“Our hope is that they will create the changes they want to see in their communities” says Dr. Kristen Ring, head of school at Hutchison School. This Thursday, November 15th, Hutchison will host its third annual Middle School Leadership Workshop for grade 6-8 girls in the Memphis area.
The workshop is created by Hutchison Leads, a nationally recognized development program designed to empower young women to become 21st-century leaders, and funded by a grant from the Assisi Foundation. “Middle school girls are passionate about their worlds and want to be part of the solution to problems they see,” says Kathryn Jasper, director of Hutchison Leads. “We realized that if we started equipping girls earlier with these tools, they could make a difference now and become even stronger changemakers once they reach high school.”
These leadership tools will be taught in two halves over the course of the six-hour workshop through hands-on activities, group work, and discussion. In the morning, the girls will learn about personal leadership, design thinking, and communicating ideas. During the personal leadership session, girls will examine their strengths and beliefs, and explore what they are passionate about. In design thinking, girls will learn how to create authentic responses to the challenges they face in their schools and communities. Lastly, in communicating ideas, the girls will learn how to effectively communicate their ideas and solutions to others. In the afternoon, the girls will be separated into smaller groups where they will discuss and practice what they have learned.
These sessions will be taught by Hutchison Leads staff along with this year’s guest industry leaders Erika Cain, found of Girl 24 Movement, and Lacey Stluka, the co-founder of Be Free Revolution. When asked how they chose the program partners this year, Jasper says, “With a theme of change makers, we considered who was an inspirational changemaker in the greater Memphis community that had a compelling story and who the girls would connect well with.”
Through Girl 24, founded in 2015, Cain has designed a hands-on curriculum that provides guidance on topics such as community leadership, storytelling, philanthropy, and business management. She is dedicated to empowering girls early in life by training them on how to produce a “quality image, business, and overall lifestyle, as she connects with a world full of many ventures.”
Stluka co-founded Be Free Revolution in 2014 to “help others help themselves… by working to relieve hunger, empower men and women, counsel the vulnerable, and teach them tools for success.” Be Free Revolution creates these opportunities through sponsoring children, supporting sustainable trade, and mobilizing mission trips to Kenya. At the heart of the organization is the code: go, lead, serve, and love.
As for workshop benefits, Jasper says that along with “gaining tangible leadership skills,” the ability for girls to work with individuals “from many different walks of life around Memphis gives [them] the opportunity to learn together in a shared space around a common subject, learning more about themselves and each other in the process.”
All 6-8 grade girls were invited to register for the event. Attendees will include girls from Hutchison, ECS, St. Mary’s, New Hope Christian Academy, Memphis Catholic, and others. “There is great value in bringing girls from across the city together to experience their commonalities and learn from one another” says Dr. Ring. “It is about giving them the tools and a voice to shape change around topics that interest them.”
The free workshop will be held at the Salvation Army KROC Center, 800 East Parkway South on November 15th from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. While the capacity has been filled for the 2018 Hutchison Leads Leadership Workshop, the program is offered annually.
Follow this link to read our feature on Hutchison Leads director Kathryn Jasper, who was selected as a Memphis Parent Outstanding Educator earlier this year.