Guide It!

The Guide It portion of our visionary award was to choose a GIRLtopia topic that sparks thinking and guide others through a discussion that will help them become more of a leader or more of a visionary.We each lead a discussion based on a GIRLtopia topic of our choice. We each did a post that reviewed the outcomes of our discussion. We know we wrote a lot of stuff, but we strongly encourage you to read through it all. Just so that you have all of the posts in one place, here are the overviews:

Part A: Confidence
My topic was confidence. Confidence is belief in oneself and one's powers or abilities, according to our GIRLtopia book. However, we think confidence is the full trust appearance one has when given a challenge with others. The last two words are the most important. We discussed others need to be present in order to have confidence. I think of this like you would a conflict in a book. You need a force and an opposing force to have a conflict, right? So, in order to have confidence someone or thing (I am thinking of your mind when I say 'thing') that needs convincing. We used the example of an island. If you are stranded on an island and you come across a problem, you don't have 'confidence', you know your abilities and you have motivation. But if you are missing one of these concepts, then you need to have confidence in yourself (this is where the mind plays in). We decided what gives us confidence, that even faking confidence is okay, because confidence is how you appear, not how you feel (disagree with anything we say? comment below!), that others can build confidence for you by giving you a motive, urging you on, or providing positive feedback, and that confidence is definitely a trait that leaders need to have. We also concluded that the word confidence and confide are related. Remember how I said you need someone to convince in order to have confidence? This could easily be replace with confide. Confidence is the appearance of full trust and to confide is to trust.
~Alison

Part J: Cooperation
My topic was cooperation, which according to the book is working or acting together for a common purpose or benefit. However, I think that although cooperation may be defined as this, this definition is missing something. For something to be considered cooperation, willingness has to be exhibited by both parties; both sides have to want to be working together. Cooperation should be defined as two or more individuals working together for a common purpose, where all involved are willing and ready to help. Synonyms include teamwork, collaboration, assistance, or compromise.
In a truly ideal world, people and all other things would work together through cooperation without question. This is because working with others has multiple benefits. When individuals cooperate, they have a greater benefit for all when working with one another, rather than apart. They will each have less work for each person. The time frame is shorter, and the two separate entities may have different special qualities that are both necessary for their similar goal. And in all of these scenarios, every part has to be willing to cooperate together.
However, these benefits are sometimes overlooked in the human society. Sometimes people think that they are better than others, they have prejudices against certain others, or they just don't get along with some of the people in their group. Although this may seem like a childish thing to say, it really is true. Adults, children, and people in all other stages of life struggle to work together with others.

        Picture from: LINK!

Sometimes, they don't even know why. People sometimes disagree just because they are working for the same goal and want to be better than the other. But usually, that is something that can be overcome; no, it should be overcome. By understanding that it would be more beneficial to work together than to be alone, a lot of misunderstandings have been overcome, and will be overcome. To overcome differences, all leaders need to be able to compromise and cooperate among their fellow workers, as does everyone else around them. These skills help business, life, and anything else to function properly.
Cooperation isn't only seen in human lifestyle and society. It is seen everywhere; in all parts and areas of the universe. It is found inside human body systems (cells), in other organism's lives, and even in the smallest unit of matter, the atom. All pieces of these hold an important part that is fundamental to being successful. That's really the entire point of cooperation. When we work together, we are greater than when we work alone.

~Jillian

Part M: Feminism

Picture from: LINK!

Each of us chose a topic to present to our peers that had to do with what we have learned so far from Girltopia.  I presented feminism.  Feminism, by definition, is the movements and ideas aimed at establishing equal political, social, educational, and economical rights for women throughout the world.  Though it is frequently mistaken for "male-sexism," or the belief that females are superior to males, true feminism merely strives for equal opportunities and equal prospects for both women and men.    Furthermore, feminism is not about trying to make females into males; rather, it is about females doing all that they can to make themselves the best they can be, while still maintaining their feminine attributes.  Throughout history, the “leaders” of feminism have often been middle-class white women, simply because they have the influence and resources necessary to spread their message.  The message of feminism is one of equality, which is an essential lesson to girls and boys today.  Feminism shows by example that it is ok to stick up for your rights, and to fight for equality for all people.
~Margaret


If you have any questions about the topics or you yourself are leading a discussion on one of these topics and you need a jump start, just comment below or email us! We each have joined the blog, so you can find our emails there. The only name that's different is Alison's and her name is AE, but you could have guessed that.