Boarding Schools for Girls

A California sorority has created a program to help boost the self-esteem and achievement potential of adolescent girls. According to a Feb. 17 article by Jennie Rodriguez of recordnet.com, the sorority women are working with students in Stockton, Calif.:

Members of the Gamma Alpha Omega sorority at University of the Pacific started the program, White Roses, last year to help adolescent girls with educational and personal issues that may put them at risk of one day dropping out of high school.

Sorority members collaborated with Stockton Unified School District teachers to create a curriculum that's aimed at helping the girls become well-rounded. It entails leadership workshops, tutoring, mentorship and community service.

This year, the sorority is concentrating on Cleveland School.

For 13-year-old Ariel Raquel, the one-on-one attention she receives from the sorority sisters allows her to communicate her needs better. "They actually helped me a lot, especially with homework," said Raquel, an eighth-grade student.

Labels: mentoring, girls education

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During a March 13 interview with Katie Couric during The Daily Beast's "Women in the World" conference in New York, Her Majesty Queen Rania Al Abdullah of Jordan described 2010 as an essential year in the effort to educate girls and young women.

A March 13 cbsnews.com post by Alex Sundby provided the following details about the queen's dedication to educating girls:

"I really do think this is a do-or-die year, and I don't mean that metaphorically; education really can mean life or death," Queen Rania told Couric, according to The Daily Beast.

Without a major initiative to educate the 600 million girls in the developing world, they are condemned to lives of poverty and disease, Queen Rania told Couric.

"Educating a girl is probably the highest returning investment that a country can make," the queen said.

Labels: girls education

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In an effort to enlist American students in the effort to increase girls educational opportunities throughout the world, Girls Learn International, Inc. (GLI) partners U.S. schools with schools in developing nations.

According to the programs website, GLI was established to accomplish the following objectives:

• Promote cross-cultural understanding and communication;
• Give girls the opportunity to explore issues affecting other girls in the context of global human rights.
• Train girls to be leaders and advocates for positive social change

The website reports that GLI "supports the empowerment of American students as they discover that through their own creative initiatives, dedication and passionate leadership, students can create real solutions that address the obstacles facing girls and women in developing countries and be leaders in the movement to affect positive change for girls and women worldwide."

The program has chapters in 47 U.S. middle schools and high schools and 27 partner schools in developing nations.

Labels: girls education, international

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