Brandi, great question.
I have a 12-yr-old stepdaughter. To say that her mother and I have different worldviews would be an understatement. (I am math/science oriented, CFBC, compete in a male-dominated profession, and pride myself in making my own way in the world. Her mother is relatively uneducated, sees motherhood as the primary goal and duty of women, has a judgemental attitude, and (IMHO) uses people to get what she wants.) Since I have such a comparatively short time with her, I have been thinking of ways to make SD realize her potential.
We are, in the short six weeks we have her this summer:
Exercising
Cooking healthy
Going geocaching
Studying Shakespeare (reading one of the lighter comedies that has been made into a movie)
Doing a history report on colonial Williamsburg and then going to visit
Going to a Civil War re-enactment
Going rock-climbing
Playing with a chemistry set
Doing crafts
What I really want her to see is that she can do *anything* she wants. I also want her to know that she does not have to fulfill traditional gender roles. I want to expose her to fine literature. I want to let her know that math is not scary. I want her to think that chemistry is fun. I want, in essence, to open her eyes to the possibilities of life.