Ban Bossy - Lead Like a Girl

I want to point you to this initiative. It is Ban Bossy.

Their head liner is

When a little boy asserts himself, he's called a “leader.” Yet when a little girl does the same, she risks being branded “bossy.” Words like bossy send a message: don't raise your hand or speak up. By middle school, girls are less interested in leading than boys—a trend that continues into adulthood. Together we can encourage girls to lead.

Girls in the lead was the girlguiding strapline until very recently when we became 'We Discover, We Grow'. But  we are still totally about helping girls find their own voice, realise their true potential and not be held back by perceived constraints from society.  And this is where Ban Bossy starts.

There is a great resource to help Girl Scout leaders (and that's us Guiders!!)  because

The girl with the courage to raise her hand becomes
the woman with the confidence to assert herself at
work. 

I'm taking tip 6 "Encourage Girls to Speak Up" to do at Rangers:

Divide the girls into pairs. Have each pair designate
an “A” and “B” person, and give each pair a tennis
ball. Ask A’s to throw the ball and say a word that
names something they’re interested in—say, dogs or
music or cooking. When B catches the ball, she has
to throw it back and ask a question about that word.
It could be anything, like “What’s your favorite breed
of dog?” or “Who’s your favorite artist?” After a few
times, switch the A and B roles. This exercise works
particularly well for an opening ceremony for a Girl
Scout meeting. It warms girls up and challenges them
to develop the capacity to think on their feet and ask
questions. BONUS EXERCISE: Try the same
activity, but ask the girls to express an opinion
about the word instead of asking a question about it.

If you are a leader go and have a look at this resource, it has some useful things in it.  There are also resources for girls, parents, teachers and managers linked off the home page.

and if you haven't seen this yet, you should :