How do we build resilient girls? How do you build resiliency in your own life?
Carmen Diaz-Jusino has been with the Center for Women & Enterprise, for the past eight years. She has a diverse array of professional experience – educator, community resources representative, job developer, counselor for teenagers, Spanish interpreter and manager. Diaz-Jusino is also an entrepreneur having started a learning center in her home country, the Dominican Republic. Today she is the director of New Enterprise and WBC, for CWE’s four locations in New England. She holds degrees in Social Studies and Psychology and a Master in Science-Concentration in Organizational Management and Leadership.
photo by Agapao Productions
In today’s world, women of all ages need to develop strengths, learn skills to deal with challenges, recover from hardships, and be prepared for anything that life throw at them. In the media, we are seeing more women trailblazing leadership paths for younger women to take and go beyond gender stereotypes. Hence, we need to stimulate in young girls the need to be resilient in order to succeed in life. Resilience is not an innate skill that has been programmed in our genetic blueprint. Resilience is a skill that can be thought and learned which can propel younger generations of girls into a promising future.
As I reflect at my role as the director of New Enterprise and Women’s Business Center at the Center for Women and Enterprise (CWE), I believe that instilling resiliency in young girls, has an important role in their developing minds and unique personalities. At CWE, we utilize the “4 C’s” (Competence, Confidence, Connections and Capital) to help new and established entrepreneurs learn and strengthen their skillsets. The same core principles can be installed in young girls, however, I would change at this time capital for control.
First, recognize the fact that we are competent enough to handle any situation and empowered to take appropriate decisions. Nurturing competence in young girls will enable them to recognize the ability of handling different and sometimes difficult situations.
Second, building confidence in girls’ abilities to manage all aspects of their lives by letting them know what they do well, recognizing their achievements and helping them overcome challenges.
Third, developing connections is very important in the lives of young girls. It is imperative that we create opportunities for girls to build relationships with professional women who can help shape their confidence, act as role models, and provide support in difficult situations.
Lastly, she must understand that she controls her present goals and future aspirations. Moreover, she must realize that she is in control of her decisions, while seeking advice from others. This is very powerful and will also boost her competence and confidence, too.
In my life, I also practice the “four C’s”, understanding how important it is to be informed, to know my strengths and my challenges in both my professional and personal life. In addition, I have created a support network of people in my life that I can reach out to them when I need a helping hand. As we build resilience in our lives, we are shaping our confidence and we are in control of our destiny.
