Girls "Lead" the Way this Summer
by Sung-Mun Choi, buildOn Program & Trek Coordinator
August 2008
This summer, seven Lead members from New York and Connecticut embarked on a camping trip to place called Girls Quest in the Catskills Mountains. The trip was a girls-only adventure and included community service, education, and teamwork.
For community service, the team helped clean up cabins - cleaning the windows, mattresses, and sweeping the floor - and set up beds with sheets, blankets and pillows in all 12 cabins. They also helped cover the garden with soil and water it as well as the flower beds around the camp. It was hard work but the girls accomplished all the tasks they were asked to do.
Each day included a read-a-loud, where we read short stories from Sonia Sanchez's "Homegirls & Hand Grenades," which generated discussion about sharing and/or taking a critical view of our own communities, and recognizing moments of gaining wisdom and knowledge from our elders and the importance of having a female mentor in our lives.
Teambuilding activities included a talent show and a bingo game with women-related themes. We also watched "Killing Us Softly," a documentary on the (mis)portrayal of women and girls in the media. We wanted the girls to be able to look at that medium with a critical eye and from different angles than what was presented to them.
We also did a Dreamboard activity where the girls cut out images from magazines that represented their dreams and goals for the future. These images are meant to guide the girls to reach their dreams and to become a phenomenal woman!
On the last day of work, we had a closing ceremony. One of the girls read Maya Angelou's poem "Phenomenal Woman" and we gave certificates to each of the girls. Overall, the girls really enjoyed the trip and all the activities we did, and got along really well.
Some girls who were sitting by themselves in corners on the bus on the way to the camp really became more comfortable, confident in themselves, and opened up during the trip, which was amazing to witness! For some of the girls, this might be a beginning point for them to further reflect upon and dig deeper into the topics we talked about.