Canton program to empower girls

In March, Democratic state Rep. Kristy Pagan of Canton told a Huffington Post reporter that as a young woman she faces obstacles in the male-dominated Michigan Legislature.

“Things like not recognizing me for questions, not taking my comments seriously ... I do think it has a sexist angle to it,” she told the reporter. “Everyone in our legislature has one vote and everyone has a microphone, and I make sure I use both of them to the best of my abilities.”

So, it’s not surprising that Pagan, 32, supports the start of a new program — Lead #Like a Girl — for a younger generation of women.

“I strongly believe that communities benefit from having women leaders — women bring a unique and valuable perspective to the table, and the earlier we can get girls and women involved in leadership positions, the better off our community will be,” Pagan said.

And that’s essentially the purpose of the program under development by Canton Leisure Services, which operates The B.L.O.C.K — Building Leaders Out of Canton’s Kids — safe, supervised and social after-school programming for teens 11-17.

Lead #Like a Girl is designed to serve a diverse group of at-risk women ages of 11-15 in the suburban Detroit area. The goal is change the way these participants, and the community at large, think about what it means to Lead #Like a Girl — and ultimately live #Like A Girl.

“We have this awesome group of young girls, teens really,” said Jennifer Provenzano, Canton Leisure Services recreation coordinator. “We just started thing about this and it snowballed.”

Ultimately, the program’s goal is to work with girls who join the program by application to understand the possibilities and potential available for them. It will also inform the girls of the myriad of resources in the community to help them on the path to womanhood, said Laura Motiere, recreation specialist.

Gloria Steinem would be proud.

“There should be more women empowered,” Provenzano said. “I think it got quiet for awhile (empowering women) but I also think we are on the edge of a resurgence. We have a woman running for president!”

The idea for the program’s name came from a 2015 Super Bowl ad that inspired a nation to rethink an old adage about what it means to do something #Like A Girl. Formerly an insult, #Like a Girl can redefine the struggle for generations of women who struggle with sexist-related challenges and their self-confidence daily, Provenzano and Motiere said.

The program, targeted to begin in the fall, will focus on leadership, careers, self-esteem and connecting the young women to community resources, such as First Step, an agency from which they could learn about healthy relationships, Motiere said.

The Canton Leisure Services employees are thinking the program could be a new form of Leadership Canton, in which professionals spend a year in leadership training and learning what the community has to offer.

“When I was in high school, most of the student leaders in my class were boys. Thanks to the encouragement of a teacher, I joined student government, but still often felt like an outsider in the boys’ club,” Pagan said. “I got involved in Lead Like a Girl to empower more girls to take on leadership roles in their school and in the Canton community.”

The new program also allows The B.L.O.C.K. to take its programming to a new level. Three motivated professional change makers, in cooperation with dozens of other female powerhouses in Wayne County, have worked to create an interactive and empowering Leadership Development curriculum for local young women.

Collaborators will include Plymouth-Canton Community Schools, the Canton Public Library, First Step domestic violence shelter, WDIV and others.

A pilot group of 15-18 women in Canton, the Plymouths and surrounding areas will be selected through an application process at The B.L.O.C.K. in late summer. Applications will require permission from parents and school administrators for consideration. Programs will be held at various community facilities to increase knowledge of, and exposure to local resources. Participants who complete the nine-month commitment will graduate from the program in front of family and friends celebrating their new understanding of what it really means to Lead #Like a Girl.

#Pagan