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Madam President Will See You Now.

Lee Smithson Burd had nothing against princesses. But 10 years ago, as she watched her daughter perform in a recital at the end of the princess-themed camp she attended with friends, curtsying as she was announced to the audience and singing a song about being nice, Smithson Burd wished her daughter had spent a week pretending to be secretary of state instead.

A doctor of psychology who works with management consulting firm CMA, Smithson Burd shared the sentiment with Pam Kelley, a veteran of the film industry she knew through philanthropy.

“Secretary of state?” Kelley said in response. “Why not madam president?”

The pair brought that vision to life with Madam President Camp, a five-day, nonresidential camp experience that empowers girls ages 10 to 13 to learn and practice leadership skills and get engaged in their community. The camp launched in 2012 with support from Julie Warm, who holds a doctorate in nonprofit management and serves as associate director of University of Missouri’s Institute for Human Development. Warm joined Kelley and Smithson Burd in the venture and helped narrow down the age range where they could make the biggest impact.

Girls between 10 and 13 are thinking more about the world around them and their own identity, explains Smithson Burd.

“What the research shows is unfortunately at that same time, girls often experience a pretty precipitous decline in self-esteem,” she says. “Pam and Julie and I thought, ‘Those are the girls we want to reach. We want to potentially have an intervention for these girls and teach them that they have value, that they have a voice, and that their communities and their country need them – they have a role to play, even as youngsters.’”

Warm developed the curriculum, which allows the girls to build trust in one and other, learn how government works, and to hear from guest speakers who share their experiences as women in their industries. Lessons about communication and self-confidence are imparted along the way. Leadership is committed to providing the camp experience to girls of all socioeconomic backgrounds and offers scholarships to cover costs for some participants.

Campers also spend the week developing an independent project of interest to them, whether that’s planning a student council campaign, raising

money for a charity, or volunteering for 100 hours. The girls are paired with mentors at the end of camp who can help them follow through on their projects but also serve as resources later in their lives, and camp culminates with participants presenting about their projects to parents, staff, and donors.

“We don’t care if it’s 40 seconds; we don’t care if it’s four minutes – that’s not a big deal,” Kelley says. “What we’re really looking for is the girls now have confidence to get up and talk about what they’ve worked on.”

Kelly recalls one student whose application said she was tired of being shy and had something to say. Staff worked with her throughout the week of camp and by Friday, when Warm asked who wanted to present first, her hand was the first one raised.

“We were all in tears because we really felt like we affected that young girl’s life,” Kelley says.

Camp leadership has data to show the impact is also being felt more broadly. Warm conducts a survey of campers and their parents at the beginning and end of camp to measure things like their leadership awareness and confidence; every year, they see a marked increase in those self-reported metrics at the end of camp.

Unfortunately, Madam President Camp was cancelled last summer due to the pandemic, but this year, it’s back and bigger than ever with two in-person sessions that sold out this spring as well as three virtual sessions, an option designed in response to COVID-19 programming challenges.

The virtual option has the added benefit of making Madam President Camp accessible to a greater number of girls as well as those outside of the Kansas City area. Kelley and Smithson Burd say there has long been interest in the program from other parts of the country, and in addition to the virtual program, they hope to someday be able to license their curriculum to others in order for girls everywhere to reap the benefits.

Because it’s not just the girls participating in Madam President Camp who benefit from the experience – girls feeling empowered, using their talents in our communities, and getting involved in making decisions that affect them ultimately creates healthier communities, Smithson Burd explains.

“We just know that we’re making a difference,” Kelley adds, “And that we can continue making a difference.”

To learn more about Madam President Camp, including ways to provide support, visit MadamPresidentCamp.org.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Kelsey Cipolla is a local writer, editor, and social media specialist. Kelsey has covered everything from the Kansas City culinary scene to home design, health, fitness trends, hidden gems, and nonprofit in the Kansas City community.

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