G.L.O.W. (Girls Leading Our World)

I had an amazing time at GLOW this year!

Camp GLOW is a weeklong leadership and skills-building program organized by Peace Corps Volunteers and our local Azerbaijani counterparts for young women entering the 9th and 10th grades from regions throughout Azerbaijan.
The purpose of this camp is to encourage young Azerbaijani women to become active citizens within their communities and the country at large. Camp GLOW also aims at demonstrating successful cooperation within members of the community by introducing camp participants to successful women in Azerbaijan, and some of the Peace Corps volunteer in the country.
During camp, the girls participated in a variety of lectures, discussions, and group project activities. This year we started our first day by defining leadership and community development; and build on this concept by talk about teamwork on day two where we played “Olympic Games” such as the trust fall, blindfolded walk, balloon toss, spider web, etc. On day three we discussed self-exploration and had an incredible talent show at the end of the day. The next day we discusses gender roles and overcoming obstacles, which was Lenkerans contribution to GLOW, and that night we had “GLOW Prom” which I was so jazzed about! Our last night we learned about project planning during the day; where we separated into region specific groups to plan potential community development projects and ended the night with a bonfire where we made smores (which tasted like America in my mouth) and sang campfire songs! All of the sessions were lead in Azeri, and our Azerbaijani counterparts facilitated most of them.
Upon completing this 6-day camp, participants are expected to initiate service projects promoting youth involvement, civic consciousness, and environmental awareness within their respected communities. I’m looking forward to working with the Lenkeran girls; we are planning on working with our local orphanage this summer!