Staff
Renée Martin-Brown is looking for your help to get her idea—the“I Am Awesome! (And I Know It!)” retreat for young women—into the semi-final round of the Aviva Community Fund competition.
The retreat, which ran for the first time Sept. 26-29 in Nestor Falls, is vying for a share of the $1 million being offered.
Martin-Brown’s submission currently is in “Round 2” after missing out on clinching a semi-final berth in “Round 1” by just seven spots.
But she has another chance in “Round 2.”
The top 10 submissions in each category will earn a place in the semi-finals.
“But it’s all based on voting, so I’m encouraging everyone to vote,” Martin-Brown stressed, noting people can vote once a day from each e-mail address they have.
The retreat currently is ranked fourth in the “small” category.
“But we really need daily votes in order to keep us in the top 10,” she urged.
“New ideas from larger communities are coming in daily and could bump us out quite quickly,” she warned.
As the only submission from the Rainy River District, Martin-Brown is hoping to gain support from across the district and beyond.
“[The retreat] is a weekend retreat that nurtures positive self-esteem and confidence in young women aged 10-14,” she explained.
Throughout the weekend, girls have the opportunity to explore areas such as positive body image, peer pressure, confidence-building, bullying, understanding emotions, media influences, and much more.
“The girls will discover more about themselves while participating in various workshops throughout the weekend,” Martin-Brown added, noting these include drama, music, visual arts, yoga, creative writing, internet safety, and healthy cooking.
She indicated winning a portion of the Aviva prize money would help to ensure this program continues here for many years to come.
“Funding would help to bring in qualified educators and presenters, as well as to help offset the cost of having a social worker on site for the whole weekend and not just one afternoon,” she explained.
“Funding would also help to offset the cost of the retreat so that it would be more affordable for parents, opening up more opportunities for girls in the district to participate.
“I am passionate about instilling confidence and positive self-esteem, and I want every young woman to know that they are unique, valued, and worth the effort,” Martin-Brown added.
Vote for the retreat each day until Nov. 4 by visiting www.avivacommunityfund.org/ideas/acf17336
If the submission does not make it into the semi-finals in this round, it will have a third (and final) attempt from Nov. 11-25.
