At each Bear Nation campout, girls have the opportunity to become a Bear Bow by representing their tribe at Nation Fire.

A Bear Bow steps forward in front of the entire Bear Nation—often 250–500 fathers and daughters—and leads her tribe in a cheer.

It’s a fun Bear Nation tradition, but it’s also an opportunity for girls to practice confidence, public speaking, and leadership in a supportive environment.

Becoming a Bear Bow also opens the door to something bigger: eligibility for the Bear Nation Summer Leadership Program.

The Bear Nation Summer Leadership Program gives Bear Bow recipients the opportunity to take the next step in developing as young leaders.

Each year, Bear Bow recipients may apply by submitting a résumé and essay. Up to 10 girls are selected to participate in the summer program.

Selected participants receive professional leadership training, project mentorship, and guidance throughout the summer as they take on their biggest challenge: creating and leading a community service project of their own.

Rather than simply participating in an existing volunteer activity, each girl is challenged to identify a need, develop an idea, create a plan, and lead the project from beginning to end.

Leadership is best learned by doing.

Each Summer Leadership Program participant designs, leads, and completes her own community service project.

The projects allow girls to put the skills they are learning into action while making a meaningful difference in their communities. Along the way, participants learn about planning, communication, teamwork, problem-solving, responsibility, and what it means to lead others toward a common goal.

Bear Nation girls have supported organizations and causes including:

Rancho Coastal Humane Society
Dementia Society of America
Feeding San Diego
American Cancer Society
Red Barn Rescue
Corazón de Vida
Rady Children’s Hospital
San Diego Humane Society
Able Kids Foundation

Projects and organizations vary from year to year as each girl is encouraged to find a cause that is meaningful to her.

Every girl who successfully completes the Summer Leadership Program is recognized for her accomplishment.

Participants receive a special Bear Nation Leadership Program patch and are celebrated by Bear Nation during the following camping season.

The recognition is about more than completing a project. It celebrates a girl having the confidence to develop an idea, take responsibility for it, lead others, and follow it through to completion.

Each year, one Summer Leadership Program participant is selected as the Bear Nation Leader of the Year.

The Leader of the Year receives a $1,000 scholarship and is presented with the Bear Nation Leader of the Year perpetual trophy at Zócalo.

Much like the great perpetual trophies in sports, each Leader of the Year has her name permanently added to the trophy—creating a lasting record of the young women who have distinguished themselves through leadership and service in Bear Nation.