Activities for girls is an expression that combines offers of leisure activities and general support for girls. Activities for girls relate closely to policies related to girls: It also aims to support girls in our society to live and shape their future however they wish. Without oppression or violence, without fear and other worries, without being exploited, harassed or controlled by others. Girls should be able to freely develop themselves, they should learn how to discover all their capabilities and qualities, and learn to use them.
That is why there are organizations created especially for girls, in which they are able to meet and get to know other young women. There, they can relax, spend their leisure time, learn things that are important to them and have a lot of fun. These organizations, which promote activities for young women, are environments of protection and opportunity, but most of all they are environments of freedom.
At these organizations, girls can try out many different things and through this discover what they like doing most and in which direction they want to develop further. They can learn how to be more self-confident. They can develop their creativity. They are supported so they can understand their own life conditions and the society in which they grow up. To gain clarity on what their own dreams are. And to develop the skills and self-confidence to help them make their dreams come true. This process involves questions such as: How do I want to live? When am I an adult? What job do I want to have?
These opportunities are also there to help analyze the traditional role models and the assignment of roles. What does that mean? There are a lot of expectations placed on young women; things that they might not be or even want to be. For example, girls should be as “feminine” as possible: Pretty, slim, lovable, gentle, collaborative and selfless. If they think they do not fulfill these expectations, they often suffer and cannot see what strengths, qualities and possibilities they actually have. Often, these expectations of young women are not correct; they are simply inherited expectations from the past which do not correspond to the lives of young women nowadays, and do not take their own wishes and needs into consideration.
It is therefore important to understand that young women can be very different. They find themselves in the most diverse situations of life, they have different origins, different families and religions. They might have very different dreams, needs and abilities. For all of this, there should be room in organizations for girls.