GLOW program is a 10 month leadership program for 13-16 year old girls living in rural Armenia. The program starts with 7-8 day residential summer school for 50 girls and a number of following up activities throughout the year including GLOW newspapers, peer education activities, small community actions, regional reunions and seminars. Over 500 girls benefit annually from those activities. GLOW topics are leadership, teamwork, volunteerism, gender, health, human rights, career and environment.
The role of women in Armenia especially in rural areas remains traditional. Future female leaders are currently held back by a lack of information and opportunities concerning career options, life options, and leadership development. The extracurricular programs for adolescents, especially with a leadership and civic participation focus, are very few or non-existent in the towns and villages of Armenia. The disparity in gender roles make it more difficult to achieve a truly democratic society.
GLOW offers girls life-changing self-development opportunities, explore issues they are concerned about, learn new skills and tools to enhance their self-development, discover their full potential, become active contributors of our evolving society.
Sustainability and long-term impact are crucial elements of GLOW project. The summer school develops certain skills and attitudes, provides information and knowledge on important topics. The follow up activities allow girls multiply the knowledge through peer education activities and use those skills and information to be responsible and active citizens. The SYC runs the project for 4 years already and the feedback received and results achieved in the lives of individual girls is incredible.
This project has provided additional documentation in a PDF file (projdoc.pdf).