Heather Latter
The “I Am Awesome! (And I Know It)” self-esteem retreat for young women was exactly that—awesome!
The second-annual event, held this past weekend at Sunny Cove here, saw 70 girls from across the region come together to nurture and develop self-esteem, build confidence, create friendships, and explore areas such as positive body image, peer pressure, media influences, and more.
“It was a great retreat,” enthused director Renée Martin-Brown of Emo.
“I went in a little worried because there were a lot of new faces . . . but it was amazing.”
While the inaugural event was for girls aged 10-14, the target age for this year’s event was expanded to 16.
And Martin-Brown was pleased to see girls of all of those ages taking part.
“The girls were separated into two age groups for all the workshops,” she explained, noting those aged 10-11 were together while those aged 12-16 made up the second group.
They also were grouped into cabins according to age.
“There was a little bit of every kind of personality,” noted Martin-Brown. “We had the very outgoing and the really shy.
“We had the ones that were very creative and ones that were introspective.
“Then there were the girls who were participating eagerly in every workshop,” she added.
“There was an amazing balance,” Martin-Brown said. “Everyone had their time to shine; everyone had their time to speak.”
She noted the girls discovered more about themselves while participating in the various workshops.
Martin-Brown brought on board professional women who taught the participants about drama, music, visual arts, yoga, creative writing, and Internet safety.
They included Paula Wing, Joella Notte, Carrie Shouldice, OPP Cst. Anne McCoy, and Kathy Loney.
As well, guest speaker Kirstan Jewell offered an inspirational message about overcoming adversity.
Meanwhile, an on-site social worker, Rachel Gessie-Ladouceur, addressed topics such as self-esteem, confidence, self-care, coping skills, and healthy relationships (i.e., anti-bullying).
Martin-Brown was pleased to see one participant, in particular, shine through the art project of making Mandala inspirational flags.
“She may have only spoke a handful words a day but she was taking it all in, listening, and participating,” Martin-Brown recalled.
“Her flag was amazing and you could see that’s where her gift was. . . .
“That’s why the program is arts-based so these extroverts can shine in drama or singing,” Martin-Brown added.
“But I realize not every girl is going to be able to step out of that comfort zone,” she reasoned. “We’re all different.
“I have to respect the ones that are shy and need a way to express themselves without having to stand out in a group.”
Martin-Brown also feels the program was able to touch each of the girls in some way.
“I know each of them took something away from it,” she remarked, noting at the end of the retreat, they each answered the question, “What will you carry with from this weekend?”
They wrote their answer on a piece of paper, crumpled it up, and put them in a pile.
Then everyone took a piece of paper and read the responses.
“Their answers were that it’s okay to be different, strength, courage, determination, bravery, being yourself,” Martin-Brown recalled, noting it was a great way to share because no one knew who the thought was from.
“[And] it was a really great assessment tool for me,” she added.
But Martin-Brown also is getting plenty of positive feedback since the weekend ended—from parents saying their daughter announced that it’s okay to be yourself to messages of praise on Facebook.
“The [retreat] was incredible!” wrote one participant. “It was so inspiring to meet all of the gorgeous young women and watch them grow and become more confident in themselves throughout the weekend.
“I learned so much about the importance and relevance of exploring self-empowerment through the arts,” she added.
“Everybody has a story, and everybody has a gift.”
Another noted every girl should have the chance to go.
“It’s so touching, there just isn’t enough words to explain it,” she wrote. “[It’s] such an amazingly awesome weekend.
“I meet some really great people and learned so much about myself.”
“What an extraordinary weekend,” echoed another. “Learned so much, shared so much, and grew so much.”
Even the chaperones enjoyed the weekend.
“Our time together was uplifting, thought-provoking, fun, and definitely inspiring,” one noted.
“I watched strangers meet and make instant connections. You could see ‘lifelong’ friendships being built.
“It warmed my heart.
“These girls were strong and courageous,” she added, noting many of them got up in front of the large crowd and sang karaoke for the first time ever, or shared their poems and artwork with others.
“It was exciting to see them step out of their comfort zone,” she noted.
“I feel so blessed to have been a small part of it.”
Earlier this year, the retreat was named a grand-prize winner in the Aviva Community Fund competition, earning $45,000.
With that money, they were able to expand the program to reach 70 girls, instead of the 20 who attended last year.
“So the impact is greater,” Martin-Brown said. “We are able to reach out to more girls.
“We are able to network them better to meet new friends and other people who might be going through similar struggles,” she added.
The money also is being used to have social workers and mental health workers on-site for the duration of the retreat.
“That was very important and one of the leading things we campaigned for,” said Martin-Brown, noting the social worker was there for just three hours one afternoon last year.
“It wasn’t enough—they need more support than that,” she stressed. “And they need qualified support.”
As per Aviva rules, the $45,000 the retreat won had to be spent on the program for this year. But Martin-Brown also wanted to be able to have some sustainability for the retreat.
“So in our initial submission to the contest, we said we would have the girls do a fundraising component to raise money for girls in future years,” she explained.
And that’s what they did.
While there was no cost for those attending the retreat this year, Martin-Brown asked them to raise a minimum of $300 if they were able to.
“That way, we’ll have money to put forward to next year,” she reasoned, noting the girls together have raised about $15,000.
“I’m very impressed with their dedication.”
Martin-Brown said many worked hard all summer holding garage sales, bakes sales, lemonade stands, tag days, and bottles drives.
She’s hoping they’ll be able to come up with another $25,000 in fundraising so they can keep the event the same for next year.
“We were granted such a beautiful weekend whether-wise,” she added, so they’ve already booked Sunny Cove for the same weekend next year (Sept. 24-27).
As such, Martin-Brown is looking for ways to come up with additional funds, such as seeking out corporate sponsors, donations, and fundraising ideas.
“We are partnered with the OPP Youth Foundation and they are a charity, so any donations that come in over $20 receive a charitable tax receipt,” she said.
“We want this program to succeed,” Martin-Brown stressed.
“We believe it is a huge benefit for our community, and the girls in our community, to build leaders, to help them succeed in their peer groups, and to know they can stand up for each other and themselves.”
Registration for next year’s retreat will open in May.
More information about the retreat can be found by visiting the “I Am Awesome! (And I Know It)” Facebook page or www.i-am-awesome.ca
