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Girl power: Event helps girls deal with difficult years
On Saturday, June 23, approximately 140 nine-to-fourteen-year-old girls attended the Boys and Girls Club girls empowerment forum. The girls attended classes to learn about self image, values and physical fitness. Photo by Kelsey Kruzich.
By Kaitlin Pennell
A girl’s teenage years can be particularly difficult, especially with having to deal with social pressures. The Boys and Girls Clubs of Collin County helped young girls with these issues last Saturday, when the club hosted its “No Limit” Girls Empowerment Forum.
The forum addressed gender-specific health and societal issues teenage girls may experience in everyday situations. Topics included bullying, conflict management, personal values, healthy habits, self-esteem, etiquette education and creative arts.
Debra Sweezer, director of program services at the BGCCC, hopes young girls understand there is “No Limit” to what they can achieve, despite all of the drawbacks they may come across.
Recent studies show that girls entering their teen years often suffer a loss of self-esteem and face an identity crisis, Sweezer said. As a result, girls begin to be judged by their physical appearance, rather than striving to improve strength of character or personal accomplishments.
“It’s crucial that difficult issues like these be addressed with sensitivity in a safe environment,” she said.
The No Limit forum is based on the BGCCC’s weekly program called Skills Mastery and Resistance Training (SMART) Girls. In the SMART Girls program, staff members of the BGCCC educate the female youth on building self-worth, where the girls learn how to strengthen their own physical and mental well-being during the Monday-Friday classes.
Unlike the No Limit forum, the SMART Girls program has two different modules for girls: 8-12 years of age and another for girls 13-17 years of age in order to target various aspects of their development into adulthood.
In each module, there are two types of education that is covered: the “It’s In Your Body” program and “Take Care of Your Body” program.
In the “It’s In Your Body” program, girls learn about the physical and mental development that occurs during adolescence, social and media influences on attitudes and actions towards females, development in personal values in relationships, sexually transmitted diseases and eating disorders.
The “Take Care of Your Body” program discusses girls’ specific nutritional needs, along with cooking skills, ways to ensure physical fitness is a part of their everyday lives and provides exposure to community agencies that deal with female health issues.
The No Limit forum reinforces what the youth learns during these classes, and also helps educate the others who are not a part of the BGCCC.
“In working with kids for over 20 years, I always seek ways to heighten our chances of the kids retaining the information we are giving them,” Sweezer said.
A specialized pledge for the event was written by Sweezer herself:
“I have ‘No Limits’
Nothing can stop me, I keep my pathways clear
I am responsible, respectful, educated and sincere
I am beautiful, confident, charming and filled with love to share
Nothing can stop me
I control my destiny, who I befriend, where I go, how hard I work, so watch me fly
I have ‘No Limits’”
Speakers Kathy Biarsky, Reem Elhossary, Diana Hodge, Dana Jones and Kedah Terry discussed issues regarding self-esteem, self-image, personal values, bullying and conflict management. Shinetra Castillo talked to the girls about creative art, and Elizabeth Tucker instructed physical fitness classes.
“I hope after this, the girls have their brains working and are conscious of what they are doing instead of being blinded by social pressures,” Elhossary said. “I want their morals in-line with what their parents have instilled in them.”
Elhossary learned through a friend and BGCCC member about the SMART Girls program, and started to volunteer as a speaker. In her session, girls learned that modern TV shows aren’t always great examples of personal values.
“If you watch [these] shows, you are interested in something about it,” Elhossary said. “People tend to want to be more like what they are interested in – for better or worse. These shows reflect what we now value in society, and more often than not, personal values get compromised for fame and money.”
Roughly 140 girls showed up for the forum, which Sweezer hopes taught the girls valuable lessons.
“When they [walked] out those doors Saturday, I hope that each girl maintains a healthier lifestyle and avoids negative behaviors, strive to reach higher heights educationally, and become care takers of one another,” Sweezer said.
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