Pathways
to Politics:
CAWP Partners with Girl Scouts of Central and Southern New Jersey
Pathways to Politics 2008
Pathways to Politics will be offered again from July 7 to 18, 2008. Girls who have completed 10th or 11th grade are eligible to participate. For more information, visit www.gscsnj.org.
Pathways to Politics 2006
In July 2006, CAWP hosted the second Pathways to Politics, a two-week Destinations workshop for teen-age Girl Scouts from across the country. Once again working with Girl Scouts of Delaware Raritan, we welcomed girls from a dozen states, who lived in a dormitory on the Douglass College campus.
While many programs tell high school girls that they can be leaders and encourage them to consider careers in business or the professions, there are few opportunities for girls to envision themselves as public leaders or to consider why it is so important for them to become active, engaged citizens. Pathways to Politics instills in young women a sense of themselves as the leaders of tomorrow, especially in the worlds of government, politics, and advocacy.
Over the two weeks, the girls:
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Met elected and appointed officials and activists who are shaping their communities and practicing leadership through action. The girls enjoyed a White House visit and special briefing by top staffers in the Indian Treaty Room, as well as a day on Capitol Hill during which they met with a senator and seven House members. They also toured the U.N. and met with representatives of the U.S. Mission there. A visit to Philadelphia included stops at the National Constitution Center, the Liberty Bell, Independence Hall, and City Hall, where they met with a local councilwoman; |
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Examined the demands of leadership in a diverse society, engaging in a workshop where they assessed their own experiences and expectations about differences among people; |
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Learned about the roles of women in politics, from the past to the present. Each girl made a presentation about a political woman from her home state; |
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Participated in lively discussions and leadership exercises. A highlight was an afternoon in the Assembly Chamber in the Trenton State House where, under the leadership of a New Jersey Assemblywoman and the Clerk of the Assembly, they debated and voted on actual bills about issues important to teens; |
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Enjoyed recreational activities including exploration of New York City and Washington DC, a day at the Jersey Shore, and a picnic with local Scouts. |
Pathways to Politics 2004
In 2004, Girl Scouts from twenty-one states and as far away as France and Japan came to the Douglass College campus at Rutgers to participate in Pathways to Politics. This summer marked the program’s first year and CAWP’s first partnership with the Girl Scouts of Delaware-Raritan to reach a high-school age audience. Support for Pathways to Politics in 2004 came from the Prudential Foundation and from the Bonner Foundation, which made it possible to staff the program with an AmeriCorps member.
