What does it mean to empower women to lead and to create space for them to lead in their own way? We asked Dawn Ledbitter, RTC Rovers in Gauteng, how Scouting has empowered her as a woman and leader, and how she hopes to empower the young women who look to her as an example. #Skills4Life
“People think that the things we do in Scouting are for boys, but when it comes down to it, Scouting is about citizenship and leadership. When we see how girls perform in leadership positions it is so inspiring. If I think of myself as a female leader in Scouting it is an incredible privilege to be in a position where I am the person young Scouts look up to. This is why I hold this position with humility and reverence because it is a real responsibility.I keep reminding myself that I need to be an example to other women and girls as they believe in me and trust me to carry their voices and to hold their interests at heart. It also inspires them hopefully to take on leadership positions themselves.
I hope it shows people that it is okay to be a softer leader and that as girls in Scouting we don’t all need to fit the mould of an analytical and engineer-minded tough leader. Through Scouting, I discovered my own leadership style and that my softness and bubbliness and ability to nurture others are also strong leadership traits.
Scouting teaches you that your softness is super strong and not wrong. Scouting has let my authenticity in leadership shine through and has let me make my community better by being me. ”
Quote and 📷Caroline Boshoff, SCOUTS SA Content Creator