The Girls' LEAP mission depends on long-term commitments, and, to guarantee success, demands room to grow. Part of the focus of our organization is to foster in girls a sense of devotion to a project larger than themselves, about which they can care passionately. That is to say, the lessons that our younger participants learn during our 20-hour program schedule are only one half of the Girls' LEAP picture: just as crucial to our mission are the dozens of young women and teenagers we employ to conduct programs and implement our powerful curriculum. As these women teach skills to build confidence in participants, Girls' LEAP Teen Mentors and Teaching Women experience tremendous personal growth themselves, recognizing their own power to act as effective catalysts for change in their communities. Ultimately, by inspiring girls and young women to value their safety, champion their well-being, and think critically about the messages they receive from the media and their peers, Girls' LEAP challenges its beneficiaries to resist systemic violence, and embrace a network of empowerment: participants, inspired, return years later to become Teen Mentors and Teaching Women, and train girls in the skills which once transformed their own lives.
And so, Girls' LEAP does more than empower girls and young women to face daily challenges with self-respect, confidence, and compassion—it offers them a supportive community of women, and teaches girls to value the power which an organized and respectful approach to social challenges can have on neighborhoods. “Girls' LEAP,” says one Teen Mentor, “feels like a family to me . . . . We all share a power ful belief in what we're doing. When I teach a program, the girls help me learn. Every girl should have that chance.” This dream, however, depends on Girls' LEAP’s continued growth. The more girls we reach, the larger this family grows—and the less isolated, more empowered girls in this family will become.
Click here to be a part of this vision by contributing to the growth of Girls' LEAP Self-Defense (through the secure Girls' LEAP Paypal account).
No comments:
Post a Comment