Strategies for finding Girl–Nurturing Societies if you can’t make a school
The idea of creating all–girl groups dedicated to girls’ well–being is nothing new. The story which inspired us to name our school Archer is an ancient tale of young girls under a goddess’s protection going into the forest for a period of time to practice skills in science and the arts which would help them become the kind of adults who are strong and able members of society. A version of this custom has been observed on every continent but Antarctica and recently has evolved to include not only girls’ schools, but Girl Guides, Girl Scouts, Girls Inc., and a host of virtual groupsof girls on websites.
There are obvious merits to gathering girls together for what today would be termed female empowerment: role modeling, girl valuing, and leadership training are attributes of what a goodgirls’ community can provide. Look for those qualities in the programs you find. Imagine the young girl of your heart (or your family or your neighborhood) going off into the forest with others like her, in pursuit of an Ideal Her. Ancient societies emphasized different aspects of the ideal with different goddesses. Most of us are familiar with Greek goddesses Aphrodite, representing beauty and sexuality, and Hera, representing domestic virtues. For an eclectic ideal, embracing other images of strong and able women, we might go further afield for inspiration. To Isis, Inanna, and Artemis.
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