Over the past two days, there has been an incredible shift in the conversation about female role models and females in the lead – a conversation that has shifted from one of hope to one of despair.

As the CEO of Girl Guides of Canada–Guides du Canada (GGC), I want to bring our members – our Guiders, our parents, and most importantly our girls – a message of positivity and confidence in the future.  I am incredibly proud to belong to an organization that has withstood the test of time in putting girls first.

Today I want to encourage all of you to be more resilient than ever –  and more determined to make a difference in the lives of young girls and women. It is even more important today than it was yesterday to create opportunities for young girls and women to be empowered. Whether you are aspiring to the small things in life – or the big things – Girl Guides of Canada believes in the power of girls and what you, as  your authentic self, can achieve today, tomorrow and throughout your life.

It’s important that young people – both girls and boys – continue to see women take the lead in meaningful ways, here in Canada and around the world. We cannot stop trying to achieve that. The glass ceiling may not be fully shattered, but Girl Guides of Canada knows that women have what it takes to shatter it.

There is a list of diverse female accomplishments to celebrate this week. We can be very proud of the fact that the United States elected the first female Latina senator in American history, as well as the first openly LGBT state governor. A female legislator who came to the United States as a refugee is the first Somali-American ever to be named as a state representative.

In her speech yesterday, Hilary Clinton directly addressed little girls who were watching: “Never doubt that you are valuable and powerful and deserving of every chance and opportunity in the world to pursue and achieve your own dreams.”

I want our members and communities to know that Girl Guides of Canada is committed to ensuring that we prepare girls to be all that they can be, to continue to see the possibility of achieving their dreams and goals on every level. I’m excited to tell you that in the coming weeks, we’ll be releasing new programming to address these ideas at Guiding meetings all across the country.

Sometimes we face setbacks – and roadblocks that seem insurmountable. It’s not always easy to be confident, courageous and resourceful, and to feel like you’re making a real difference in the world. But you are – and together we will continue to empower women and girls and change the future for all of us.

By Jill Zelmanovits, CEO, Girl Guides of Canada–Guides du Canada.  Jill shared this message via Facebook Live earlier today.