Last week marked the beginning of our Fall Cycle of programming. The first week of a cycle is always crazy, and this one was no exception. Amidst the hectic rush of running from site to site, the thing that really kept me going was the joy of seeing the girls in our programs. I always enjoy seeing them interact with each other and our volunteers, and seeing the light bulbs go off in their heads when they see the connection between the fun activities they just did and the overall themes of a program. I’ve also found that we can often learn as much from them as they can learn from us.

During a Work it Out program for a group of 6-8 year old girls at Clinton Young Elementary, I observed as the girls did an activity where each girl decorated a brightly colored rectangular piece of construction paper with her name as well as things that make someone a good friend. Then, the girls presented their sheet and made a promise about how they were going to be good friends during the program. For example, some girls promised to share, some promised to be nice, some promised to be honest, and some promised to play with others.

One girl’s promise particularly stood out to me: “I promise to open up and be goofy and not be so tied up.” When I first heard her say this, I thought it was kind of funny to hear this third grader saying she promised not to be so uptight. Upon further reflection, I realized that maybe she was onto something. After all, I’ve found that my own friendships work better when I open up, act silly, and just be myself instead of being uptight.

This girl’s words also reminded me that although we spend a lot of time focusing on what we need to tell girls in order to inspire them to be strong, smart, and bold, another really important piece of that inspiration equation includes just listening to what the girls have to say. From the insightful (“I believe bold is a synonym for brave.”—an 8 year old girl from Central Elementary’s Work it Out 6-8 program) to the silly (“You’re a pumpkin seed!”—a 9 year old girl from C.A.F.E’s Work it Out 9-11 program), listening to the girls lets them know you care about them and what they have to say. And by listening to the girls, you’ll be inspired too!