Six Girl Empowerment Activities

Girl Empowerment Activities

That Build Confidence and Leadership

Every girl deserves the opportunity to learn, dream, and lead. Around the world, Room to Read’s Girls’ Education Program helps students develop the skills and confidence to shape their own futures and to inspire others along the way.

Through life skills classes, mentorship and peer support, and community engagement, girls in our program learn to think critically, and become leaders in their schools and communities. Whether you’re an educator, mentor, or parent, the following girl empowerment activities can spark similar growth and agency in the girls you support.

1. Goal Setting Vision Boards

Encourage girls to imagine their future by creating a vision board filled with images, quotes, and words that represent their goals. After completing their boards, invite participants to share one goal and identify the first step toward achieving it. This activity promotes self-reflection and planning, which are key life skills taught in our Girls’ Education Program.

2. Empowerment Journals

Invite girls to keep a weekly journal with prompts such as “a moment I felt proud” or “advice I’d give my younger self.” Journaling encourages self-awareness and helps participants recognize their growth over time.

3. Story Circles

In Room to Read’s life skills sessions, girls often practice self-expression and confidence through storytelling. In a “story circle,” each participant shares a personal story about a challenge they have overcome or a dream they have. Listening to one another builds empathy, communication skills, and community.

4. Role-Model Interviews

Have girls identify women they admire in their community such as teachers, health workers, or entrepreneurs, and interview them about their journeys. Presenting what they learn helps girls envision future pathways and see leadership modeled in real life.

5. Financial Literacy Simulations

Provide hypothetical incomes and expenses and ask girls to create a monthly budget. This simple exercise builds financial decision-making skills and demonstrates how economic empowerment can influence future independence. In our program, financial literacy is a crucial.

6. Resilience Reflections

Ask girls to write about a time they faced a setback and how they overcame it. Then, in pairs, they can discuss what helped them persist. In our program, building resilience is essential in helping girls stay in school despite social or economic pressure.