Part of the support that Pamela and her team at All Roads 65 Max is providing young girls and women with leadership skills. Some of these skills may be taught at school but not to the full extent that they should be.

Young women experience discrimination based both on gender and on age. In particular, critical gaps in funding and resources for education, skills development and mentorship impact the ability of young women to realize their full potential as leaders.

The UN says “We know that investing in young women’s leadership will not only change the trajectory of their future but that of their communities as well.”

The Benefits of Leadership Skills

Leadership is the result of confidence, resilience, knowledge, wisdom, and the guts to step up to the opportunity. For many of the young girls that All Roads help are not learning about these skills. They may be from a broken home where unfortunately they are not receiving support, are homeless or may even be in Juvenile Detention Centres across the country.

For young women, leadership skills begin at home. The home is a girl’s first exposure to justice and injustice. How she is taught to react and respond to family dynamics can greatly impact her confidence and her ability to trust herself and others.  Family dynamics often cannot be predicted or controlled. It is up to parents to instil basic confidence by addressing injustice within their own lives and the lives of their daughters.

Adolescence is an important time for leadership growth. Increasing leadership in adolescence can reinforce self-esteem and be a catalyst for flourishing adulthood. Yet many adolescents are never offered the chance to act as leaders, and adult leadership models are often inappropriate for teens that have unique developmental needs (Linden & Fertman, 1998).

Why Should Young Women Have to Choose

From a young age, girls are groomed to start thinking about if they want a career OR a family. Teaching business empowers girls to realize that juggling is really just part of life, so it never has to be an either/or situation.

Young people in today’s schools will be the next generation of leaders in the workplace, in our communities and in their families.  Because genuine leadership opportunities support transition into adulthood, foster the skills and character to be responsible citizens and promote social and emotional well-being. Understanding the process involved in leading oneself and others enables young people to be confident in their roles and to navigate their own path.

The theme for this year’s International Day of the Girl, “My voice, our equal future”, is highlighting how girls everywhere are leading the way in creating the world we all want and deserve. Girls – their rights, voices, talent and dreams – are the foundation of the world we want.

The world needs as many female leaders as we can nurture

Recently we saw history being made in America. Not only do they now have a female vice president but a black female vice president. Having a leader like that in 2020 and in America is one for the record books. Kamala Harris’ leadership skills will prove to young black girls that they can do anything they want and they can be a leader with power.

Kamala Harris’ victory speech was powerful and one that not only women will remember but men as well. “While I may be the first woman in this office, I won’t be the last,” said Harris. “Because every little girl watching tonight sees that this is a country of possibilities.

Harris said “To the children of our country, regardless of your gender, our country has sent you a clear message: Dream with ambition, lead with conviction, and see yourself in a way that others might not see you, simply because they’ve never seen it before. And we will applaud you every step of the way.”

This kind of raw power, positivity and determination lets young girls and women know, that with the right skills, particularly leadership skills that they can achieve all their dreams and goals and live the life that they want.

If you wish to donate to All Roads 65 Max so Pamela and her team can continue their powerful work with young girls and women then please click here Donate or head to Guidestar.org