Katie L. Dixon Women & Girls Leadership Endowed Fund

Girls Leadership

Dixon Girls Forums

Societal perceptions of leadership tend to exclude women, especially young women. Girls are not encouraged to seek positions of leadership - either formal or informal - and their opportunities for mentoring and support by other girls and women are fewer than those available to boys. Girls continue to struggle with stereotypes that can prove to be serious obstacles to seeking leadership roles, succeeding in those roles, or continuing to set goals related to leadership development during their secondary, college, and post-college careers.

The Dixon Girls Forums were designed to address these issues by providing mentoring, skill development, and encouragement for girls to self-identify as leaders throughout their lives.

The curriculum was developed based on the findings from the Leadership Skills Inventory (Karnes & Chauvin, 2005). According to Karnes & Chauvin, 2005, the skills necessary for leadership development can be classified into nine categories: written communication, speech communication, character building, decision making, group dynamics, problem solving, personal, and planning. The Dixon Girls Forums bring together girl leaders at a school, including those elected to student government, girls who ran for an office and were not elected, girls appointed to or elected to head social or activity clubs, captains of sports teams, and more informal leaders as identified by school administration. The Forums provoke ongoing discussion by the girls, heighten their awareness of what type of leaders they are, and help them identify which skills need improvement.

The Dixon Girls Forums were initially implemented in four Salt Lake area high schools during the 2001-2002 academic year. Based on feedback from the girls who had participated, that they wished they had had the Forums when they were in junior high, the curriculum was modified and in 2005, the Forums were expanded to reach girls in junior high schools. During the 2007-2008 academic year, with the collaboration of students from the Lowell Bennion Community Service Center, the Forums expanded again to include elementary schools, particularly those with diverse populations. Girls in grades four through twelve now have opportunities to participate in Dixon Girls Forums.

Since 2001, the Dixon Girls Forums have been held at the following:

The K.L. Dixon Fund also conducted two Forums with the Girl Scouts of Utah to increase diversity and reach more economically disadvantaged girls.

A consistent theme among the girls at the schools was an interest in finding ways to bring different groups of girls together to overcome "cliques" and exclusion. When multiple Forums are held at a school, girls attend the initial leadership program, including interactive exercises among the girls, and then select subsequent Forum topics from a wide-range of options including:

"Positive Attitude/Positive Action" (for elementary and junior high)

Communication skills - verbal/written
Mission statement - setting goals for the Forums
Outreach to new students - Pen Pal program
Journals for the summer

"What's Cool?" (for high school)

Body image/self-esteem
Being a mentor/support for other younger girls
Outreach to new students
Journals for the summer
"Accepting You – Accepting Me"

Understanding stereotyping
Learning to respect each other
Conflict resolution
Active listening

If you are interested in having a Dixon Girls Forum at your school, or if you would like more information, please email: dixon.forums@socwk.utah.edu