Too many times in my life, I have looked the other way when people in need have crossed my path. I’m trying not to do that anymore. In both large and small ways, I’m looking for opportunities to make life better for people who haven’t had the kind of advantages I have enjoyed. The 1 Girl Project has given me a wonderful opportunity to do just that.

Operating through established after-school programs,1 Girl provides leadership and confidence-building activities to middle-school girls, many of them from disadvantaged households. A typical 1 Girl program might meet for an hour or more, twice a week. Guided by college-age women, the girls participate in interactive exercises, emphasizing the following skills: public speaking, creative problem solving, critical thinking, goal setting, and conflict resolution. Respect for one’s self and others under-girds everything that is done.

I was introduced to 1 Girl by a dynamic young woman named Shelby Kretz, who co-founded the project. I was looking for a group that could use my writing skills in some way, and Shelby suggested that I visit two project sites and see how I could help. I took her advice and was impressed by what I saw. Many 1 Girl students have undeniable leadership potential, but many also face daunting challenges both inside and outside of the classroom. The question is will their leadership potential have the chance to develop.

To help assure that it does, I have been putting together writing exercises that prompt the girls to use one or more of the project’s five core skills. The situations in the exercises are hypothetical but realistic. For example: how would you deal with a neighbor’s unleashed dog that has been ruining your yard and threatening children? What could you do about a dangerous intersection that children must cross to get to school?

In addition to the writing exercises, I have joined the 1 Girl Programming Committee and taken part in the project’s back-to-school fund-raising campaign. I look forward to helping this worthwhile project during the coming school year and beyond. My days of looking the other way are over.