Looking through the Country Day Instagram page, you might notice a couple posts that feature the majority of 7th grade girls. Clicking on these posts and reading the captions to them, you learn of something called ROX. I was intrigued by this and wanted to know more. I contacted Hirsch who put me into contact with Ms. Nordrum, the leader of ROX here at Country Day. I set up a time with her to learn more about what ROX is.
ROX (Ruling our eXperiences) is a non-profit based out of Columbus, Ohio. Starting in 2011, the non-profit makes it their mission to collect scientific data to create a program that focuses on creating confident girls. They want these girls to make decisions about their relationships, experiences, and their futures.
Instead of being just a club or a safe-space for girls to come together and talk, the non-profit takes data collected from thousands of girls all over the country and uses this to design their program. The girls from all over get to chose actual problems they face and get to learn how to overcome these challenges.
Ms. Nordrum started this program at Country Day 4 years ago, and each year it has expanded significantly. Now with the majority of the 7th grade girls (the grade participating in this program) involved, Ms. Nordrum sets out to create a safe and supportive environment for these girls to talk and to learn new things. She tells me that her most asked question is why not have a group for boys as well. This is her response: “It’s okay to have a group for girls; we have been marginalized for so long.” I think that this is a great response to questions like these. For so long women and girls have been set back and “marginalized” that it is time they have a space to talk about it.
One of the things Ms. Nordrum is setting out to do this year is to create a female career panel. As the evidence shows, many girls believe that they are not smart enough, unable to lead, or are bossy when it does come to leading. Ms. Nordrum wants to show girls they are not. Her goal is to bring in women from around the Cincinnati area with all different jobs and have the group of girls asks questions. She wants to girls to feel more confident in themselves when it comes to future careers.
Ms. Nordrum and the ROX team have created a wonderful thing in this community. It is truly amazing that ROX has created a program for girls all over the country (and the world) to help them navigate a difficult time in their life.