power isn’t in the might of her muscles. As her mom I want to help her recognize her power – her story, her voice, and the impact she can make in the lives of others. I want to help her know that being powerful is only part of the equation, what we do with that power is the rest.
“When I feel brave, I feel like I have strength and power.” ~ my daughter.
Sometimes we think we have to be strong in order to be brave. My girl – she knows that the opposite is usually more true. When she is brave, she feels strong. She feels powerful.
She makes me ask myself about what areas of life I am waiting to feel strong in order to be brave.
My daughters have endless opportunities before them. As I help them knock down obstacles and chase their potentials, I hope they also learn to use their voices for others – for other girls and for boys. The power of their voices is not determined by the volume they speak in, but by the influence it has on others. Whether they speak softly or sing from a rooftop, I hope they recognize the unique power of their individual voices.
I am a huge fan of conversation starters. Sometimes my mind feels like mush, but I want to make sure I am intentionally going beyond the surface with my kids. Here are five tips (from Athleta) to help begin conversations with your daughter about finding her voice and using it to impact those around her. These are SO GOOD:
- What is power? Power is about influence. When her actions or words impact others, that’s power.
- She’s already powerful. Point out what she already does to influence others.
How does she behave or communicate that makes them listen to her? - What’s her power style? Show her examples of leaders who are introverts as
well as extroverts; leaders who wear suits and leaders who wear running
shorts. - Power rocks the boat. Be honest. Using her power may not always make
her the most popular. But when we speaks truth, that price is usually
worth it. - A million ways to be powerful. There are less expected ways she can have
influence. Sharing feelings, asking for what she needs, deep listening, making space for others, creating art, public speaking, and knowing when to walk away are just a few.
From now until 10/31/18, Athleta is donating a portion of the proceeds from the sale of the limited-edition Girls Leadership “All Kinds of Powerful” long-sleeve t-shirt and pull-over hoodie to Girls Leadership, which equips girls with the skills to exercise the power of their voice.
