Raise Your Hand: Empowering Young Women for Leadership

Raise Your Hand: Empowering Young Women for Leadership Hero Image

Team Members: Cayci Banks, Bill Davis, Dawn Dawson-House, Danny Dorsel, Sarah Ford, Paul Johnston, Melissa Lindler, Maayan Schechter, Allison Sullivan, Phil Wahl

 

 

Raise Your Hand: Empowering Young Women for Leadership

Women in South Carolina make up more than 50% of the state’s population. While women in South Carolina have held the governor’s office once, sat on the Supreme Court three times, and held elected and leadership positions, a gender gap still exists.

For over a year, South Carolina was the only state in the country with an all-male state Supreme Court. On June 5th, 2024, lawmakers elected a woman to the bench, S.C. Court of Appeals Judge Letitia Verdin. She is the third female justice to sit on the high court. No women of color have sat on the state’s Supreme Court.

Though fewer than 30 of the state’s 170 legislators, or about 15.3%, are women and there are only six female senators, more than 200 women have filed to run for the Statehouse and other political office and county seats across South Carolina.

Nationwide, the number of women who hold titles of Fortune 500 executives and board members has increased. But the share of women in top leadership jobs remains below the share of the female population, according to the Pew Research Center. In a 2023 survey, Pew found that 55% of Americans say there are too few women in top executive business positions.

Confidence and passion start young, and it’s no secret that young girls, given the necessary tools and resources, have more doors opened than closed.  Young girls, typically around middle-school-age – a crucial age of self-discovery – may not be aware of the resources offered to them to succeed, nor the connections and opportunities.

Raise Your Hand: Empowering Young Women for Leadership offers vital leadership and self-esteem principles to middle school-age girls, at a pivotal time in their development. This program collaborates with Pee Dee Youth Day in Florence in the summer of 2024, invites dynamic speakers that provide invaluable insights and tools for their leadership journey, and offers journals for expression to help young women define their dreams and set goals for the future.

Project Mission: Bridge the gap between middle-school-aged girls and the resources, tools, and connections necessary for their leadership journey, while empowering young women to realize their full potential in and outside of their communities.

Project objectives:

  • Facilitate connections between young women and women in leadership positions.
  • Boost confidence and a strong self-image in young women and help target their passions.
  • Provide journals for participants to draft their thoughts, goals, and dreams.
  • Elevate Pee Dee’s annual Youth Day.
  • Enrich the lives of young women, who may not be aware of available leadership opportunities.
  • Explain the benefits and impact of women’s involvement in leadership roles.