Canadian Women's Foundation Annual Report 2023-2024 - Report - Page 32
COUNT ME IN FOR
BOOSTING CONFIDENCE
Confidence tends to drop in girls between ages
nine and 13. It can be a particularly challenging
phase for girls and gender-diverse young people
who face barriers including racism, colonialism,
ableism, homophobia, and transphobia.
Your support enables tailored programs where
girls and young people from diverse communities
can connect in safer spaces and build self-esteem,
a sense of belonging, and leadership skills through
activities including:
▶
STEM education
▶
Media literacy
▶
Indigenous culture and connection
▶
Sports and physical activity
▶
Mentorship and leadership
Key Impacts:
What Girls’ Fund program
participants* told us:
Program Spotlight: Power
Girls, DIVERSEcity Community
Resources Society, Surrey,
British Columbia
Designed for racialized and newcomer girls,
Power Girls engages participants in handson STEM-related projects like building
robots and coding. Working together, they
navigate language and cultural barriers
and build critical thinking, creativity, and
problem-solving skills while getting exposed
to pathways where diverse women remain
underrepresented.
One Power Girls participant, who was
disengaged with school when she started
the program, clicked with the activities and
said she wanted to become a civil engineer.
“It’s a heartening example of how the
program not only boosts participants’ selfesteem but also empowers them to dream
ambitiously about their future careers,
instilling a sense of purpose and direction.”
– DIVERSEcity Community Resources
Society
99 per cent felt safe
98 per cent felt happy to have a
space just for girls / nonbinary youth
88 per cent made friends
99 per cent felt like the adults in the
program cared about them
*Based on survey responses from 181 program
participants.
Power Girls participants draw themselves as
scientists.
32
