As part of the Beijing+20 campaign to spark global dialogue and action on women’s rights and gender equality, UN Women is focussing on one critical area of concern each month. August’s focus is girls and the challenges they face in today’s world.
Soroptimist International of the Americas recently launched a new Federation-wide programme to help girls overcome obstacles and live their dreams. In this week’s SoroptiVoice blog, SIA’s Senior Director of
Program Services Lori Blair and Program Manager Nora Blumenstein introduce the new program.
In July at the 42nd Biennial Convention in
Vancouver, SIA launched Dream It, Be It: Career Support for Girls. This program
will help girls grow up to be strong, successful, happy adults.
Dream It, Be It
targets girls in secondary school who face obstacles to their future success.
It provides girls with access to professional role models, career education and
the resources to live their dreams. Soroptimist clubs in 19 countries and
territories work in partnership with girls in small groups or a conference
setting to provide them with the information and resources they want and need
to be successful. The topics covered include career opportunities, setting and
achieving goals, overcoming obstacles to success and how to move forward after
setbacks or failures.
This new program is the
result of two years of research and design. The research included:
- Surveys completed by girls: SIA
administered an electronic survey to girls ages 11-20 around the world, asking
about the issues girls face and what support would matter most. In total, SIA
received survey responses from 413 girls in 22 countries and territories. - Focus groups of girls: SIA clubs were
invited to conduct 90-minute focus groups with girls in their local
communities. In total, 70 clubs conducted 50 focus groups in seven countries
throughout SIA: Brazil, Canada, Japan, Korea, Philippines, Mexico and the
United States of America. - Expert interviews: SIA interviewed
adolescent girl experts from Girl Scouts USA, World Vision, Open Society
Foundations, Girls Leadership Worldwide and Sara Nowling, the author of For All Our Daughters: How Mentoring Helps
Young Women and Girls Master the Art of Growing Up. - Soroptimist club members: In July 2012,
more than 650 members attending the Focus on Girl luncheon at SIA’s 42nd Biennial Convention were asked to brainstorm about what girls need and how
Soroptimist could leverage its resources to meet those needs. In addition, 314
club presidents completed surveys providing more information about the needs
and preferences of their clubs regarding new girl program concepts. - International research: SIA assessed international
research and statistics from a range of publications produced by sources such
as the United Nations, International Center for Research on Women, the
Population Council, and the U.S. Department of State.
The research pointed to a clear
intersection between what girls need and what Soroptimists could deliver –
career resources, guidance and support. During focus group discussions, girls’
responses—both what they said and what they did not say—identified a need for
career mentors and role models to guide them as they seek to live their dreams.
Specifically, girls expressed a need for more first-hand information from
professionals working in their field of interest. When asked what would be most
helpful for women in the community to do to assist girls, girls requested
guidance and direction. Read the full research report here.
Using the Dream It, Be
It Club Planning toolkit, SIA clubs are asked to begin
preparing to participate in this program during the 2014-2015 club-year. The
toolkit contains all of the necessary resources and instructions to do so,
including:
- Conducting a community
assessment - Identifying community partners
- Choosing between small group
mentoring and a conference - Working with girls including
ways to involve them in the planning - Establishing a budget.
Focusing on preparation during the
2014-2015 club year will ensure a successful start to the program in the
2015-2016 club year. Complete program resources, including the curriculum and
addition instructions, will be released in early 2015.
Dream It Be It joins
SIA’s long-running program Live Your
Dream: Education and Training Awards for Women (formerly the Women’s
Opportunity Awards). Live Your Dream Awards assist women who provide the
primary source of financial support for their families. The program gives them
the resources they need to improve their education, skills, and employment
prospects. Recipients have typically overcome enormous obstacles including
poverty, domestic violence, and drug and alcohol abuse. They may use their
award to offset any costs associated with their efforts to attain higher
education or training, such as books, childcare and transportation. Each year,
more than $1.6 million is disbursed through cash awards to about 1200 women.
Since 1972, Live Your Dream Awards have consistently improved the self-
confidence, determination and the quality of life for our award recipients.
The Dream Programs of
SIA ensure women and girls have access to the education and training they need
to reach their full potential and live their dreams. SIA is committed to
investing in programs that have a sustainable, measurable change for women
and girls. For more information about our impact, visit our website at www.soroptimist.org.
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