An invaluable guide to cultivating powerful, compassionate young women by nurturing confidence, identity, and a passion for justice. Girls and young women today need strong role models, mentors, and care providers to foster what society often undermines: a positive self-identity, critical thinking skills to navigate media influences, and a sense of belonging in a supportive community where girls and women uplift each other. In Powerful Girls: Raising Strong, Just, and Compassionate Young Women, Ann Muno identifies the crucial pieces of knowledge necessary to raise confident girls in a society that's often working against them. She examines the sexism, racism, and privilege that impact girls every day and shares innovative methods to teach basic concepts such as healthy girl culture, choice, identity, and leadership. In addition, Muno equips readers with strategies to help girls recognize their inherent worth, navigate societal pressures, and become change-makers. Through a wealth of stories, studies, and activities, Powerful Girls dives into the challenges girls face, identifies where their power diminishes, and reveals how they can reclaim their agency and confidence. By fostering a healthier culture where girls thrive, it paves the way for them to reshape the world.
Ann Muno is a nationally recognized expert on girls' issues and the mother of four daughters. She is the Executive Director of the Justice For Girls Coalition of Washington State and the co-founder of Powerful Voices. Ann has published in peer reviewed journals as well as through newspaper op-eds. In 2020, she was the recipient of a research fellowship from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. She lives in Seattle, Washington.
Powerful Girls is a must-read resource that combines a mix of practical tools, program examples, and more that support the needs and limitless potential of girls, young women, and gender expansive young people, particularly those of color. The practical content is punctuated with a call to action that addresses the root causes of marginalization and oppression--the critical need for introspection, interrogation and courageous confrontation about how each of us, though well-meaning, are part of what props up systems and social norms that views and treats some "girls" as less than. Finally, as they should, the wisdom of "girls" shines through in the book as the leaders, not of tomorrow, but of today. --Jeannette Pai-Espinosa, president, Justice and Joy National Collaborative Powerful Girls surrounds the reader with actions, tools, and fresh thinking on how to energize a diverse range of girls and those who work to empower them. With personal anecdotes, tips for parents and group leaders, and a belief in the power of both reflecting in and looking out (at the culture), Muno offers us an invaluable resource for mentoring girls towards leadership, activism, and justice. --Sharon Lamb, professor of counseling psychology at UMass Boston, author of Packaging Girlhood and The Not Good Enough Mother In her book, Ann Muno invites readers to explore the multifaceted experiences of girls in today's complex world. By sharing her own deeply moving personal tragedy, she not only highlights the resilience found in the female spirit but also challenges us to reflect on our experiences and how they shape our ability to partner with and support girls in their individual journeys. The voices of girls are at the heart of Muno's work. By grounding her strategies in research and real-life experiences with girls, she provides practical strategies to create safe spaces that foster equal partnerships, growth and healing. --Lawanda Ravoira, DPA, president emerita/founder, Delores Barr Weaver Policy Center This book is a must-read for parents/guardians, educators, and youth organization leaders. Ann Muno's practice-based approach drawing on her decades-long experience of leading a girls' organization comes from a place of humility and curiosity, creating space for authentic dialogues between adolescent girls and their adult allies. Ann's work reminds us of how the work to support girls' lives and positive development must be communal and collective. --Charlotte E. Jacobs, PhD, co-founder, EnGenderED Research Collaborative
