By Laura Kavazanjian

In mid-October, I interviewed Stephanie Baric, Senior Technical Advisor in CARE USA’s Basic & Girls Education Unit (and Program Manager for the Power to Lead Alliance).  I asked her about The Power to Lead: A Leadership Model for Adolescent Girls, a paper (launched today) which outlines an approach to developing leadership skills among young adolescent girls in developing nations. 

The model outlined in this paper combines the role of primary school with structured extracurricular activities that build leadership skills for girls, such as voice/assertion, confidence, decision-making, organization and vision.  These skills must be multiplied, however, in order to have a real effect on girls’ leadership development, and this is where the importance of advocacy for girls’ rights, gender equality and the power of transforming gender dynamics comes into play.  The paper concludes that leadership development should be through formal structured activities, increased social networks and participation in civic action.     

LK:  How does this leadership model differ from other programs CARE has implemented that use leadership development?

SB:  This new initiative is different because it is targeting younger adolescents, ages 10-14, it places leadership within the context of education, and it advocates for the rights of girls.  Previously CARE did not necessarily have a holistic approach to leadership development; but this new approach is much more thoughtful, and is structured around what leadership means and will measure the development of leadership competencies. 

LK: The paper first does a literature review of what leadership means and what it entails.  What do you foresee as some of the problems occurring from transferring models of leadership from literature based on developed countries to a new context, the developing world?

SB: Currently, there is very little documented on leadership in developing countries.  While there are different issues between girls’ leadership in developed and developing countries, such as early marriage, there are also many issues that are cross cutting, such as self-esteem and early pregnancy.  This model builds off of a leadership model created by the Girl Scouts of the USA, but the leadership framework is loose enough for country offices to contextualize this framework based on that country’s culture.  For example, self-confidence has different meanings in different countries.  This model provides enough structure to allow for comparative analysis between the 6 countries implementing this program, but is flexible enough to take into account local context.  It looks at how leadership is defined within each country and enacts programs based around that definition of leadership.  However, the framework allows for comparison through monitoring and evaluation between countries.

LK: The paper talks about the importance for girls of critical reflections done in the presence of caring adults.  How is CARE helping to ensure that these caring/supportive adults are in place?

SB: CARE is working with local NGOs to help build capacity and ensure that supportive adults and safe spaces for girls to collaborate are in place.

LK:  This paper places leadership development within the context of primary school.  In many areas of the world, girls have limited access to formal schooling.  How will this approach help those girls?

SB:  CARE’s approach is to help get marginalized girls that are out of school into primary school or post-primary options.  CARE is running many programs in order to achieve this.  Once these girls have access to school, the first step, they then can simultaneously participate in leadership development.  However, the first step is to get these girls enrolled in primary education.  This leadership model helps highlight the importance of primary education for girls and works through this framework.

LK:   The paper talks about how opportunities for civic engagement are important to help motivate girls towards leadership.  What if citizenship is not an accepted cultural norm in the country where this model is being implemented?

SB:  Citizenship is broadly defined here.  We are introducing concepts of citizenship and aim to get girls involved in the development process and to enable them to think critically.  Participating in civic activities can mean girls working as a group to solve a common problem that is affecting them as a community.  It involves the concepts of critical thinking, defining issues, and thinking of creative ways to collectively solve these issues.  

LK:  How do you foresee this approach being implemented?  Please give an example of what this would look like on the ground in a developing country.

SB:  In Tanzania, it includes scouting.  In Malawi, it involves HIV/AIDS clubs and peer campaigns that raise awareness.  In Honduras, it includes the development of social networks where girls can talk about life challenges such as sexual abuse in a safe space.  Each country has developed its own unique approach based on cultural factors.

LK:  What do you foresee as some of the biggest challenges to successfully implementing this program?

SB:   The biggest issue is around mobility.  It is often hard for parents and communities to give girls the space to participate.  Girls have many constraints on their time and often have chores and responsibilities that they are expected to complete when they are not in school.  In many cultures, boys do not have these extra responsibilities, and communities do not have the same expectations or demands on their time.  Due to these extra responsibilities, it is often hard for parents to allow girls the space and time after school to participate in leadership activities.  A second challenge includes ensuring gender stereotypes are not reinforced.   A large portion of this framework includes leadership skills development through interactions with boys and the community at large.  It is expected that girls can build their leadership skills through diverse extracurricular activities and through participation in civic activities.  These require girls to work with boys, and in order to ensure that typical gender stereotypes are not reinforced, this program needs to assist boys in allowing girls to exhibit their leadership skills including challenging traditional gender norms and attitudes.  This is another challenge to this framework.

Laura Kavazanjian is a Masters Candidate in the International Education Policy program at the Harvard Graduate School of Education.