Name: Navyaa Shukla
Community, State: Karratha, WA
School: St. Luke’s College
Age, Grade: Grade 11, age 17
Bio: Click here
From primary school to Prime Minister, how can we create strong pathways to power for women?
The pathway for women from primary school to prime minister can only be created by enhancing and empowering the abilities and talents of our girls to help them see their own hidden potential. From a young age, girls must be pushed to see how they can best utilise their skills and to do this, the introduction of selective school programs can help develop individual girls’ leadership skills from a young age. A famous quote says; “Every child is gifted. They just unwrap their packages at different times.”(unknown) It’s up to us to help our girls unwrap those gifts. It’s about leading our girls in the right direction. It’s about helping them hone their skills in a way that develops their hidden skills and talents. By developing selective programs, we can create a pathway for the leaders among the girls of our nation who will grow up to be the best version of themselves, as potential leaders in government.
Within Australian schools, we run selective music, gifted and talented and even sporting programs, which build on the talents of our students. I propose we do the same for leadership, specifically for women.
Often, societal stereotypes lead us to believe from a young age that specific jobs are ‘meant’ for a particular gender. In terms of being the Prime Minister of Australia, it is easy for girls to fall into the trap of not even considering pursuing such a career; out of the 29 prime ministers of Australia, in the 116 years since federation, Australia has had only one female prime minister. Despite the rise of feminism and the global empowerment of women, within government, major roles are still predominantly held by men.
Therefore, to break the invisible barriers imposed on the female population of our nation, I propose we can create a pathway of power for women by training the talent among our girls from a young age. We must seek those with passion for their country, dedication to make a difference, inquisitiveness that will expand our horizons and charisma that will compel all to follow. As current leaders, we must help them build confidence, communication skills and team work to help them grow in a positive way which enhances their inborn talent for just as a sundial has no use in the shade, our girls cannot lead without a spotlight within the crowd that they stand.