As a community-based non-profit, CASW is beyond familiar with the idea of bolstering underrepresented groups, especially women. And as SYEP season winds down, we’re looking back on one incredible event we attended with our young, female participants: “Your Big Year NYC.” As it sounds, this is an event which focuses on providing young people with the skills to build their own futures; specifically through developing skills toward career-readiness and leadership.
Fostering Female Leadership: How CASW and ‘Your Big Year NYC’ are Shaping Futures
Essentially, the modus-operandi of “Your Big Year NYC” focuses on the UN Sustainable Development Goals which, according to the NGO itself, seek to “achieve a better and more sustainable future for all [1].” These goals focus on matters related to justice, societal advancement, and world peace as it pertains to various nations around the world. When it comes to our participants in particular, these girls are already familiar with being changemakers: this specific cohort is part of “NYCBossedUP #Girlboss,” an all-girls mentorship program that cultivates an entrepreneurial spirit within young women as they prepare to enter into the world of business.
Closing the Leadership Gap
Like we mentioned earlier, we at CASW are ecstatic to help teach the next generation of female leaders and entrepreneurs. For decades, it has long been critiqued that women are underrepresented as leaders in the workforce; according to an article by the American Psychological Association, only 10% of Fortune 500 companies are led by women [2]. This lack of diversity creates a leadership deficit. Studies show that female leaders are more likely to embrace transformational leadership styles; specifically making decisions based on what benefits the collective and inspiring others to go along with the mission, with deeper analyses finding that teams function more effectively under womens’ more collaborative style [2].
We only have more to gain by encouraging future generations of diverse leadership!
[1] “Take Action for the Sustainable Development Goals.” (2024). United Nations. https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/sustainable-development-goals/
[2] Novetney, Amy. “Women leaders make work better. Here’s the science behind how to promote them.” (2024, July 8th). American Psychological Association.
https://www.apa.org/topics/women-girls/female-leaders-make-work-better
