Girls Empowered at Mountain Shepherd
GEMS are Girls Empowered through exploration of seven survival priorities: positive mental attitude, first aid, shelter, fire, signaling, water, and food. During a five-day overnight experience, GEMS learn the practical skills associated with each priority. Girls also discover the parallels between each survival priority and their lives in the “front country.” GEMS gain an appreciation for their natural and social surroundings through fun — and deceptively educational — activities such as night hikes, team-building games, and biodiversity studies. After five days, GEMS leave with confidence and compassion, knowing more about themselves and how they interpret and interact with their world.
Why GEMS?
Education research indicates girls benefit from single sex settings, especially for math and science. Although such research opens a door for interesting debate around the comparison of single sex versus coed learning settings, Mountain Shepherd focuses on the positive impact of providing a safe space for girls to explore their interests. Here we encourage girls to explore and express their femininity without sacrificing their rugged strength. Middle school in particular is a critical time for brain development. The GEMS program is designed to give girls the tools they need to be confident and powerful in whatever environment they face during and after their teenage years.
GEMS: Becoming a GEM
Girls come to this camp to learn the “GEMS Way”. No prior outdoor or summer camp experience is necessary to reap the benefits of this five-day overnight experience. During these five days, girls learn the seven priorities for survival. They engage with each other, the instructors, and outside experts to learn more about themselves. Girls practice using the seven survival priorities as a framework for anticipating and overcoming life’s challenges.
GEMS: Digging Deeper
Girls come to this camp after attending GEMS: Becoming a GEM. Also a five-day overnight experience, Digging Deeper challenges girls to step further out of their comfort zone. After they review the seven survival priorities, girls spend time building stronger skills. They reflect on how GEMS has helped them overcome challenges in the past year; they track their maturation. Using their knowledge of self, girls focus on building empathy for other people. Digging Deeper provides more opportunity for high adventure. What were challenge-by-choice in Becoming a GEM are now expectations. Girls leave this camp with a deepen sense of courage, confidence, and compassion.