CONTEXT
The Scott Center Empowerful Girls camp is designed to support second to fourth graders in identifying and articulating through words, art, and collaboration what makes them feel empowered + powerful (empowerful!). With daily themes like education, sports, activism, and agency, campers learn the stories of empowerful female changemakers past and present and take steps to harness their own empowerful strength to support the enactment of Agenda 2030 and the Sustainable Development Goals.
LESSON GOALS:
- Develop familiarity with two specific SDGs: #4 Quality Education and #5 Gender Equality
- Grow awareness around how education, especially for women and girls, is not a given
- Learn the story of a present-day changemaker advocating for girls’ education
- Creatively reflect feelings of empowerment
CONTENT:
- If your students are unfamiliar with the Sustainable Development Goals and you want to do a pre-lesson to introduce the topic, consider watching The World’s Largest Lesson, presented by Malala Yousafzai: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p2hyORs83EE
- Hear from Shabana Basij-Rasikh. We were lucky enough to have Shabana speak to our campers via Zoom! Anyone can hear from her via her 2012 TEDxWomen Talk, “Dare to Educate Afghan Girls”: https://www.ted.com/talks/shabana_basij_rasikh_dare_to_educate_afghan_girls?language=en
EXAMPLE DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
- What did you learn about Shabana’s experience from the video? What questions do you have?
- What was a time you felt scared about doing something important to you? How did you feel when you did that thing?
- What are times when you feel powerful? When have you felt empowered by others’ actions and/or empowered others? What does the word empowerful mean to you?
- How does Shabana exhibit “empowerfulness”?
- In what ways do “quality education” and “gender equality” intersect, in Shabana’s story and in your own learnings and experiences? Why are these things important, to you and to organizations like the UN?
ACTIVITY:
- Shabana shared her story of the education that she was able to bravely receive in the face of danger. Based on the experience Shabana described, as well as the experiences or emotions that you shared during our discussion, draw an empowerful emoji to be included in emoji keyboards around the world. What should it look like? What about the emoji communicates the meaning and feeling of “empowerful”?
