Encouraging Adventure in Girls

Caroline Paul starts out her talk on bravery by describing the obsession she had with the Guinness Book of World Records when she was young. She jokes that because she had no real skills, she decided to set a record in crawling. Even after crawling for 12 hours in the rain, she failed to break the record. Although it seemed like a failure at first, Paul later realized that the true victory was getting out of her comfort zone and pushing herself beyond what she thought she was capable of.

Later, she went on to be a firefighter, where her resilience was tested again and again. During this time, she realized the double-standard that followed her, as she was constantly be asking if she was scared, and was met with astonishment when she rose to complete a task that was considered brave.

Throughout her talk on bravery, Paul considers the differences between how society views girls and boys. and how this affects their confidence and self-perception as they grow older. By allowing girls to seek out adventure and empower themselves, they're able to be become stronger women as a result. If girls are taught to be courageous, she says that they're better equipped to handle and assess danger for themselves, as well as have the confidence to know that they're capable of what they set their minds to.