#internationaldayofthegirl

At a breakfast in support of Crossroads International, I listened to Dr. Vivian Pender describe the cultural norms that hold girls and women back.

I was surprised to learn that even at Harvard Business School while women and men begin their studies with similar grades, by the end women graduate with a lower standing. Why? Well, their research suggests that women curb their leadership in the classroom in fear that they will be negatively viewed for being overly vocal. The brightest minds in business and the leaders of tomorrow are not immune to the cultural norms we continue to place on women and girls, even in North America.

@crossroadsinternational runs Girls' Empowerment Clubs in Swaziland, Ghana and Togo, providing a safe space and support for girls to speak freely and focus on expression and leadership. An important and worthy cause.

Whether you get involved in an organization such as this one or not, we all have girls and young women around us that we can impact each and every day.

Let's focus on the good they do and not the goods they buy, let's celebrate their courage to speak up and not their conformity to play it safe, let's build their leader within and confidence because as Dr. Pender so eloquently said "we must do so for the sake of humanity".

My daughters are 9 and 6 and my nieces are 24, 18 and 2 - today I think of them as I focus on nurturing, supporting and embracing their leadership - this world needs them to stand up, stand out and share the gifts only they can.