"Am I Good Enough? Yes! I Am!"
Taking positive risks. Moving outside your comfort zone. Imagining yourself in a space that you don't feel you belong in. Falling on your cute nose and having the confidence to take the ride again. Understanding that "failure" is actually important and that rather than running back to your rabbit hole on the couch, embrace it, learn from it, and soar with it. Kicking the "perfect" elephant out of your way and trying new things. These are all really really hard, especially for young girls!
“When girls fail, they tend to internalize it,” says Professor Francesca Borgonovi, author of the largest-ever study of girls and fear of failure. “But when boys fail, they are very comfortable attributing it to circumstances.”
This piece from Lean In Girls on "How to Help Girls Embrace Failure And Take Positive Risks" is a great guide on the ways we can create safe spaces that support and foster every girl's sense of self and confidence so she can know that it is OK to mess up, it is OK to try, to flip the thinking -"what could go right" if you try?
When we do not do this, girls hold onto that elephant-"I am not good enough, smart enough, pretty enough popular enough..." That elephant will literally stop them in their growth and their journey.
We need to empower every girl to know to her core that she can learn from not getting it "right", understand "failure" does not define her, and see this as an opportunity to know "stuff happens" and that she can! move forward and she can! follow her dreams and she can! fly. #thisgirlcanchangetheworld
"I've repeated the same words to myself many times now, through many climbs: 'Am I good enough? Yes I am.'"
~Michelle Obama
History is Happening-100 Days to Show This Girl Can! Vote
With just 100 Days til #ElectionDay What can YOU do?
Even if you are not yet eligible to vote YOU can get involved!
This Girl Can! Use Her Voice
This Girl Can! Help to Register Voters
This Girl Can! Learn About the Issues
This Girl Can! Knock on Doors
and if you are old enough then...YES! This Girl Can! Vote
Learn more About How YOU Can Make a Difference in 2024.
Visit:
@whenweallvote
@rockthevote
@iamavoter
@ignitethevote
@votesaveamerica
@vote411
#ThisGirlCanUseHerVoice
#ThisGirlCanRegistertoVote
#ThisGirlCanHelpRegisterVoters
#ThisGirlCanLearnAboutIssues
#ThisGirlCanKnockonDoors
#ThisGirlCanVote
#ThisGirlCanChangetheWorld
#Election2024
#YourVoiceMatters
This "Daddy's Girl" Can! Change the World
“It’s up to us to say to our daughters, don’t ever let images on TV tell you what you are worth, because I expect you to dream without limit and reach for those goals.”
~Barack Obama
We talk so often about the importance of girls having role models to look to, and to see that there are women who were once girls just like them, who followed their dreams. We want every girl to know about women’s stories from history, to learn about the women who kicked open doors so that now they can walk through and pursue their own paths and kick some of their own doors for other girls to follow.
For every girl, it is equally important for them to know to their core that they have a cheering squad, the people who love them, who believe in them, and who always help them pick themselves up, dust themselves off, and get right back in that race. Sound familiar? If you are lucky enough this cheering section starts with your Dad. For a girl, a Dad can be a hero, but he is also her foundation. Her Dad can be her greatest ally, coach, teacher…Her Dad is the one who slays the dragons under the bed, and the one who instills in her a sense that there is nothing she cannot do and that she can in fact slay her own dragons when she needs to. And when she falls, and she will, he is there to make sure she doesn’t quit.
While ensuring that every girl has access to mentors who can show her the way and help build her confidence we need to be sure that we are also looking to the men and boys in her life. When we talk about gender equity we cannot exclude the men and boys in a girl’s world out of that important conversation. For a girl to believe in her own power she needs to see and to know that the men and boys in her life believe in her too. Knowing they are there for her journey and stand with her as she pushes her walls and grows her confidence is essential to holding on to that confidence as she grows and tests her powers.
A girl’s Dad is also a model, the model of what a man can and should be for her, supporting, listening, encouraging, and loving. Knowing she can try her wings with a safe landing can start with her Dad. Understanding the positive and supporting role a man can, and should have, in her life, begins with her Dad as well. The relationship a daughter has with her Dad helps her to gain a sense of empowerment from the love and encouragement she receives. She will be rooted in the knowledge that she is strong, she is smart and she can do anything! She will carry the confidence to not only use her mind but speak her mind. She will grow to be independent and walk her own path knowing that if she encounters obstacles or roadblocks she can overcome them. This can all start with a Dad, a Dad who knows that every girl can and should have the same opportunities as the boys on the field, a Dad who sets the bar for how girls view the role men will have in her life.
“She did not stand alone, but what stood behind her, the most potent moral force in her life, was the love of her father.”
~ Harper Lee
While every man a girl encounters and interacts with in her journey may not always provide or demonstrate the same attitude and positive support as her Dad, a Dad instills tools of how to handle the nay-sayers. With confidence and a core belief that she belongs in the room, she can handle her own emotions in situations of disrespect and conquer those dragons who want to dismiss her simply because she is a girl.
“Being a daddy’s girl is like having permanent armor for the rest of your life.”
~ Marinela Reka
The term “Daddy’s Girl” very often has negative connotations, but it shouldn’t. It doesn’t matter if you are your Dad’s Princess, that just means he has given you the power to be, to go forward with strength, and confidence, and to believe in your own power to follow your dreams.
A girl’s Dad is the one who leaves his daughter a gift to be opened whenever she needs it, long after he is gone...the gift that she is loved, the gift that there is always someone who believes in her, the gift that helps her stand on her own feet and move forward knowing This Girl Can! Change the World.
Reading with your Dad is a special gift. Visit A Mighty Girl! to find great books about Dads and Daughters.
Why Do We Study Women's History?
“Well behaved women rarely make history”
~ Eleanor Roosevelt
Why do we study women's history? The lives and the stories of women, their role in, and their impact on, our history have mostly been hidden.
We say it all the time, ” We cannot be what we cannot see.” We need to know women's stories, we need to look to them as models, as beacons of inspiration to follow as we build our goals and pursue our dreams. Learning about the lives and experiences of those trailblazing women who defied expectations and often risked their lives to achieve their goals will help us envision who we can become.
History is filled with the stories of women and girls just like YOU! What makes their experiences important? These girls and women found their own way, they defied societal norms and commands, and they bravely and independently pushed down doors, ignorance, harassment, and even threats to their lives and well-being.
Ensuring that every woman's story is heard and respected provides all little girls, and not-so-little girls, with the opportunities to understand and to know they too can realize the power of their dreams because there was someone who came before them who lived a life and showed that Yes! This Girl Can! Change the World.
As we wind down this #WomensHistoryMonth we share our hope that every day EVERY girl will believe that Yes! She can make #HERstory. We are dedicated to celebrating the hidden history of all women every day, not just in March. We cheer the rule-breakers, the trailblazers, the fearless, and the indefatigable who said Yes! #ThisGirlCan! Change the World. Now it is your turn-and we cannot wait to see YOU make HERstory.
Celebrating The Women of Math on Pi Day
Happy #PiDay This may be the birthday of #AlbertEinstein but we are celebrating 3.14 by recognizing the important and transformative role women have had in Math. A huge gender gap still exists for Women and Girls in #Stem and #stemeducation In 2023, women comprised only 28% of the STEM workforce
All the more important to spotlight women who defied expectations and social "norms" to show that Yes! This Girl Can! Change the World.
1. Hypatia (370-415 AD) was an Egyptian mathematician, astronomer, and philosopher. After her father's death, she took up his work and became the world’s leading mathematician, astronomer, and teacher known for her number theory. She is considered the earliest female mathematician. Her teaching was considered pagan and she was killed by a gang of zealots. Her life and work became a beacon for other women to pursue studies despite prejudice.
2. Mary Somerville (1780–1872) was a Scottish mathematician, scientist, geographer, and astronomer. She began to study algebra on her own at 15 in secret because her parents disapproved. It wasn't til after the death of her first husband, who also disapproved of her studies, that she could study mathematics and astronomy openly and won her first medal for her work in 1811. Her work researching celestial mechanics brought her great acclaim. In 1833 Mary Somerville and Caroline Herschel were the first two women to be named honorary members of the Royal Astronomical Society.
3. Ada Lovelace (1815–1852) was encouraged by her mother to study science, logic, and mathematics. She was fascinated by the new machines of the Industrial Revolution. Her mentor was Mary Sommerville who introduced her to Charles Babbage, known for his plans to make giant calculating machines. Ada was excited by his plans for a machine that combined calculating gears with a punchcard system, the components of the modern day computer. Babbage asked her to write an article on the “Analytical Engine” which included what are thought to be many early computer programs, as well as her views on how the machine could be used.. Ada Lovelace’s notes were vital to Alan Turing’s work on the first modern computers in the 1940s. She is considered to be “the first computer programmer.”
4. Euphemia Lofton Haynes (1890–1980) was an American mathematician and educator, She was also the first African American woman to earn her doctorate in mathematics. Euphemia founded the mathematics department at Miner Teacher’s College, an institution in Washington dedicated to training African American teachers, She dedicated her career to battling racial discrimination and pushing down roadblocks to educational access and equity. She co-founded the Catholic Interracial Council of the District of Columbia and received a Pro Ecclesia medal from Pope John XXIII for her work in 1959. Euphemia fought racial segregation in the D.C. school system supporting a lawsuit to desegregate the school system.
Discover more about trailblazing women in Math and STEM and you can get involved in Stem at The National Women’s History Museum and Girls Who Code.
"Invest in Women, Accelerate Progress" #InternationalWomensDay
On this #InternationalWomensDay we celebrate the lives, stories, work, and leadership of the women who blazed so many trails for girls and women all over the world. We honor their work and legacy by committing to advance gender equity, ensuring that EVERY girl can live in safety, unlocking access to education denied to so many, and fulfilling the promise that all girls can live in a world that fosters their potential. It is vital that girls everywhere have access to the education, security, and well-being that will help them grow into amazing women who can change not only their own lives but their neighborhoods, their communities, and … their planet!
We need to commit to opening any door that any girl wants to enter, and guarantee her the future of her choosing with every opportunity possible to realize the power of her dreams because This Girl Can! Change the World! ...and she will.
We honor the work of Girls Opportunity Alliance, UN Women, Room to Read, Razia's Ray of Hope Foundation Foundation, Malala Fund, and all the amazing organizations working to support girls around the globe.
This Girl Can Vote!
This Girl Can! Change the World
is proud to launch our
This Girl Can Vote! Collection
We believe that EVERY girl from the earliest age should be empowered with not only an understanding of #civics but also a strong belief in herself. Every girl should realize the role that she can play-no matter her age- in helping her community, and her country to create change and ensure that democracy thrives to fulfill the promise of equality for all.
This Girl Can! use her voice. She can learn about how government works and why voting matters. She can knock on doors, make phone calls, register voters, organize, rally, take action, support...at any level. This Girl Can! be confident. She can be inspired and inspiring. She can be a leader. This Girl Can! run! starting even in a school or community group election...and She can vote!
Our This Girl Can Vote! Collection was inspired by the 2020 celebration of the 100th Anniversary of the 19th Amendment. Thanks to the courage and determination of so many women over 70 years of protest and perseverance the Constitution was amended to ensure that the right to vote cannot be denied on account of sex. It would be another five decades before the vote was secured for ALL, and the fight continues, but…
This Girl Can Vote!… And She Will!
“People say, what is the sense of our small effort?
They cannot see that we must lay one brick at a time,
take one step at a time.
A pebble cast into a pond causes ripples that spread in all directions. Each one of our thoughts, words and deeds is like that. No one has a right to sit down and feel hopeless.
There is too much work to do.”
~ Dorothy Day
Come view our new collection-
A portion of the proceeds from all our collections goes to supporting organizations around the globe working to promote girls' education, health, security, and freedom.
Be sure to support organizations, such as the ones below, who are working to educate and ensure that we understand and respect the history of the hard-fought right to vote, that every voice is heard, that #votingrights endure and that we empower every girl to believe that Yes! This Girl Can Change the World.
National Women's History Museum. Women's Suffrage National Monument Foundation, She Should Run, When We All Vote, IGNITE National, Smithsonian American Women's History Museum, Rock the Vote, Ruling Our eXperiences (ROX), Girls Inc., National Women's Hall of Fame, She's the First, Girls Opportunity Alliance, Girls Leadership, Lean In Girls
“Voting is the only way to ensure
that your concerns matter—Period.
So when you don’t vote, what you’re really doing
is letting someone else
take power over your own life.”
~ Michelle Obama
Celebrating HERstory Every Day
“Well behaved women rarely make history”
~ Eleanor Roosevelt
It is #WomensHistoryMonth and in this month and every month we share our hope that EVERY girl will believe that Yes! she can make #HERstory
This #WomensHistoryMonth we celebrate the rule-breakers, the trailblazers, the fearless, and the indefatigable who said Yes! #ThisGirlCan!… and She Will! Guess what, history is filled with stories of women and girls just like YOU who made their own way, defied societal expectations and command, and bravely and independently pushed down doors, ignorance, harassment, and even threats to their lives and well-being. Every day we celebrate these women and now it is your turn-and we cannot wait to see YOU make HERstory.
Why do we study women's history? The lives of women and their role in, and impact on, our history has rarely been spotlit. We need to know women's stories, we need to look to them as models, beacons of inspiration to follow as we aspire to our dreams and follow our convictions. We need to learn about their lives and experiences. Their trailblazing paths will show us the way forward. Ensuring that every woman's story is heard and respected provides every little girl, and not so little girl, with the opportunities to understand and to know they can realize the power of their dreams because there was someone who came before them who showed that Yes! This Girl Can! Change the World. So, let’s make HERstory!
#ThisGirlCanChangetheWorld #EveryMonthisWomensHistoryMonth #TheFutureisFemale #BelieveinthePowerofYourDreams
With Hope and Heart for the Girls and Women of Afghanistan
"I will stand by my students and my girls until the last breath I have," ~Razia Jan
On this difficult day, it is hard not to reflect on what 20 years of war have brought. This day is also #WomensEqualityDay and the silver lining from two decades of trauma has been the amazing progress for women and girls' rights, education, and well-being in Afghanistan thanks to the heroic work of extraordinary organizations such as Razia Jan's Razia's Ray of Hope Foundation
Jan told The Patriot Ledger that the education of nearly an entire generation of girls in the region has led to a shift in how women are perceived by themselves, their peers, and men in their communities-
"I have great hope. I think that the last 20 years have made a great difference in the awareness of self-respect, self-care, and being a person of our own for women and girls," she said. "I think it has changed, and men are – in my area – really respecting these girls. They are not selling them, not giving them away, or forcing marriage. These are the things that I see every day and I believe in all of these young women."
To help support the girls and women of Afghanistan with hope and heart visit Razia Jan's Go Fund Me page
Read about the lives of Afghan Women and Girls-A Mighty Girl has a great booklist
You can also support efforts to help women and girls in Afghanistan through Women for Afghan Women
A Girl’s First Cheering Section-Her Dad
“It’s up to us to say to our daughters, don’t ever let images on TV tell you what you are worth, because I expect you to dream without limit and reach for those goals.
”
We talk so often about the importance of girls having role models to look to, to see that there are girls just like them following their dreams, that there are women who are kicking open doors every day so that they can follow them and hopefully kick some of their own doors open.
It is equally important for girls to know to their core that they have a cheering squad, the people who love them, who believe in them, and who always help them to pick themselves up, dust themselves off and get right back in that race. Sound familiar? If you are lucky enough this cheering section starts with your Dad. A Dad for a girl can be a hero, but he is also her foundation. Her Dad can be her greatest ally, her mentor, the one who slays the dragons under the bed, and the one who instills a sense that there is nothing she cannot do. And when she falls, and she will, he is there to make sure she doesn’t quit. A girl’s Dad is also her model, the model of what a man can and should be for her and to her-supporting, listening, encouraging, loving. Knowing she is safe and she feels grounded and nurtured can start with her Dad. Understanding the role a man can and should have in her life, that begins with her Dad too. The relationship a daughter has with her Dad helps her to gain a sense of empowerment from the love and the encouragement she receives. She will be rooted in the knowledge that she is strong, she is smart and she can do anything! She will carry the confidence to not only use her mind but speak her mind. She will grow to be independent and walk her own path without obstacles. This can all start with a Dad.
“She did not stand alone, but what stood behind her, the most potent moral force in her life, was the love of her father.
”
As a girl grows up the support from her Dad and the relationship she has with her Dad, impacts not only her sense of self but also her vision of what her life can be and the expectations for how the men in her life will and should treat her. A Dad is the one who leaves his daughter a gift to be opened whenever she needs it, long after he is gone...the gift that she is loved, the gift that there is always someone who believes in her, the gift that helps her stand on her own feet and take on the world.
The term “Daddy’s Girl” very often has negative connotations, but it shouldn’t. It doesn’t matter if you are your Dad’s Princess, that just means he has given you the power to be, to go forward with strength, and to believe that Yes! This Girl Can!...and she will!
We love these great books to read with your Dad. For more Father /Daughter Book Ideas Visit A Mighty Girl!
“Being a daddy’s girl is like having permanent armor for the rest of your life.”
”