Grammar Gazette- Issue 2, 2007

On the World Stage

Educating Girls for a World of Opportunity During the first week of the June–July holidays I was fortunate enough to attend the National Coalition of Girls School (NCGS) conference in Baltimore, USA together with one of our Year 12 students, Antonia Morris. The conference brought together education leaders and experts from around the world and represented a significant international gathering of educators of girls. The theme was “Educating Girls for A World of Opportunity.”

The NCGS is a United States Association of girls’ schools which works to research and document the unique qualities of an all girls’ education. Here I had the opportunity, together with ten other girls from Canada, New Zealand, the UK and America, to hear from a variety of interesting speakers, participate in exciting activities and of course make friends with girls from around the world. Two speakers were of particular interest to me. The first was keynote speaker Ms Parry Aftab, an internet privacy attorney and founder and CEO of wiredSafety.org, the world’s largest internet safety organisation. Ms Aftab spoke to us about the dangers of using social networking sites such as MySpace and Facebook. Ms Aftab realises that there is no way to stop teenagers using these sites and has therefore developed groups of teenagers in schools throughout the world called A Student’s Perspective The NCGS is affiliated with the Alliance of Girls Schools, Australasia and the equivalent organisations in Canada, UK and South Africa. Eleven students were also invited to the conference, participating in a specific programme designed for them. Antonia Morris (12W) represented Australia and acquitted herself particularly well in the student forum held on the final day of the conference. From my own perspective the conference was enlightening on a range of topics and provided me with an insight into

Teen Angels . The Teen Angels are trained in internet safety and act within their schools and communities to inform other teens of the ways in which they can be safe on the internet. We were fortunate enough to speak to the Teen Angels and hear about the research they had done on internet safety. Another speaker who was of particular interest was Ms Ann Cotton, founder and president of CAMFED International. CAMFED is an organisation dedicated to fighting AIDS and poverty in some of the poorest areas of Africa, including Ghana, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe, and does so by educating girls who would otherwise not receive an education. Ann Cotton’s project has educated over 300,000 girls in the last 14 years. As the conference was held at the Roland Park Country School I also learnt about some of the differences between an American school and Australian schools. the environment needed for girls to succeed and develop intellectually, emotionally and physically. One of the most significant factors is that students at single sex schools are better able to separate academic and social concerns. 1 The issues highlighted at the conference also reinforced the value of the approach we take to education at Brisbane Girls the workings of girls’ schools around the globe. It confirmed my beliefs about the benefits of an all girls’ education for girls. Evidence, both anecdotal and research based supports the idea that girls’ schools are better able to create

Grammar School. By empowering young women through building their resilience, providing them with opportunities to experience personal success and helping them to preserve their sense of worth in times of difficulty we are giving them the tools to achieve their potential in a wide range of contexts. Antonia’s article (below) summarises the key points of interest from the conference from a

student’s perspective. Ms Samantha Bolton, Head of Woolcock House

Reference: 1 Lee,V.E & Bryk, A.S. (1986). Effects of single sex secondary schools on student achievement and attitudes, Journal of Educational Psychology 78(5) , pp. 381-395.

What particularly caught my attention was the recognition and celebration of diversity within Roland Park. Amongst a number of co-curricular clubs were the Black Appreciation Society, the Asian Awareness Club, and the Jewish Heritage Club. At the other end of the spectrum were the Trivial Pursuit Appreciation Society and the lunch time Dance Party Club, both of which were initiated by my host in Baltimore, Lucy Scholz. My four days in Baltimore were an amazing experience. I had the opportunity to listen to speakers who had recognised areas in which girls needed help. They had then, of their own accord, initiated organisations to help these girls, no matter where they were in the world. It opened my eyes and made me realise how privileged I am to attend an all girls school. Antonia Morris, Year 12

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