NCGS Educating Girls Symposiums (15th April, 2016, Madeira School, McLean, Virginia, USA) are professional development offerings that take place in various regions of the country and provide educators with an opportunity to convene and exchange best practices for teaching and working with girls. The topic for the symposiums changes every 18-24 months based on the real-time issues and challenges faced by NCGS member schools.

"Developing Leadership Through Wellness and Mindfulness" is the current topic with discussions revolving around the intersection of leadership, resilience, and wellness. Featured speaker Rachel Simmons argues we must define girls’ leadership in a way that is directly linked to the practice of self-care and self-compassion. She goes on to examine how and why this critical link is too often overlooked or ignored in educational and extracurricular settings. Participants explore these concepts further in peer-led breakout sessions and small groups and brainstorm strategies to incorporate a more expansive vision of “leadership from within” into their day-to-day work with girls.

The audience for Educating Girls Symposiums includes heads of school, administrators, faculty, counselors, and educational professionals. Attendees come from all-girls and coed schools that serve PK-12th grade students in the U.S., Canada, and abroad, with a particular concentration from the region in which the symposium is taking place.