Leadership development for girls

[OhioMomof3]

What activities do your daughters do which give them an opportunity for leadership and/or character development? I see Civil Air Patrol mentioned often. There's junior ROTC, of which I am clueless. My daughter wants to be involved in a fun activity, but

one in which she will be challenged to grow and be given opportunities to learn new things and serve the community.

 

My daughter attended a CAP meeting last night, and she enjoyed it. I wonder about having her go that route. (Not meaning to offend, but I would be scared to have her

join the military. I'm assuming most people who do CAP or ROTC are planning on

military futures. I also imagine students are encouraged to pursue that.)

 

I would love to hear your experiences with CAP and junior ROTC and other activities/programs in which your daughters have gained leadership experience.

[Farrar]

I don't have daughters, just sons, but the thing they do which fosters the best leadership skills is Destination Imagination. It's a totally different sort of path and leadership/team skills than CAP or ROTC type activities though.

[Bambam]

We were in 4-H for several years. For several reasons we left, and I started an Anchor Club. We work on leadership, parliamentary procedure, learning project development, and doing community service. My girls are also involved in various Youth Advisory councils for local museums. Plenty of opportunity for developing leadership skills there - both formal leadership of a group and also when they put on an exhibit or event.

[Monica_in_Switzerland]

First Lego League

Team sports

 

I think CAP and JROTC are for people who are curious and considering a military option.  If she for sure knew she was NOT interested in military, I would not encourage her to join.  If she is not sure, they might be a good fit.  

 

On a personal note, I know it horrified my mom when I applied and went to the Air Force Academy, but I gained a lot of life experience in a very short amount of time from that.  My best friend from high school went into ROTC when she started college.  She did not end up going into the military, but it taught her that military was not the right thing for her, which was good to know.

[Kiara.I]

There's also Scouts, Search And Rescue...

Some places have community volunteers of some kind, through the city or town.

She could volunteer at anything that takes her fancy--wildlife rescue, SPCA...

[vonfirmath]

I don't have daughters, just sons, but the thing they do which fosters the best leadership skills is Destination Imagination. It's a totally different sort of path and leadership/team skills than CAP or ROTC type activities though.

 

Good to hear! My son did this with his school this year and wants to do it again next year.  I got to appraise and REALLY enjoyed it.

[Carol in Cal.]

I encouraged my daughter to be in mixed gender groups where negotiations were normalized, and to stand up for herself and strategize.  As she got older I encouraged her to ask for what she wanted, to look for jobs, to do well at work, to debrief and talk about her work experiences and how to do well in various circumstances, and how to think through decisions.

 

In her teen years I felt that I had overdone this, LOL.  SMH.

 

However, she is good at making good arguments, lining people up on her side without being sneaky, and being realistic, and she has a strong work ethic and can lead by example.  Those are important leadership skills.

[brehon]

I knew several kids when I was in high school who loved CAP, *didn't* have any plans of joining the military, and went on with their lives post-hs graduation without any military service. As I mentioned in my replies in the other thread, much is dependent on the squadron one is in. The senior members in my son's squadron (aka, the adult members) encourage participation in various activities, but don't push military service on the kids. There are several seniors graduating this year from my son's squadron and only one is headed to the military (AFA, actually). None of the others have any interest in joining the military and have been admitted to various unis with very nice (non-military) scholarships.

 

I also believe there are many ways for a girl (or any kid) to get leadership experience. What is your dd interested in? If your daughter is interested in CAP right now, my advice would be to let her try it out. If she ends up not liking it, no harm, no foul. If she does like it, it's a great way to gain experience in all kinds of soft skills which will translate well to whatever she ends up doing in life.

 

ETA - For my family CAP has been a low cost way for my ds to grow, mature, and learn important soft skills like Carol mentioned. There are many ways to gain leadership experience, though. GL finding what fits best with your family and values! :)

 

-- says the mom of two competitive swimmers (oy!)

Edited March 16, 2016 by brehon

[lllll]

nm

Edited November 14, 2016 by cathey

[vonfirmath]

One of my college dd's does the Destination Imagination program there.  It's for all ages.  My dd loves it.  And one of my college ds's is doing it this semester, too.  It seems to combine creativity with leadership.  Dd's professor told them that having this course on a resume will be helpful in getting jobs.  Not exactly sure why ....

 

Probably at least partly because so FEW do it at higher levels. The vast majority of our groups were elementary.  There were a handful of middle school teams and 1 HS school team. No university (though maybe they compete elsewhere?)

[lllll]

nm 

 

Edited November 14, 2016 by cathey

[Sasharowan]

For my dd16, Boy Scouts Venturing Crew has definitely helped with learning things like being a leader and negotiating with those who don't agree with you, calling and making reservations, planning, strategizing. She also is on a bowling league and does a medieval re-enactment where they treat her as an adult (except I still need to sign off for her). She gets to design and lead classes, teach people skills she has learned as well as learn new skills, and generally help out where needed.

 

Surprisingly for my ds14, theater has been the place to learn leadership. After 5 years of being in youth theater, this year he added 3 main stage shows to his repertoire, started learning backstage skills, and helps with the youngest youth group.

[Laurel-in-CA]

AHG and Trail Life also have a graduated leadership program....planning an event for the troop, for multiple troops, with another organization, on your own. Our Pioneers/Patriots (jr. high or high school) lead flag ceremonies, decide and even lead their own badges, MC for campfire, make recruiting speeches, etc.

 

We've also done 4-H and I find that their progression of junior and teen leadership for projects plus in-club and county level leadership leading to even (if you want) state leadership is well planned. You have to do recordbooks, compete at fairs, and really invest in the program if you want to get the most out of it.

[Chris in VA]

Agreeing with Venture Scouts. Truly excellent in our area.

 

Dd enjoys the leadership opportunities in our church youth group. She also tutors elementary students as a volunteer, and really enjoys the fun mixed with responsibility that she finds on her summer mission trip.

[Janie Grace]

My dd volunteers with https://www.girlsontherun.org. She's a junior coach. 

[Farrar]

Probably at least partly because so FEW do it at higher levels. The vast majority of our groups were elementary.  There were a handful of middle school teams and 1 HS school team. No university (though maybe they compete elsewhere?)

 

University teams go straight to Globals for the most part. They do the same challenges, but they typically spend less prep time. It's just a different vibe.

 

As for why is it good on a resume - DI and Odyssey of the Mind are both known in certain circles. DI is sponsored by 3M and Lockheed and some other big names, OM has a longstanding relationship with NASA. Institutions and companies like those may know it.

[Crimson Wife]

Girl Scouts, jr. life guarding, and assistant coach for her little sister's special needs soccer team.

[Jaz]

Competitive speech and theater

[Carol in Cal.]

I would like to add--despite the mockery of the concept, the 'bossy girl' thing was something that I observed and shut down flat when DD was little.

If a girl starts to exhibit leadership traits before the boys do, that is no reason to stop them.  It is no reason to instill in them the idea that leading is a character flaw, and label it 'bossy' in mocking tones.  That would be similar to many other unacceptable put downs such as 'You're so cute when you're mad," and such. 

 

Don't let this happen to your kid, and don't let  your kid do this to anyone else.  K?

[OhioMomof3]

Thank you all for giving me ideas and information. I am glad to hear the positives about these different programs.

 

And, Carol in CA, I agree with you. Thanks for posting.

[waa510]

For me, I've found that Girl Scouts has helped my kids develop age-appropriate leadership opportunities. My oldest is currently working on her Bronze Award, which her troop planned, organized and are now working through the appropriate channels to implement (with a language barrier to boot!). Now, some troops don't give the girls this much independence and try to helicopter too much, but it's easy as a homeschooler to shop around for one that will let her truly lead. 

 

I found leadership opportunities as a kid through sports teams, volunteer clubs, volunteering at a summer camp as a Teen Counselor, etc. :)

[Katy]

There's a company called Outward Bound (not related to the disciplinary thing for wayward kids in Florida, I've had Florida relatives ask) that does wilderness trips that are amazing for confidence in high school kids or adults.  They're similar to NOLS, but more focused on inward stuff and leadership skills in addition to wilderness & survival skills.  Pricey two week classes in the summer, but I've also heard life changing.

[ScoutTN]

Scouting!

 

[catz]

What is your daughter interested in and doing now?  You can often find leadership opportunities in those areas.  My son is on a youth council at a youth theater company.  They do tons of leadership based activities.  He also volunteer camp councils with a theater group.  Volunteering assistant coaching for a sport would also be good.  There are teen leadership opportunities in my daughter's orchestra program too - organizing team building, leading sectionals, etc.

 

If you look at her interests and think out of the box, you can often find opportunities hiding places. 

[OhioMomof3]

My daughter is in a local orchestra. She played volleyball this year and wants to continue in high school. She is interested in science and is considering a career in healthcare. One thing I think she may really enjoy is serving as a camp counselor at a Christian camp close to our home. Right now, we are looking into possible year-round programs. Thanks for sharing some great ideas!