Welcome to the section of our website specifically designed for gurls!!! Part of the programming for the Decade for Youth & Development Office is to encourage the empowerment of young women. Our dream is to ensure that all young women in NAN are confident, self-assured, powerful girls who are safe and happy.

Girls are born with the inherent and inalienable rights of all human beings. Yet, beginning at birth and throughout their lives, these girls are violated. They are subjected to exclusion, exploitation and violence based on the simple fact that they are girls. Injustice based on gender happens in families, communities, and at the highest levels of leadership. Treated as inferior and forced to put themselves last, their self-esteem is undermined. All girls need a network of caring adults and positive activities to support them through the challenging journey of adolescence. That's what the Decade Girl Power! program is all about.

photo by Stan Wesley

Girl Power Camps

At the heart of our program is the support of local Girl Power Camps. We would like to encourage committed adults and older girls to host Girl Power camps or run Girl Power clubs in their communities. We have developed a manual of resources and this website to assist you in this endeavour. A Girl Power camp provides young women with an opportunity to come together in a youth and female-centred environment, to address real issues in their lives, to raise awareness, skill build, develop critical thinking skills and together develop action-oriented strategies toward change.

Girl Power Mission

Girl Power camps respond to the needs of girls through the implementation of a youth-driven, community development model. The goals of the Girl Power program are:

- to promote self-esteem and physical, mental and emotional health among young women;

- to prevent violence against women and incidents of sexual harrasment and date rape;

- to eliminate discriminatory barriers based on poverty, gender, ethnicity, race, ability and sexual orientation;

- to offer community links and mentoring

- to prevent body image preoccupation, eating disorders and self-mutiliation.

Girl Power Objectives

- Build self-esteem and confidence among participants

- Raise young women's awareness of issues relevant to their lives (ie. media and body image, systemic barriers related to poverty, violence against women, health, racism and the environment)

- Create action-oriented strategies and coping skills to address these issues individually and collaboratively

- Develop critical thinking skills among young women, to assist in making informed choices

- Illustrate and make concrete links between young women and the community

- To enrich diversity through outreach strategies in schools, the community and other organizations

- To draw energy and commitment to the program through voluntary participation from members of the community

- To define the needs of young women on an ongoing basis through needs assessment tools and focus groups

Camp Activities

Girl Power Camps can take many forms. You can run a one day or a one week camp. You can run an after school program or run an ongoing Girl Power club. Choose the best method to meet the needs of girls in your community. A one day or one week camp program provides young women aged 11-15 years with the opportunity to come together in a supportive, female-centred environment to explore issues relevant to their experiences, gain knowledge, develop critical thinking skills and together discover proactive strategies for coping and change. For the duration of the camp, participants will explore the following topics through creative means of expressions, facilitated discussions and group activities/games:

- Creative Self Expression: arts and crafts, photography, poetry, journaling, celebrating diversity, and creative movement.

- The Earth and Our Bodies: Depiction of women in the media, sexualtiy, the environment, women and sexual health, body image issues, sexual harrassment, gender stereotypes, knowing our limits and boundaries, violence against women, education, rights and self-defence.

- Rekindling the Fire: traditional teachings, the role of women in traditional culture, First Nations history, drumming and cermonies.

- Active Living: Women in sport, physical health, hiking, biking, swimming, wellness, canoeing, self-defence, powwwow dancing.

- Activism; Assertive communication, women and poverty, anti-racism, advertising and consumerism, anti-discrimination, youth for youth in their communities.