African Impacts Girl Impact volunteer, Alison Vorsatz, has once again been working on the nursery project. Alison explains the importance of how gender equality needs to begin from a young age. One of the weeks themes was all about breaking out of the box and making the children realise they can dream to have a career in whatever they would like, it doesnt have to be decided according to their sex.
“One of the major initiatives African Impact focuses on in their Girl Impact Program is breaking down gender stereotypes and empowering girls to create their own path. Children begin internalizing gender roles as early as 3 years old, so nursery school is the necessary time to introduce gender equality.
Around the world, girls are taught to grow up to be respectful, loving wives and mothers, and our value is placed on our beauty and our ability to maintain a home and family. If we choose to work, our culture has provided the perceived acceptable jobs for our gender. For the courageous women that go outside the box, there can be judgment and repercussions, creating fear and self doubt in women everywhere.
So what would happen if we could rewind the clock to nursery school and break the box we put our girls in?
One of the lessons at Shinners Nursery was on professions, and the art project was for the kids to draw their future selves in their career. We told them they could be anything they wanted to be when they grow up. We encouraged the girls to pick their professions first, and as they enthusiastically and definitively chose, we supported and praised each of their decisions.
And this is what happened..
Our girls drew pictures of themselves as doctors, pilots, architects, police officers, chefs and business owners. They showed me their drawings with so much excitement as they proclaimed what they wanted to be.
Boys called me over to proudly show me pictures of them as nurses, teachers, and tailors sewing clothes. One boy even drew the three children he wanted. Breaking gender stereotypes helps more than just girls – it encourages everyone to be who they want to be. Educating girls allows them the opportunity to learn so many important things. But if we do this right, if we can break the box, our little girls will learn more than reading, writing and arithmetic.
Because today in school, our little girls learned to dream.”