Girls’ Leadership and Development (GLAD) Camp

Over the previous two years, the Margahovit Youth Center has held two successful summer camps for young girls, originally through a Let Girls Learn (LGL) grant from the United States Peace Corps. The purpose of the camp is to address the often overlooked, but important needs of these young girls and help them learn positive ways to cope with stereotypes, anxiety and culturally imposed limitations that have had a negative effect on their daily lives. Due to the success of the initial two Girls’ Leadership and Development (GLAD) Camp, the Margahovit Youth Center is fundraising to implement the camp again, taking lessons and tips from the previous camps, for a different group of participants from Margahovit. The Girls’ Leadership and Development (GLAD) Camp will address several needs by teaching the participants a range of healthy mental, emotional, and physical coping skills to combat stress and by bringing the group closer together in a safe space so that they can form a strong support network going forward.

This year’s camp will be for 15 girls and will be led by community members, Peace Corps Volunteers (PCVs), and outside experts focusing on a range of aspects related to emotional and mental health and leadership skills, including but not limited to: creating a safe space for discussing these issues; healthy expression of emotion; journaling; yoga; strengths finding; personality tests; and leadership styles. The participants from last year’s GLAD Camp meet monthly for a follow-up club, in part to organize monthly seminars for other youth in the village to pass on what they learned during the camp; participants from this version of GLAD will participate in these activities as well. The community of Margahovit will contribute significantly in planning, implementation, and follow-up work. Their goal is to help participants become more mentally and emotionally healthier, equipped with the tools they need to handle the difficulties life throws at them, and thus do good in school and become stronger leaders.