Many different organizations have empowerment programs for women, including grassroots women. However, girls have not traditionally had access to similar attention and programs. And because a person’s belief system is in its critical stage of development during the teenage years, investing even a little in building personality and raising the self-esteem of teenagers can yield big returns in empowering the future of those teenagers. Investing in teenage girls is investing wisely in the future.

The Ophelia Student Leadership Team is a group comprised of juniors and seniors from local high schools that complete leadership training, learn and practice leadership skills and participate in community and Ophelia sponsored events in their school and community. The program is founded on the idea that the most significant factor in bringing about change is recognition of the fact that girls are the key to breaking the cycle of generational poverty.

Training girls in leadership while they are young will ameliorate the challenge of their having to go through a process of unlearning and relearning, which can be challenging, and in some cases, prohibitive. Helping young girls see themselves as leaders, and encouraging them to participate in their communities, helps them build strong self-esteem and learn skills that can be life-changing for them and for the people with whom they interact.

Young girls need encouragement, education, and the skills to lead. Engaging youth in participatory leadership  prepares them for greater opportunities in the future. The program gives girls the chance to engage in respectful communication with their peers, and the experience of collaboration with others, enabling them to see the value of solidarity and cooperation. Most importantly, the program gives them the tools to recognize and appreciate opportunities that may come in the form of challenges, and helps them to realize that nothing is impossible if we work together.

Thoughtful and empowered girls become strong and committed community leaders and effective champions of others.