The Women's Program
The primary mission of the National Women's Program will be to serve as a resource conduit. The
hope is that the information will be utilized to enhance the patrolling experience for women by way of meeting individualized
needs, or through the many different women's clinics operating at the division level down to the grassroots patrol level.
Resources for Skill and Leadership Development
Creating an instructor database is one of the most important components of the
Women's Program. The database will be comprised of instructors (both men and women) with
experience teaching
women. These individuals will be able to provide a positive
experience for women, and hopefully the participants themselves will gain an interest
in becoming instructors. The instructor database will also be a great resource for anyone with the desire to develop a women's
clinic and looking for instructors to help. It will also be a valued resource for an
established program supervisor to use when looking for someone with specific
skill sets.
Resources for Equipment and Gear
It can be very difficult to find good women's gear that is not a "dumbed-down" version of men's gear. Many ski shops have taken great strides in providing an outstanding inventory of quality women's equipment and gear.
These businesses need to be recognized for their efforts to meet the needs of the woman patroller.
Resources for General Information Regarding Learning Styles
There is a fundamental difference between how men and women approach skill development and learning new tasks. Understanding the differences, and learning how to work within the student-centered lesson,
leads to success for both the student and instructor. While this may currently
be a focus within the Women's Program, it goes beyond the program boundaries and
enters into the basic skill set of all instructors, regardless of gender.
NSP National Women's Program Adviser
Linda Barthel
barthel@umich.edu
Division Links