SNJDA empowers young women to create change in their own communities with the guidance of adult women. About 5-10 girls and two women "mentors" meet from September through June as Young Girls Promoting Positive Change Corporation.. We meet twice a month to decide how they will make a lasting change in their neighborhood, city or school. The girls' entreprenureism are put to the test.
Some of the girls want to solve animal cruelty in their community. Some of our girls incorporate methods would be to produced a video to inform the community on how best to treat animals and what is considered mistreatment and cruelty of animals. They know that once people are educated about how to treat animals, people will change their behavior and we’ll have an animal-cruelty free world!
Our girls are tackling the violence they see on school campus and in their community. They created a workshop on the causes of violence and ways to prevent it for peers, teachers, parents, guardians, and other members of the community. In order to create long lasting change, the girls would also created a Myspace page to reduce violence among their peers!
The pressures pre- teen girls have to look a certain way. They know that breaking down messages and encouraging girls to celebrate their diverse beauty is a way to combat the idea of prettiness that they see in the media. They created their own media, a video, which celebrates images of diverse girls and women and has tips on how to have a positive body image. They would like to show the video to girls on campus and hope to continue to show the video to more pre-teen girls in order to create a movement of young women who are able to see the beauty in all shapes, colors, and sizes.
One and interesting point the girls made was lack of after school activities for support group networking with peers, the girls would like to have the first after-school support group at their school specifically focused on issues of body image. The girls discuss what a healthy body image is and where they receive messages about how they should look to feel beautiful. They believe this will lead to a higher self esteem and to more success in other aspects of their lives such as academics. They know that better educated young women with confidence will create long lasting change now and in the future.
Our girls are changing the unhealthy eating and exercise habits that they see among their peers. The girls would like to create a "Health and Fitness Awareness Week" at their school where experts in nutrition, yoga, Pilates, and hip-hop dance came out to educate students on healthy eating habits and creative ways to exercise. The girls believe that raising awareness and providing fun ways to stay healthy will encourage students to start making healthier choices early in life.
We conducted a reach out program, in which every month we try to give back to the community , such as in December the girls want to to end the stigma against the homeless youth in their community. They plan to visit the homeless shelters and listened to stories of how young people became homeless. They would create a video of the interviews which showed that the homeless youth have dreams and feelings just like other teenagers. They would show the video at their school and throughout their school district to encourage more understanding and response to the homelessness in their community.
Through the creation, production, and deployment of a documentary video, the girls will educate their peers on the negative impacts of judging others solely based on appearances. The girls used interviews and filmed real-life situations where people judged each other to show the negative impacts of judging, especially on self-esteem.
Our girls believe that a root cause of issues they want to change, like homelessness, unemployment, and violence, is dropping out of school. They know that education is a way to learn about yourself and the world so that you can be a leader in your community. Definitive Education (DEF ED), an organization that promotes hip hop values of acceptance, non-violence, creative self-expression, and physical fitness to teach students to value art and the learning process. With DEF ED, our girls has asked them to help create a video to share positive educational experiences to encourage their peers to stay in school.
PROTECTING OUR INNOCENCE
The Internet is a powerful tool. These girls also know that internet use by young people holds many dangers including adult predators, identity theft situations, and financial scams. To increase Internet regulation and student safety, our girls will hold a Parent and Faculty Conference. They would like to review the district’s policies on Internet use and also showe a video they would make with students interviews and statistics on incidents of unsafe and unregulated Internet use. Finally, the girls would create a training manual for faculty and guardians/parents with tips on safe Internet usage. They believe that students, guardians/parents, and school officials can work together to utilize the power of the Internet in a safe way and prevent youth from becoming victims of dangerous situations.
SHATTERING STEREOTYPES
"Just Because you say I’m A ___, It Doesn’t Mean I’m what you say ____" is these girl's slogan. These girls are tired of the stereotyping they see on campus. They would like to organize assemblies featuring speakers and performers who encouraged students to not judge others based on assumptions. By sharing skills on how to approach people with open minds at a young age, the girls hope to bring people from different backgrounds together to work for positive community change.
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WOMEN POWER LEADERS: WEEK OF WOMEN, WEEK OF POWER
The girls don’t like how girls are treated differently than boys. They know this comes from a lack of awareness of women who are leaders in professional, political and entertainment worlds. They created a week where a different woman was honored every day– from Barbara Lee to Oprah. They spread information through informational pamphlets, skits, and tabling in order to get students and teachers to start viewing girls as the powerful people they are!
In the up and coming months our girls will be creating a webpage where girls can go to discuss issues that are important to them: body image, school, family, friends, relationships, and more. The girls meets regularly to review questions sent to the website and replies with empowering advice. The girls know that they are helping girls around the world to make wise decisions and to feel better about themselves so that they can grow into strong and powerful leaders in their communities.