Bravery doesn't always look bold. Sometimes it looks like a teenage girl showing up powerfully by sharing where she doesn’t feel brave or powerful – yet.
On April 27 and 28, representatives of the Women’s Leadership Center at Williams Bay met with female students at Big Foot High School and Williams Bay High School for afternoon workshops. The goal was to give these young women an experience of leadership that’s grounded in owning one’s narrative and being willing to have a voice.
The first workshop, at Big Foot High School, built on the theme Courage Creates Confidence. The 25 sophomore, junior, and senior girls who participated started out with Courage BINGO, an icebreaker in which the students earned tokens by honestly answering challenging questions posed by their peers. They also watched a TED talk by Ellen Taaffe, clinical professor and Director of the Women’s Leadership Program at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management, on ways that women unwittingly disempower themselves by pursuing unrealistic expectations. They also heard from Dorrit Bern, former CEO and WLC Advisory Board member, on her leadership experiences running a complex business. By sharing their hopes and fears with one another, the young women came away from the workshop with an increased sense of connection and courage.
The second day’s workshop took place at Williams Bay High School. This time the theme was How Stories Shape Our Success. The WLC team was thrilled to return to WBHS for our third annual workshop as part of our commitment to the community. Once again, Courage BINGO broke the ice, easing students into a workshop centered on owning one’s personal narrative. Next, students heard from Susan Whiting, Board Chair at the National Women's History Museum, as she talked about her career as a former CEO at Nielsen Holdings and what she’s learned about using her voice for good. Whiting also described the Museum's educational campaign, “She Is Not a Footnote,” which spotlights women who’ve shaped American history yet gone unrecognized. After watching a video on speaking powerfully, the students worked on their own communication style. They closed the workshop by sharing openly and vulnerably with each other, learning that one way to face our fears is by asking for help. Every day, they saw, is an opportunity to own one’s narrative and shape it as a story of success.
The WLC team left both workshops feeling affirmed that our work on advancing women’s leadership matters.