International Girls Day at Old Dominion University

On Sunday, November 16, the Kappa Delta Sorority at Old Dominion University (ODU) hosted over 100 Girl Scouts in grades 6 to 12 from across the region for International Girls Day, an event where girls learned about being healthy media consumers, navigating relationships and building self-confidence. This is the first year that the newly-formed Kappa Delta Sorority at ODU has hosted this event for Girl Scouts.

Baillie and Reid

To start the afternoon of fun and learning, two Girl Scout Ambassadors, Reid and Baillie, shared their own personal leadership story about representing Girl Scouts at the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) in New York City in March. Reid and Baillie were two of four local Girl Scouts chosen to participate in CSW, which is dedicated exclusively to gender equality and the advancement of women. Since their experience at CSW, the girls have been able to share what they learned with fellow Girl Scouts and classmates.

“Being a part of CSW was incredibly empowering,” Reid said. “Although I am a teenager, I feel like I have the ability to make a change in the world.”

Following the CSW presentation, girls rotated through a variety of workshops where they explored ways that women are portrayed in the media, talked about healthy ways to deal with stressors, discussed the values of friendship and more. Girls also made map pendants as they talked about the path to achieving their dreams and reaching their goals. All of the activities came from the Girl Scout National Leadership Journeys, which are designed to help girls discover what they are capable of, connect with others to work as part of a team and take action to make a difference.

“It is important to have International Girls Day to help girls build confidence,” Reem Rana, vice president for community service for Kappa Delta Sorority at ODU, said. “We want to help girls strive for success and look for leadership opportunities in their lives.”

Members of Girl Scout Troop 1708 with Kappa Delta volunteers.

International Girls Day at ODU also gave girls the opportunity to experience a college campus, interact with young women who are academically successful and see the opportunities available to them by attending college.

Nationally, the Kappa Delta Sorority has been working with Girl Scouts since 1998. International Girls Day was created on behalf of the Confidence Coalition, which was founded by Kappa Delta Sorority in 2009 to motivate organizations and individuals to help boost self-esteem and confidence among girls and women.

View more photos from the day here.