Build a girl leader

Girls' Media Initiative
Throughout 2015 and 16 we explored other avenues for moving ideas, information and news to all the Colorful Girls groups as a way of increasing knowledge and the confidence to voice opinions and make decisions. We are testing out various media formats that provide girls with content outside of the forum of our weekly programs and special events. We conducted research on reading habits and access girls have to written materials – books, magazines, newspapers and the internet. Not surprisingly, they have very little access and in the sample group, only one book read by the girls was directed towards adolescent girl readers. Girls often don't have anything to read apart from school books or books and magazines for adults, so not much that peaks their interest. 

Girls meet in their Colorful Girls Circles every week and in some communities they have a circle and a sports session every week, but between sessions, there is limited contact. The publication of the magazine, "The Pollinator," gives the girls more opportunity to connect with wider conversations on health, choices, politics and education. The magazine concepts and content were developed by a committee of girls both current and past Circles participants. Most of the articles were written by Circles involved in our programs and a few were written by staff according to girls' requests. The Pollinator is going to be a great format for growing girls' connection with one another across the country, transmitting new ideas, introducing new project activities and, of course, inspiring budding journalists and writers. 

Thank you for being a part of providing great opportunities for the girls and continuing to build off the experiences from participating in the Colorful Girls Circles.

Pen

Links:

• http://www.girldetermined.org

Hello dearest friends and supporters,
 
As the hot season comes to an end we prepare for the next intake of girls into our weekly Colorful Girls Circles. We expect over 1000 new girls to enroll when school starts in June. Yay! Welcome. Grow strong. To understand more about how our program affect girls please read the beautiful account below prepared by a courageous and bright girl, Zar Zar, who is just after completing our two-year leadership CG circles. Please consider the impact that our sustained, two-year programs have on the lives of girls, and, more importantly, how, especially when bound together by this girl community, these girls can move change in their villages, towns and nation.  
  
Thanks for your ongoing support! In June we start enrollments for Colorful Girls Circles and can use your help to ensure that we can reach at least two new communities this year, which will be an additional 200 girls in the program. Just $60 supports a girl, and for $1000 you can support an entire circle for a whole year. Use the donate button below and contribute to these rad girls.
 
Look forward to more news from us now that we got this rolling.
 
Warmest wishes form Yangon,
Brooke
 

"Now I feel equal." - Zar Zar 
See how girls gain voice, insight and confidence through participation.

Below is an account by Zar Zar.  Zar Zar is fifteen years old and active participant in our weekly girls leadership and rights program, Colorful Girls Circle.  Zar Zar is completing her second year of the program and has also been active in our girls’ sports program, which compounds the life skills and leadership learning from the girls’ circles through structured, sport development.  Starting in June, Zar Zar will enter the 10^th grade.  This past year there were 12 boys in her class and just 7 girls.  She is the youngest in her family and has three siblings.  Her household relies on earnings from her parents’ farm where they work together to grow rice and sesame seeds throughout the year.

I have always felt that as girl, we were discriminated against in many ways, then our teachers introduced us to Girl Determined’s programs. We were all eager to join.As a result, I have grown comfortable sharing my feelings knowing that my words will be kept confidential in the group. Being considered a child, it is always difficult to express how we feel to adults so I like having a space to express my feelings. I learned about different issues teenagers face including in relationships and with regards to sex. I also learned various ways of relaxation as well as how to listen to  others carefully. We learned how to use sanitary pads when menstruation happens and that it is OK to discuss menstruation, puberty and sex with our sisters or other older girls. We did an activity where we were asked to stand at different corners of agreement - certain, surely certain, uncertain - and the facilitator asked us to imagine being in a relationship, and what we would do if our boyfriend asked us to have sex when we were alone. Facilitators explained to us that we should think carefully and in most cases, it is the girl who suffers from the consequences after having sex; that in a relationship, we are not owned by anyone but if we were to get married then those boys might try to own us.  We don’t want to lose ourselves because of sex or early marriage.

I think in the West, there is no significant discrimination between boys and girls; both can live freely. In our country, girls face of discrimination and violence - sexual, physical and emotional violence, economical and educational violence.  Our society starts discriminating from a young age; giving us dolls while boys are given balls and toy cars. They were encouraged to play but we were not. Certain tasks are assigned as boys’ and girls’; boys can do heavy labor, but girls can only carry water buckets at most. If boys wear short pants it is fine but when girls try to wear shorts or even skirts, parents don’t like that and encourage us to wear traditional longyi (sarong). It is easy for boys while there are some concerns if girls play sports. But, our head monk supports the Girl Determined sports and leadership sessions and encourages us to play and wear appropriate clothing.  Now we play freely. Because most of the time boys are playing sports, they seem physically fit and active. Since we started to play sports too, I realized that I feel capable, fit and active and I feel equal.

After two years of participating in Colorful Girls Circles, I came to understand better those things that I want and don’t want in my life. I am the only person who can make these happen or who can stop them. I most value being able to say ‘no’ to things I don’t like and work on what I want to become. I trained myself to speak up, to stand up and to try to take action with careful thoughts unlike in the past. Another thing I learned is to respect others regardless of their age or social status; teachers and elders will have more experiences, some friends might be more knowledgeable on matters that I am not aware of, some younger people will probably do better than me. I am now aware of interacting in a respectful way with my friends and to learn from younger people if they know something that I don’t. These changes and my current attitudes are very important to me. If we are to survive in this society, we have to learn to adapt and to not discriminate against those who are different from us. There will always be a place that we are not familiar with and I believe we will do well if we adapt and are able to use respect and understanding.

I intend to apply all the things that I have learned and all the changes I have seen in myself, in building my future. Wherever I go, I will pay attention to my environment. I will try to listen to what others have to say. I will try to react in a calm manner with aggressive people and always remember to behave thoughtfully.

I don’t agree with the common Burmese saying, “A fine woman remains silent and doesn’t talk much”. A woman has to speak up if she has things to say. If I was to become a leader of a group one day and didn’t speak up for the betterment of my team, I think the group would soon be left behind. We wouldn’t be able to compete with others. In today’s world, we are going to have to travel to other places, meet different people and communicate with them so we need to talk and be able to talk. If we can’t express what we want, we will not achieve much.

Links:

• See GD website for more about girls in Myanmar.