Heather Latter
After having accomplished in her life what she expected she would, such as starting her own business teaching music, getting married, and having children, Renée Martin-Brown still wasn’t satisfied with the impact she had left on the world.
She kept asking herself, “How am I going to make a difference?”
Martin-Brown realized through teaching music for the past 15 years that she has been able to inspire young people.
“I like that I get to build up their confidence and encourage them to put their selves out there,” she remarked.
“I know that I’m passionate about connecting with my students, and making them believe that they are valued and respected and confident and worth the effort,” she added.
“That’s important to me.”
So while speaking with a group of women from the program “The Sisterhood of Reinvention,” the idea of a retreat came up and Martin-Brown knew that was what she wanted to do: plan a self-esteem retreat for young women.
“It was in one moment that I thought that is what I’m supposed to be doing,” she enthused.
So Martin-Brown has spent the last month putting together the “I Am Awesome! (And I Know It!)” retreat for girls aged 10-14, which will take place Sept. 26-29 at Hanson’s Hideaway Lodge in Nestor Falls.
“My vision is that this weekend will nurture and develop self-esteem while exploring areas such as positive body image, peer pressure, confidence-building, exploring emotions, media influences, and much more,” she explained, noting the girls will discover more about themselves while participating in various workshops.
Martin-Brown has brought on board professional women who will teach the young women about drama, music, visual arts, yoga, creative writing, spirituality, and healthy cooking.
The presenters include Sylvie Matthews (discovering your passions), Kathy Loney (yoga), Katherine Williams (drama), Wendy Turcott (visual arts), Bethany Bullock (self-esteem education), Carrie Shouldice (creative writing and journaling), Diane Clifford (discovering spirituality, faith, hope, and love), and Maureen Hanson (healthy cooking).
“I’ve gone to women who inspire me and are experts at what they do,” Martin-Brown noted.
“And we’ve come together to provide this amazing experience for these girls so that when they leave, this weekend has changed their life.
“That’s my goal,” she continued. “I know that we can do that. I know that we will be able to touch them in some way.
“One of these workshops will be the one that connects with them.”
Martin-Brown conceded the participants might not like every workshop on the agenda, but the point is to find the one that speaks to them.
“We’re going to find the one that makes you think this is what I love, this is what I’m good at, this is where I’m going to put my efforts and my passions,” she vowed, adding it’s important that young women have a place to go where they know they excel at something.
“I think the ones who don’t feel like they are good at anything are the ones who get lost on the way.”
Martin-Brown said these young people then turn to negative things and seek negative attention. So instead, she wants the girls at the retreat to focus on something positive.
“I want them to know they have something positive to offer the world,” she stressed. “That they don’t need to take other people’s perceptions of who they are.
“They know what they are and are confident in who they are.”
There also will be a special musical guest at the retreat—Shy-Anne Hovorka, an award-winning songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and performer.
“She is such an advocate for our youth, aboriginal youth and all youth,” Martin-Brown noted.
“She wants to see these young girls succeed. She’s passionate about instilling confidence in these young women. . . .
“She’s a Northwestern Ontario girl who is going places and working hard to make her dreams become a reality,” Martin-Brown added.
“And I knew the minute I saw her name that that is who I needed to have.”
Hovorka will offer a private concert for the retreat participants on the Friday night.
Martin-Brown noted the “I Am Awesome! (And I Know It!)” retreat will take place in Nestor Falls, where all the girls can come together for the weekend.
“You don’t go home—you come, you stay, we eat, we share, we laugh,” she explained, adding everything is held at the one location.
And it will be held in the fall just after school starts up again.
“When these girls are facing all those difficult moments again, making new peers, starting a new year, and trying to find their way, that I thought September might be the right time to revitalize their soul and get them set for the upcoming year,” she reasoned.
Martin-Brown is hoping girls will attend from across the region.
“It’s my vision to have a handful of girls from the Rainy River District and then throughout Northwestern Ontario, including Dryden, Kenora, Red Lake, as far east as Thunder Bay and as for west as Winnipeg, as well as the southeastern region of Manitoba,” she noted.
“I want the girls to network with other people from other areas, and to build long-lasting friendships with people they might not have ever known.”
Martin-Brown feels the ages of 10-14 is appropriate for what she has set out to do.
“They’ll basically be in Grades 5-9 and I’d like to reach them earlier than later, before they get to high school, so that they have confidence and good decision-making abilities,” she remarked.
“To ensure they are comfortable in their own skin before they get to this big world of high school that has more influences and more chance of losing their way.”
The weekend will see the girls sleeping in cabins. And while the presenters won’t stay for the whole weekend, Martin-Brown has several chaperones and youth mentors lined up who will be on hand.
“It’s going to be the youth mentors who I think will really connect with the girls,” she remarked.
“I know that the 10-year-olds are not going to tell me their deepest feelings, but they are going to connect with someone who is 16 or 17 because they look up to them.”
Martin-Brown will be accepting 35 girls for this year’s retreat and spaces already have begun to fill up.
Registration can be completed online at the retreat’s website at www.i-am-awesome.ca
