"I asked them, 'How many of you have been called bossy because you wanted to speak your mind or be the leader of the group? How many of you feel like you are not taken as seriously or are interrupted more by your male friends and classmates?' All eighteen girls raised their hands.
A Special Girl Scout Blog post by
Marianna Campagna
Community Programs Coordinator
Girl Scouts of Central Maryland
While every moment shared with the
girls in Girl Scouts of Central Maryland’s community programs is worthwhile and
meaningful, there are some that leave a lasting impression on my heart and the
hearts of others. One of these moments happened recently, when the Girl Scouts
at St. Thomas Aquinas School in Baltimore City gave real-life meaning to the
“Ban Bossy” campaign that has been picking up momentum nationwide.
During our four-week introductory
Girl Scout program, “Get Financially Fit,” girls in grades six through eight
had a chance to learn about entrepreneurship, budgeting, marketing, and sales
techniques, all while discovering potential careers through leadership-building
activities.
I opened up the floor for a
discussion based on talking points from the Ban
Bossy website in order to get a sense of the girls’
own experiences with the word “bossy.”
I asked them, “How many of you have been called bossy because you wanted to speak your
mind or be the leader of the group? How many of you feel like you are not taken
as seriously or are interrupted more by your male friends and classmates?”
All eighteen girls raised their
hand.
While some giggled at first, they
quickly realized that this was not necessarily a good thing. You could feel the
tone in the room change as they recognized this unfortunate societal norm was
something we needed to discuss and do something about. It was one of those
moments when you get that painful knot in the back of your throat as you hold
back tears because you are both hurt and empowered by what you’ve just
experienced.
The good news is that I was
speaking to a room full of lively, passionate, and insightful young Girl Scouts
who shared great ideas on what it means to be a leader. We decided that Beyoncé said it best in her
Ban Bossy video: “I’m not bossy, I’m THE BOSS.”
Using the “I’m a leader because…” posters
given to us by GSUSA and Lean In, the
girls took turns in pairs writing the reasons why they are leaders and posing
for pictures during our mini-photo-shoot. Their answers were incredible, and
hearing their different perspectives on what it means to be a leader was beyond
gratifying.
Some of their answers included:
“I
have a strong will.”
“I
give good advice.”
“I’m
confident and adventurous.”
“I
am artistic and because I think at all times.”
“I
try hard, I’m creative, and I’m an intelligent person.”
“I’m
a friend.”
“I’m
confident!”
I have no doubt in my mind that
these young ladies will become influential women of courage, confidence, and
character, who make the world a better place—both now and in their bright
futures.
For more information on how you can #banbossy and encourage girls to lead, visit www.banbossy.com