The Student Leadership challenge
Introduction: When People Are at Their Best as Leaders
Madeline Price grew up in a cowshed in rural Queensland, Australia. After her high school
graduation, she embarked on a journey to see the world with 15 other alumni of hers,
volunteering in Cambodia and Thailand along the way. When she visited a school in Cambodia,
Madeline noticed that all 23 of her students in her first-grade classroom were male. When she
asked her teacher where the girl was, she was shocked by his answer:
"Boys are worth raising," he told Madeline.1
Back in Australia, the teacher's answer turned out to be a common problem. "I hadn't realized it
yet," Madeline said. "But the simple statement 'boys deserve more' has opened my eyes to the
gender gap we face both abroad and in Australia." I made it clear to her that I was becoming
more and more sensitive to the gender inequalities I saw and that I needed to talk about it.
That. But there was no open-minded audience in her circle of friends — at least not at first.
"I've talked to friends and very few feel what I feel," she said. Not that my friends didn't care,
but it was clear to Madeline that gender inequality was still a global issue, simply because not
everyone agreed with her. She never got it out of her mind and never stopped trying to tell
others about it.
Years later, while in college, Madeline enrolled in a seminar on community development and
leadership. “When I went to class, I knew I had to do something related to gender inequality,”
said Madeline, who holds educational seminars for high school students and community
organizations. , came up with the idea to get them to open their eyes to how gender inequality
still plays a role in their lives and how they can address it.
"I couldn't stop talking and thinking about it, even if other people did," she said.
, In Australia, they didn't seem to think it was as big a problem as it was for me," Madeline said.
She formed an organization called the One Woman Project (OWP) and started recruiting
volunteers to help develop and run the seminars. "The name comes from the idea that the
world would be a better place if one woman was made independent," Madeline said.
OWP works with schools and community organizations on an invitation-only basis. Schools call
on OWP to conduct educational seminars when incidents of gender bias occur on campus or
simply because they believe in the importance of education on gender inequality.
Designing information in a way that students can identify was an early challenge for OWP. “It’s
not enough to say ‘gender inequality is a problem,’ especially for high school girls. Madeline
says one of the best ways to motivate students is to help them find their voice She explained:
They're college students, and there aren't many platforms where they can say, "Sexuality and
gender are what I think." I would love to hear their answers to these questions. I think it's really
important to let them know what you want to hear, and that seems to make a big difference in
getting her to share her own opinions and feelings. The OWP also shows that gender inequality
is not just a women's issue. What is included in the curriculum In many ways, patriarchal
cultures reinforce beliefs and behaviors that are harmful to both men and women. , men have
higher rates of suicide and accidental death, and a higher risk of mental health problems
throughout their lives. Madeline also recruited male volunteers for OWP. This helps visually
convey to boys the idea that gender inequality is not just an issue that affects women. “I
wanted to find a way to make sure students understood that both men and women are
affected by these issues,” she said.
Ensuring that men go to school to conduct these seminars alongside female volunteers is very
helpful in that regard. Launching the country's first gender equality education program was not
without its challenges. "No one else in Australia was running an educational program like this,"
Madeline said. "That meant there was a big empty seat in the room and no template to work
from. Her community believes their ideas of making the world a better place can come true.
Introduction: When People Are at Their Best as Leaders
Madeline Price grew up in a cowshed in rural Queensland, Australia. After her high school
graduation, she embarked on a journey to see the world with 15 other alumni of hers,
volunteering in Cambodia and Thailand along the way. When she visited a school in Cambodia,
Madeline noticed that all 23 of her students in her first-grade classroom were male. When she
asked her teacher where the girl was, she was shocked by his answer:
"Boys are worth raising," he told Madeline.1
Back in Australia, the teacher's answer turned out to be a common problem. "I hadn't realized it
yet," Madeline said. "But the simple statement 'boys deserve more' has opened my eyes to the
gender gap we face both abroad and in Australia." I made it clear to her that I was becoming
more and more sensitive to the gender inequalities I saw and that I needed to talk about it.
That. But there was no open-minded audience in her circle of friends — at least not at first.
"I've talked to friends and very few feel what I feel," she said. Not that my friends didn't care,
but it was clear to Madeline that gender inequality was still a global issue, simply because not
everyone agreed with her. She never got it out of her mind and never stopped trying to tell
others about it.
Years later, while in college, Madeline enrolled in a seminar on community development and
leadership. “When I went to class, I knew I had to do something related to gender inequality,”
said Madeline, who holds educational seminars for high school students and community
organizations. , came up with the idea to get them to open their eyes to how gender inequality
still plays a role in their lives and how they can address it.
"I couldn't stop talking and thinking about it, even if other people did," she said.
, In Australia, they didn't seem to think it was as big a problem as it was for me," Madeline said.
She formed an organization called the One Woman Project (OWP) and started recruiting
volunteers to help develop and run the seminars. "The name comes from the idea that the
world would be a better place if one woman was made independent," Madeline said.
OWP works with schools and community organizations on an invitation-only basis. Schools call
on OWP to conduct educational seminars when incidents of gender bias occur on campus or
simply because they believe in the importance of education on gender inequality.
Designing information in a way that students can identify was an early challenge for OWP. “It’s
not enough to say ‘gender inequality is a problem,’ especially for high school girls. Madeline
says one of the best ways to motivate students is to help them find their voice She explained:
They're college students, and there aren't many platforms where they can say, "Sexuality and
gender are what I think." I would love to hear their answers to these questions. I think it's really
important to let them know what you want to hear, and that seems to make a big difference in
getting her to share her own opinions and feelings. The OWP also shows that gender inequality
is not just a women's issue. What is included in the curriculum In many ways, patriarchal
cultures reinforce beliefs and behaviors that are harmful to both men and women. , men have
higher rates of suicide and accidental death, and a higher risk of mental health problems
throughout their lives. Madeline also recruited male volunteers for OWP. This helps visually
convey to boys the idea that gender inequality is not just an issue that affects women. “I
wanted to find a way to make sure students understood that both men and women are
affected by these issues,” she said.
Ensuring that men go to school to conduct these seminars alongside female volunteers is very
helpful in that regard. Launching the country's first gender equality education program was not
without its challenges. "No one else in Australia was running an educational program like this,"
Madeline said. "That meant there was a big empty seat in the room and no template to work
from. Her community believes their ideas of making the world a better place can come true.
