Be a voice for young women

Our local newspaper contacted me today about our photo-shoots- they want to run a story. It’s so very exciting. They are interveiwing me on Friday.

We are conducting the first of 6 photo shoots tomorrow. We have a bunch of girls coming to the cafe to shoot a party scene. This shoot will hopefully produce a poster suitable for challenging negative mindsets in social settings. I’m very excited- we are going to film a little as well and maybe turn it into a documentry.

I have formed a core team to work on a local project. Just the other day I was reading the Dove 2005 international study on beauty concepts and stereotypes. I only made it to page 6 before I had organised 6 photo shoots, $1000 funding, a photographer and an art concepts team. One stat stood out so dramatically:

2/3 0f women aged 15-60 odd have restricited themself from accessing some sort of opportunity because of how they feel about themselves….......

Not acceptable.

So- we are doing a series of photoshoots to develop into posters and postcards to distribute to our local schools. We have generated so much interest already!!!!!!!!!!!!!

on the phone earlier. This was nice because things have been a little uncomfortable between us lately. She asked me if she ‘had changed’ because people in her life were making that comment. I just assured her that change was inevitable and that I expected her change because that is the nature of life. My position with her is to remain fairly neutral on some things and trust her decisions as a young woman. I am determined not to add to the choruses of voices that all have agendas and want to pull her in a certain direction. I know she is in a bit of a spot- she feels the strain of alleigence towards church and then towards me. I’m not going to try and win her affection.

I love her dearly… this is what a parent must feel like. I really want to tell her what to do…but resist. She reminds me of me 10 years ago- putting legs on her faith. As easy as it would be for me to step in I know she has got to learn, live and experience for herself. I will guide her and share my thoughts when invited.

I just love Elle. She is such a lovely girls who holds endless potential. She emailed me this photo from the slumber party.

I gave out disposable cameras today at the school. I’m getting the girls to take photos from their position in the world. I will organise an exhibit called “Life through my eyes”.

I was on talk back radio on the weekend. Carter Edwards (no relation…just this guy who’s been around the showbiz traps for years) had breakfast at the coffee house on Saturday and got talking to Russ about the foundation, future plans, dreams and so on. Russ told him about my Condo trip and different plans (including girls initiatives) and he wanted to interveiw me. The next evening we went over to his house to chat about how to get the foundation off the ground…it’s all ticking away.

We held the slumber party on the weekend. About 18 girls attended. Sleep: 3 hours tops for me. Pizza: 11. Entertainment: Singstar, a treasure hunt that led the girls to old chest filled (I mean brimming with slumber party loot) with lollies, Dvds, coke, novelties and much more, chocolate making, games, magazines…anything girly. Morgan and Elle blessed me with a hand picked bunch of flowers. The girls were very grateful for the evening. They raised over $500 for girls in seira leone…go girls

I’ve organised a slumber party for the Gorokan High girls this Friday night. We are staying in the library and I’m planning on supplying all of the usual slumber party fun- dares, pizza, girly movies… you know. But I want to create a moment…I’m not sure how. A moment that will live in the hearts and minds of these girls for decades. I want to inspire them to live with purpose, imagination and most importantly for others. I have a couple of ideas cooking…I’ll see what happens. I only have a couple of days to organise this though.

This is my passion! One of the instrumental reasons for my existance. I am moved everytime I see a young woman ripped off-a young woman who lowers her dignity, who walks with her eyes cast to the ground, who self harms, who takes her crown off, who cowers in fear, who sells her worth…it breaks my heart. My most “defining moment” (for lack of a better term) was when 14 year old Sandy Kaine took her own life some ten years ago. Sandy was three grades below me at school, she was bright, popular and pretty. Unexpectantly she hung herself. Two weeks later her boyfriend responded in the same manner. I was, to say the least outraged- not at this beautiful young woman, but at the situation. This moment was pivital. Deeply pained I vowed to myself that her short precious life would not be in vain. So….ten years on I labour for this… I’m sure this goal won’t be ticked off in a hurry, but I will make it a life pursuit. This is what I’m doing in the short term: 1. I run a lunch time drop in program for young women at a local highschool once a week. 2. I’m going to start working on an awareness film to take into the schools 3. I’m setting up my myspace to be a networking tool for young women…these are my baby steps