As a NaturallyCurly editor, I get to come to work every day and help women and girls feel a little more empowered, even if it’s as simple as seeing a photo that they can relate to, reading an uplifting personal story, or even just finding a solution to their morning hair routine. (By the way, if that sounds appealing to you, we’re hiring“>.
Although it feels rewarding to know that what we do is reaching women from Portugal to Kenya to Mexico, in the NaturallyCurly office we are always looking for ways to impact our local community as well, whether it’s mentoring through the Big Brothers Big Sisters or working with #bossbabesATX.
We Are Girls Conference
On November 5 I’ll be working at the We Are Girls Conference, an annual statewide conference for girls grades 3-8 and the adults that care about them. The conference, produced by The Girls Empowerment Network, will have skill-building workshops by relatable role models on a wide range of topics, as one attendee put it “so far I have danced and programmed a robot!”
Many girls lose themselves in adolescence, and don’t really find themselves again until middle age
This age is a particularly hard one for young girls to navigate; many start elementary brimming with confidence and curiosity, and enter high school with low self-esteem and self-doubt. It’s no surprise that it’s also the time when girls start to discover the value society places on the way they look, rather than what they can do. “I was struggling with if I loved myself” said Andrea, a 5th grade camp attendee, “because the littler things can get me frustrated and I beat myself up. Littler things, like sometimes I don’t think I’m pretty enough. I’m too hard on myself.”
The Girls Empowerment Network aims to accompany girls through this pivotal stage, because as one founding member put it “many girls lose themselves in adolescence, and don’t really find themselves again until middle age.” When I heard this quote shared in a crowded room full of women, I saw women of all ages nod knowingly, almost painfully, around me.
This year, the theme of the conference is “Find Your Power,” which is completely open for the girls’ interpretation. It can be the power to speak up in what they believe in, the power to express themselves creatively, the power to embrace positivity and leave negativity behind. As I’ve heard many at The Girls Empowerment Network say, “It’s the best day of the entire year.”
You can help
If you’d like to help a girl find her power, you can scholarship a girl to attend for $30. Thirty dollars is the price of the ticket, if that doesn’t sound like much to you, keep in mind that for a mother to attend with her daughter that’s $60, if she has two daughters that’s $90. This can quickly add up especially for single parent or low income families. This year GEN received 1,000 applications for scholarship this year, and they award a scholarship to everyone who asks.
We still have 317 girls who need a scholarship.
Donate here
And you can help a young girl find her power!
If you live in the Austin area and would like to attend, you can get tickets here.
