Girls today are growing up to be scientists, teachers, doctors, musicians, nurturing mothers, and sometimes a combination of these things. The spectrum of opportunity is broader than our great grandmothers could have ever imagined.
Along with those opportunities come additional pressures and expectations, often leading to cliques and increased competitiveness among young women. But many national organizations and local groups like Girls Incorporated and Girl Scouts of America help young women support and follow their dreams by providing focus, structure and, most importantly, confidence.
Girls Incorporated is a national research educational and advocacy group that attempts to inspire girls to be strong, smart and confident.
Our goal is to provide guidance to girls that encourages then to take risks and master physical and emotional challenges, said Teri Bordenave, president and chief executive officer of Girls Incorporated of the Capital Region.
Girls Incorporated operates in more than 50 locations throughout the Capital District. Working together with schools, these organizations provide services to girls between the ages of 6 and 18.
One Girls Incorporated program called Operation Smart fosters girls’ skills and interests in science technology, engineering and math. Bordenave said the group recently worked with Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and the GE Women’s Network to expose girls to careers and education in these historically male-dominated areas.
`In fourth and fifth grades, girls tend to outscore boys in areas such as math and science. Then by middle school, those scores tend to dwindle when you add in hormones and the emotional changes of being pre-teens,` said Bordenave.
Bordenave said Girls Incorporated receives referrals from parents, teachers, and sometimes the Department of Social Services.
At Girls Incorporated, girls have the opportunity to take part in workshops that extend into FBI training to pharmacy technician clinics.
`It really gets the girls excited about learning, and the results are astonishing. They feel empowered and confident knowing they can do anything,` said Bordenave.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistic, the number of science and engineering jobs will increase 24 percent by 2014, particularly in the Capital District. For this reason, groups that encourage girls to be excited about math and science are crucial.
Another organization that focuses on young women, Girl Scouts of America, provides a sense of community in an attempt to foster a responsible, prosperous future.
The logic of such groups is that by giving girls a strong foundation, the only place to go from there is up.
The Mohawk Pathways Council of Schenectady, a local Girl Scouts branch, works to show girls that engaging in community awareness and experiences will help them maximize their potential while contributing to the world around them.
Locally, the group gets involved with causes that promote environmental awareness, charities and even support groups like the Gilda Group of Latham, which provides emotional support to cancer victims and their families.
`My daughter Katina has been involved since she was 5, and she is now 10. My grandmother is still active in Girls Scouts, and we have my 4-year-old daughter Adrianna all ready to be enrolled. She can’t wait, it’s been such a great experience for us,` said Marcy Wilday of Schenectady.
Wilday said the experiences will benefit her girls throughout their lives. She said the group meets once a week, and it’s a time she and her girls look forward to.
Other, locally based groups cater to girls as well, including the Albany Girls Club, Inc., or AGC. Many of the organizations work together and provide support and direction for different needs; AGC is part of the United Way and provides after-school programs and summer camps for girls between 6-14.
Like the bigger groups, AGC provides opportunities through educational and recreation. AGC focuses on life skills, self-esteem and positive attitudes.
Some parents say one of the most positive aspects of getting girls involved in such clubs is spending time with their daughters. At Girls Incorporated in Ballston Spa they offer a mother-daughter program that reaches out to 10-13-year-olds.
`At this age programs like this one give moms and daughters an excellent opportunity to spend time together,` said Bordenave.
The numbers of girls enrolling is growing, and according to Girl Scouts Northeastern New York president Jean B. Rogers, in the Capital District there are 15,785 girls involved and 5,853 adult volunteers.
Parents can often learn about such groups through their schools or religious organizations.
The bottom line for these groups is the future is full of endless possibilities for girls today, and they want to offer young women a chance to explore, have the confidence to take risks and evolve.
SIDEBAR: Month highlights women through the ages
By ANN MARIE FRENCH, Contributing writer
Take some time today to acknowledge the women in your life. Valentine’s Day has passed by, Mother’s Day is around the corner, but this month ` March ` is dedicated to acknowledging and appreciating women’s history.
So when you are done thanking the women you know for the impact they have had in your life, give some thought to the women who have come before them. Learn about them, celebrate them, and pass on the information you know to others.
`This is an important opportunity for the general public to recognize women’s legacies and contributions,` said Janell Hobson, an assistant professor of Women’s Studies at the University at Albany.
`What does it mean to have to highlight it?` said Hobson. `Women’s History Month brings recognition and highlights what has been done, but it also recognizes and highlights our marginalization.`
The creation of the monthlong observance of women’s history began in 1980 with the foundation of the National Women’s History Project. According to the organization’s Web site, www.nwhp.org, the foundation began when five southern California women noticed that mention of women’s contributions through history was conspicuously absent from school textbooks, with less than 3 percent of the material devoted to women.
`We convinced Congress and the White House of the need for our nation to celebrate and recognize women’s role in history on an annual basis,` notes the site. `As a result of our efforts, the week of March 8 (International Women’s Day) was officially designated as National Women’s History Week. In 1987, we led the successful campaign to have the entire month of March declared National Women’s History Month.`
The NWHP has grown into a nationwide organization that has created a `national clearinghouse to provide multicultural women’s history information, materials, referrals and strategies. This service also provides easy access to women’s history performers, organizations, museums and historic sites.`
They also establish the theme of the annual observance each March. This year it is `Generations of Women Moving History Forward.`
`In teaching women’s studies, we don’t do enough history,` said Hobson. `We tend to focus on more contemporary issues. We don’t always put our contemporary scenario into a larger historical context. It is very clichE, but if we don’t know where we have been, it’s hard to project where we should be.`
The reality is women have made great strides in all facets of life.
`I think people forget it has only been 82 years since women got the right to vote,` said Christine Moulton, acting director of the National Women’s Hall of Fame, located in Seneca Falls.
`It is a terrific idea to have women’s history month, but really we should be celebrating women’s history and accomplishments all year round,` said Moulton. `Everyone has a mother, sister, daughter or aunt. They need to understand the heritage in that.`
Women’s History Month is not just for women celebrating other women. Men should take note too, said Hanlon.
`I hope they’re paying attention to what forces of strength we’ve been,` she said. `We are half the equation.`
Hanlon and Moulton said that New Yorkers are particularly fortunate to live in a state so rich with women’s history.
Although many recognize the names of Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony and relate them to the women’s suffrage movement, few know the women began their struggle for equality in Seneca Falls.
`Especially living in New York it is important for each of us to recognize and celebrate the history that took place in our own areas,` said Moulton. `New York state was ripe with the women’s movement and women’s reform. We need to be more in touch with women’s history.`
The National Women’s Hall of Fame boasts more than 200 inductees who have influenced the world through their `contributions to the arts, athletics, business, education, government, the humanities, or philanthropy and science.`
The museum displays exhibits and artifacts as well as maintains a research library. Its Web site, www.greatwomen.org, offers detailed biographies of the inductees, as well as a list of additional resources.
Capital District residents do not have to go very far to enjoy a glimpse of women’s history with a number of local historical sites available. The National Register of Historic Places has created a travel itinerary for the New York and Massachusetts area called `Places Where Women Made History.`
Five area sites are listed, including the Emma Willard School in Troy, the Watervliet Shaker Historic District in Colonie, and the Scotia Station Post Office. Two other places in the local area are privately owned and not open to the public. A little further north, in Lake George, is the Wiawaka Holiday House. A handful of historic sites in western Massachusetts are located within reasonable driving distance.
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