The JA Girls in Leadership Camp program teaches young girls aged 14-19 how to develop life plans, earn their own incomes, become professional women, live healthily and prepare for leadership at work. Over a 3 day period, 200 girls are coached by accomplished professional women on how to become leaders in their communities. Graduates of JA's entrepreneurship programs learn the hard and soft skills to be executive managers in the companies they establish from women who have experienced the climb.
Although women in Uganda are academically on par with men, there remains a significant gender disparity at senior and executive management levels. Women are under-represented in positions of leadership across many sectors. Socio-cultural circumstance discourage girls from assuming leadership positions in organizations. JA believes that leadership camps such as this can empower girls to visualize leadership and equip them with the tools they need to carve a place for themselves at higher levels.
JA Leadership Camps convene professional women with young girls to exchange knowledge and ideas, showing them what it takes to be leaders and encouraging them to pursue higher positions at work. By exposing girls to leadership at a young age we believe we prepare them to be comfortable in those roles later in their careers. By exposing young boys to women leaders we also make them comfortable with the notion. Participants gain visibility into the challenges and opportunities of leadership.
This project will empower and encourage over 200 girls each year to become leaders in their workplaces. Long term, we hope to incubate a cohort of girls who are actively engaged in their communities. Evidence indicates that communities and countries benefit at micro and macro levels when there is greater gender parity. JA believes that establishing the foundation for this parity begins at youth. Changing the status quo of women's involvement and agency can effect change on a larger scale.
