The Direct Action

The MS Foundation has an explicit interest in sparking the involvement of girls in making change not only in their own lives but also in the larger community. They emphasize, “in a social change model, girls do not have to accept this inequality.” And individual resiliency and self-esteem, as one key informant commented, is important but individualizes problems that are societal in nature. The message here is that “girls are not the problem.” For this reason, MS has promoted the involvement of girls in their communities – as active change agents. Community action gives girls visibility, a sense of their own power, and moves the community to see girls’ best assets and potential contributions. Community action is viewed on a continuum from community service to direct action. In Canada, programs such as Power Camp National/Filles d’action are beginning to clearly articulate this as a best practice in girl-centred programming, by encouraging action-oriented strategies and connections to the community.