Project Description

Desired was created in August of 2006 as a result of a camp experience I had. The summer of 2006 I was a camp counselor at Camp Good News and spent my time reaching out to young girls, mostly ages 10 to 15, and teaching them about Jesus and his love for them. I came home wanting the experience to continue! I took a look around and saw that there were plenty of girls in my youth group who needed a "big sister" or a mentor in their lives to help them learn how to follow the Lord in everyday life and most importantly to help them understand his incredible love for them! I wanted these beautiful girls to see just how amazing they really are, to know how perfect and unique each of them is and to be able to really live in the joy of knowing that they are "desired" by Jesus. I got together with my youth pastor and his wife, presented my idea and then we began planning. Along with 2 other girls my age, we organized a girls' group, named it "Desired" and started advertising with the girls in youth group and their friends. We started out meeting once every other week at our youth building and we simply did some really fun interactive activities to make them feel special and loved, while adding in a Bible Study time to help strengthen their faith and knowledge of God. Some of these activities included a very fancy sit down dinner, a slumber part, painting, kareoke night, etc. Over time, the girls found lasting friendships in each other and in myself and the other mentors. By the next summer, the girls were not only best friends with each other, but they had developed a strong sense of trust in and respect for myself and the two other girls who helped out. It was incredible year of growth and relationship for them. I believe they came to know Jesus' love for them in a new and lasting way. Desired provided a safe haven for girls who had no friends, an unsafe home, or were simply feeling lonely or trapped. Through this school year, Desired has continued under a new name, Poiema. Some of the girls stuck around, others moved on and lots of new faces have joined us. We still have a great time and are learning even more about Jesus and his love for us every week. I believe strongly that it is important for young girls to have positive self image, to like who they are and to look forward to who they are becoming in order for us to have a positive impact on our world as wives, mothers, leaders and community participants. I also believe it is vital for girls to have friends that are girls, friends they can trust and rely on. And lastly, I believe that it is essential to community life for older girls to reach out and lead those younger than them, no matter what age or stage they are at. I believe that through Desired, Jesus has changed and shaped many young hearts. I pray that it will continue in the future, even after I have graduated!

Project Description

GOLD stands for Girls Overnight Leadership Development. The program, which takes place at a school district's high school, provides a unique opportunity for eighth grade girls to bond with their fellow female classmates, meet and work with many High School female role models, and reflect on and learn about many of the challenges they may encounter in high school before they become freshmen. The night involves group activities, guest speakers, salon time, exciting theme rooms, discussion, lots of food, and much, much more.

Interested? Excited? Here are the details for my school's specific event…

Who: All eighth grade girls at Oak Hall School. The night is run by a team of sophomore, junior, and senior girls, along with faculty sponsors and chaperones.

Guests: Speakers from the University of Florida and Gainesville area volunteer to present interactive sessions to the girls about the following topics: drugs and alcohol, relationships and dating, body image and eating disorders, and time management.

When: Spring of eighth grade. This year, the event took place on February 23rd. Time - 8:00pm until 7:00 the following morning.

Where: Oak Hall's Upper School. It allows the eighth graders a chance to become comfortable with the high school before they start attending classes in it.

Why: Ever had a question about friends, dating, peer pressure, time management, eating disorders, drugs, or alcohol? Or simply, how to survive high school? GOLD will not only help answer those questions, but it will give eighth graders an insider’s look at what high school is really like from girls who have learned how to make the most of their four years before college. In addition, GOLD will put eighth grade girls on the right track towards developing their own leadership potential, inside the classroom and beyond.

What to Wear: Sleepover clothes: pajama pants, t-shirt, slippers – girls can even bring their favorite stuffed animal and pillow!

Get ready for a night of fun, friends, and more!

Project Description

Girls Lead! (previously Girls' Economic Power Day) is targeted towards teen girls in order that they may learn life skills not taught in the classroom. Participants attend informative and inspiring workshops developed and lead by teen girls on topics such as fearless speaking, negotiation skills, career options, budgeting, investing, teamwork, communication, conflict resolution, entrepreneurship, how to get a job, stereotypes and much more. Teen Moxie believes young women first need to be comfortable with themselves before they can truly be successful at gaining economic power. Through self-esteem and confidence building activities, teen girls will be enabled to use their newly acquired skills to pursue their dreams. In addition, a keynote speaker will be present to speak on life experiences to encourage girls to set high goals for themselves and to persevere for what they want.

The 2008 event included the workshops:
-Ready... Set ... College!
-Health & Fitness 101
-Snap Judgments & Stereotypes: When to Rein Them In, When to Let Them Rule
-You're Hired! How to Get a Job or an Internship
-Power Over Plastic: Credit, Cash and Your Brilliant Financial Future
-Time Management 101: Victory Over Procrastination!
-Budgeting: Play the Real Game of Life!
-Positive Thinking
-Entrepreneurship: Turning Your Dream into Reality!
-Fearless Speaking: Taming the Butterflies

The 2009 event will be in March 2009. If you are interested, check www.teenmoxie.org or email for more information and ways to get involved.

Project Description

Our purpose here at Science Days is to provide female middle school students an after-school program which focuses on science and mathematics. Females, especially minorities, are under-represented in many higher learning institutions majoring in science and mathematics. The future of the world will be placed upon the shoulders of our future engineers, scientists, mathematicians, etc. The current and potential problems that the world will face within the next decade will directly affect this generation. Science Days hopes to change this by exposing young girls to the wonders and mysteries of science and mathematics, hopefully persuading some to pursue a career in mathematics and science or obtain a strong background in science and mathematics.

Project Description

This is a class i teach twice a week for little girls who want to learn basic cheer. These little girls look up and want to become that cheerleader they saw at the high school football game or the girl in the uniform that the little girl was so impressed by. She wants to be just like a cheerleader and here is her chance!

Project Description

I had worked in the field of adolescent psychology the year prior to my freshmen year at college, collaborating with members of the Empower Program and the Ophelia Project- both leading girls’ advocacy organizations- at the Girls Leadership Institute. I worked as a counselor in Washington, DC at the Girls Leadership Institute, a residential program that assisted at-risk adolescent females who had been victims of harassment or bullying at their schools. I used my experience working at the Girls Leadership Institute to present an informative and ultimately successful workshop for the Chicago Public School teachers. Since then, I have done volunteer work as a Relational Aggression Consultant for the Chicago Public Schools. Through this, I developed a drama therapy-based program for the intervention and prevention of bullying among girls which has been brought to numerous institutions. The program serves about two schools per semester. The unique curriculum, a combination of art/theatre therapy exercises and emotional strength-based activities is the only one of its kind in the country, and has elicited promising results in behavior changes among girls in various schools and organizations in Illinois.

I have brought this free program to several other institutions, including: Girl Scouts of Chicago, ChildServ, Chicago Communities in Schools, Helping Girls Navigate Adolescence, Teen Living Program and Just Us Girls. The program has impacted over one hundred girls through various venues on a myriad of topics, including bullying, body image, relational aggression, harassment, dating violence, sexual violence, self-injury, sexual orientation, and eating disorders.

Bullying has become one of the biggest problems facing youth today, as it can provoke young people to take harm against themselves, or even others (e.g. School shootings). This program combats this by providing volunteer workers and teachers with the opportunity to become examples for kids who are harassed; role models who will connect and make an impact on children’s lives and relationships. Girls in the Lead offers after-school programs for schools and organizations, as well as parent, teacher, and youth strength-based trainings and workshops.

Project Description

High School Leadership Program

The Institute for Women's Leadership High School Leadership Certificate Program (HSLP) is a women’s leadership development program for underrepresented high school students in Jersey City, New Jersey. The purpose of the program, which was launched in 2005 as an outgrowth of the IWL Leadership Scholars Certificate Program for Rutgers students, is to provide high school young women opportunities to develop leadership skills through a structured after school curriculum which is created by and mentored by college women at Rutgers.
The four goals of the IWL High School Leadership Development program are: (1) to increase the educational and career awareness of young women from underrepresented backgrounds; (2) to develop young women’s leadership abilities through a structured skills development program that brings together high school students with undergraduate and professional role models; (3) to provide participants opportunities to learn about college life, be mentored and taught by college students; and (4) to develop a partnership between the university and an urban high school to increase understanding of pre-college women’s leadership development needs. As a result of the program we expect that the high school students will:
• understand and articulate their personal strengths and challenges;
• gain exposure to college life and increase awareness of the connection between education and career success;
• gain knowledge about mentoring and its benefits through a one-on-one mentoring relationship with Rutgers women students;
• consider college attendance as a serious option for themselves;
• develop a written resume;
• learn and practice communication and public speaking skills;
• build a supportive network to facilitate their success in high school, college and the workplace;
• conduct a school-based social action leadership project to help change the culture of their school; and
• use all the skills learned to plan and implement the program graduation ceremony at Snyder High School in order to share the program experience with other Snyder students and to identify themselves as school leaders.
• use the skills gained in the program to prepare and apply to college upon graduation from Snyder High School

Through modules created by Rutgers undergraduate Institute for Women's Leadership Scholars, the HSLP works to promote self-awareness, diversity, college preparation, and leadership skills in order to prepare visiting high school scholars for life after high school and promote the importance of continuing their education. By providing each scholar with an undergraduate mentor, the HSLP also promotes mentorship and allows for lasting relationships between college students and high school urban girls.

Project Description

The mission of Jer's Vision: Canada's Youth Diversity Initiative (the Jeremy Dias Foundation) is to support youth who are addressing issues of discrimination in their schools and communities. Discrimination is still a major problem in Canada, and youth are part of the solution. The potential of youth is all too often overlooked, and we want to change that.

Jer's Vision seeks to support youth through programs and services that are open to everyone. We work to address all kinds of discrimination, including discrimination based on race, national or ethnic origin, language, location, colour, religion, sex, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, income, and mental or physical disability.

Jer's Vision seeks to support and encourage youth to work to stop discrimination against in all communities across Canada.

We are proud to have over 800 volunteers, over 36 programs and services and do education and engagment work with over 10,00 people annually.

Project Description

“Healthy Cultures, Healthy Girls” will begin to challenge and address the lack of culturally appropriate and healthy food options by providing dynamic educational activities to girls and young women who live in three underserved, low-income, urban communities in Minneapolis and St. Paul, MN. This project will be incorporated into the Young Women’s Mentoring Program, a year-round youth development program focused on building the employment and leadership skills of young women and the self-esteem of younger girls.

Our vision for the “Healthy Cultures, Healthy Girls” project is to teach female youth to respect each other and their differences, to enjoy trying new cultural foods while learning about nutrition, and to increase their level of physical activity. Support from the Del Monte “Do Something Good For You” program would provide the opportunity for 70 girls, ages 7-13, and 12 Youth Mentors, ages 14-18, from three Minneapolis and St. Paul communities to experience local markets and ethnic grocery stores where they will learn to buy, prepare, and cook healthy food and snacks for their group sessions.

Project Description

The is my take on promoting a healthy lifestyle.
It's cool to be fit !
More than just an idea, I have. It's more like an entire concept.