A safe place for girls to thrive

"I love being with girls with the same values who I can trust and hang out with, no pressure.”

Girls only spaces are essential because they provide a safe space for girls to voice their concerns and ideas and allow self-expression without fear of social repercussions.

By being exposed to peers and mentors who are confident, capable female leaders, girls are inspired to look at their own capacities in a positive light. Healthy environments that allow peer-to-peer interaction to be positive and seen through an empowering lens support girls in celebrating their strengths.

It often seems today that young women are presented with two socially acceptable options: ascribing to limiting gender roles or rejecting femininity by adopting “masculine” traits. When young women are involved in girls only spaces, such as sports teams, they are given more opportunity to pursue leadership roles, feeling uninhibited and able to use their personal strengths.

Studies of the lives of adolescent girls give us frightening insight into the challenges of today’s teens:

Changes in technology and the relentless marketing of sexuality and of consumer products to ever-younger girls have magnified the challenges. According to a recent study, 8-18 year-olds spend 7½ hours a day using cell phones, laptops, and TV – almost 53 hours a week. With the media's overwhelming emphasis on the physical appearance of a girl's body being marketed to a younger and younger audience, our girls are consumed with an external identification. The technological revolution has changed many aspects of girls’ lives. Not even a decade ago, cyber-bullying, abuse of prescription drugs, and internet porn did not exist as problems facing 12-year old girls.

While girls are encouraged to excel academically and to be outspoken, these dynamics play into the complex questions that girls face as they become young women. During the transitory pre-adolescent and adolescent stages, girls need a strong community and support system to empower them to focus on their inner strengths and individuality. They need an environment that fosters personal expression and the ability to move away from objectification and externalization of their identity. They need a place where they can let their guard down and allow themselves to just be young, idealistic, and just plain happy.

Girls are thirsty for opportunities to explore their lives, to let go of the strong social pressures, and to allow their natural femininity and personality shine. They want to be treated with respect, challenged by critical thinking, and to be in an environment where the pressure to be cool or to gain attention from the opposite gender is temporarily lifted. They want to determine for themselves what it means to be a woman, and they appreciate the support and the opportunity to do so.

Our positive and empowering environment teaches girls the power of community and the ability of Jewish wisdom and practice to foster personal expression, leadership, and strength. Camp is a safe place where girls can be themselves, develop resilience, demonstrate their strengths, and learn from the successful female role models that make up our staff. We give girls opportunities to discover commonalities and celebrate differences, while learning to express themselves in a positive manner and explore their world in safe environment.