Sports apparel companies including Nike and Patagonia are devoting catalogues and Web sites to women. New programs are springing up to help build young women's self-esteem. At Girls Rock , a Seattle-based mentorship program founded by former Outward Bound guides, each student works with an experienced female rock climber for nine weeks, learning basic climbing skills as well as personal and inner strength. Athletes use competition to connect, not to divide. They use it to bring out the best in themselves, and shake hands at the end of the game.
Team leaders learn emotional intelligence and motivation skills.
During the first season of the program, Girls Rock mentors started noticing cliques and sat the girls down and explained the program wasn't going to work if kids put each other down. The girls thought it over and talked about how they'd like others to treat them. From that point on, they worked as a team on achieving common goals. Athletes don't always succeed, but they're always willing to try. Nobody can succeed in life without learning to ask for help when necessary.