"This programme has really taught me the power of girls and women and how capable they are of planning out and achieving their goals." – Emily, 12
"Inspiring and guiding girls to reach their highest potential"
Programme Description: REALgirl workshops are dedicated to inspiring and guiding girls ages 9-16 to discover their authentic selves and develop the skills, knowledge, confidence and courage they need to consistently make informed life-choices from a place of self-knowledge, self-respect and strength.
The content of the program fills in crucial gaps that might be missed at home and at school with regard to central issues and essential life skills every girl/young woman needs for healthy maturation, development, formation of healthy relationships and the opportunity to reach her own unique and highest potential.
These include:
Tools for self-reflection and discovery
Identification and appreciation of her unique strengths
Awareness and trust in her instincts and intuitive wisdom
Problem-solving and goal-setting
Awareness of her capacity to take charge of her life
Leadership skills
Body knowledge and appreciation
Critical analysis tools to filter media and societal messages
Tools for creating healthy relationships with herself and others
Assertive communication, boundary-setting, and self-defense
"This is an amazing programme that leads you on a path of self-discovery and self-respect. We learnt to love ourselves, improve our relationships, and build and remove shields." - Nadia, 15
The Programme:
Discovering Your Real Self & Creating Your Own Path
The all-important first module is dedicated to introducing the girls to the structure and routines of the workshop, encouraging them to think about who they are today, their personal values and how they are expressing those values (or not) out in the world. Through art and discussion girls begin to identify who they are as unique, valuable individuals. In Creating Your Own Path we focus is on each girl's capacity to create her own path and the power and support that can be drawn from being part of a group of girls/women. Through simple meditation, discussion, and the creation of vision boards, girls set intentions and begin to identify the path they wish to create and the tools they will need to do so.
Media, Body Image & Gender Roles
Girls receive a ‘crash course’ on media literacy and then utilize the skills and tools that have been introduced. Using powerful videos and mainstream teenage and fashion magazines girls use their knowledge to flag all offenses they find against girls’ and women’s self-esteem. Our goal is to heighten their awareness and guide them to develop their own internal filter so they are less susceptible to trying to meet impossible and literally ‘unreal’ standards set by various forms of media. Girls are guided to identify their perceived gender roles and acceptable or expected behaviors for boys/men and girls/women, as dictated by both society and the media. Fairy tales are also addressed at length to show participants that, even from a young age, the media has been conditioning them to see themselves as ‘damsels in distress’ waiting to be saved rather than ‘saving’ themselves and creating their own ‘happily ever after.’
Your Female Body & A Healthy You
Focus is on developing an appreciation for the powerful and unique qualities of the female body. Girls are educated about their menstrual cycle as a 28-30 day cycle that impacts the way they perceive and interact with the world every day as their hormones shift, and the various strengths they have in each phase of their cycle. We also create body maps that the girls adorn artistically as a way of showing appreciation for the many ways our bodies serve us. We focus on ways in which we can treat our bodies with respect. We educate the girls about the importance and impact of nutrition and exercise including how food and exercise impact our body, our brain and its ability to focus, our emotional balance and being our best selves.
Creating Healthy Relationships With Yourself & Others
Girls are guided to recognise that a healthy relationship with yourself is a pre-requisite to creating healthy relationships with others. We provide tools to create and maintain this foundational relationship. We then explore red flags of unhealthy relationships through discussion and role play. Tools for assertive communication, boundary setting and conflict resolution are provided and practiced. Dating violence is discussed and explored with girls 13 and older.
Using Your Voice (+ Completion ceremony from Program)
This module is designed to teach participants to avoid becoming a victim through keeping both their body and voice strong. A self-defense guest expert joins us to teach participants basic self-defense techniques. Girls are also guided to become aware of how to demonstrate confidence with body language, making them less likely to be targets of bullying or an attack of any sort. Participants are also taken through a presentation on past and present female pioneers (these include women from different countries that have been leaders and innovators in their field) and are shown the importance of being bold, creative and independent.
***Each module ends with a ‘lifework’ assignment to help solidify the new ideas, skills and tools introduced that day. Lifework is always due at the next session and more than anything, requires self-reflection on the part of each participant. Life work is not formally given in one-day intensives.
Testimonials:
"This programme has really taught me the power of girls and women and how capable they are of planning out and achieving their goals." – Emily, 12
"I feel like I have become more confident and less shy. I also liked how we talked about women being powerful. By the end of the programme I could really see this." - Taylor, 15
"This is an amazing programme that leads you on a path of self-discovery and self-respect. We learnt to love ourselves, improve our relationships, and build and remove shields." - Nadia, 15
"This workshop helped me feel better about myself!" – Sarah, 10
"The memories I have made here will travel with me the rest of my life." - Victoria, 14
"This has been the best workshop I've ever been to. It is such an inspiration to all women and girls." - Brooke, 13
"It made me aware and inspired to spread awareness about the media's portrayal of women." - Quyen, 11
"I got to the last day and I was so sad I couldn't keep going." - Christina, 13
I loved creating the body maps because most people judge their body. Creating a body map helps you think, "Wow! My body's AMAZING!" Thank you for the best week of my life!" -Nettie, 9