Building camaraderie, instead of competition, among middle-school girls

The Girls Camaraderie Project (GCP) is an organization that hosts FREE one-day workshops with middle-school girls (ages 10-13) that create an experience of acceptance, community and contribution in their lives.

Mission

The mission is simple: to inspire connection, self-awareness, community and a sense of belonging among young girls world-wide, while allowing them to contribute to each other’s growth and empowerment. The goal of GCP is to inspire as many girls as possible, both in the USA and abroad, and to create a community of young women who support each other and feel supported as their truest selves, knowing that they can achieve their dreams without needing to fight their way to the top.  We aim to change their mindset at a young age, so they can experience the benefits of camaraderie, and understand the importance of working together to create a unified world. 

Company Overview

How It Works

1) Girls participate in a FREE workshop (led by female Broadway performers, artists, yoga instructors, therapists, filmmakers and others), in which the girls are invited to reflect, transform, connect, and define what camaraderie means to them. They will be engaged in all types of exercises, including a Drum Circle, Yoga, Imagination exercises, Guided Meditation, Singing together, Creative Writing, Talks about Body Image and Stress Management, Learning about girls who live in other parts of the world, and connecting through creativity – all in a Safe and Encouraging environment.

2) At the end of the workshop, the girls work as a team to create a unique memorable video that serves as a digital keepsake for them to remember their day together, and also becomes a welcome message to the next group of girls who will participate in their own GCP workshop, thus creating a bridge of commonality and contribution among girls who have never met each other.

Intentions of GCP Experience

The workshop engages the girls to:

• Look within and share their hopes and fears
• Awaken their creativity and imagination
• Connect to each other in a meaningful way
• Realize their similarities
• Understand that the desire to be seen and appreciated is universal

Results

• Girls will feel empowered to appreciate each other and support each other in whatever they want to create in their own lives.
• They will know that they can achieve their dreams through supportive means, without needing to fight their way to the top.
• They will experience the benefits of living as one tribe, being young women who are unafraid of each other.

Description

Producers: Arielle Jacobs & Lexi Lawson

General Information

Why It's Important

Middle school girls live through the most challenging times. Dealing with puberty and bodily changes has a hard hit on self-esteem, not to mention the competition that develops between girls when boys enter the picture. Girls can become jealous, isolated, and unsure. However, when girls feel supported and accepted by other girls in their community, they begin to understand and experience the benefits of living as one tribe, unafraid of each other. They know they can achieve their dreams through supportive means, without needing to fight their way to the top.