Girl Powerful Self-Care Summit Series

During the pandemic, Gen Z was the labeled the generation trapped in their bedrooms. GP knows that female youth's mental health is an issue. First pandemic related studies reported that 7 out of 10 teens are struggling with their mental health in some way, with 43% of teens feeling depressed, over 50% having anxiety and 20% reported having suicidal thoughts. (Statistic Site: National 4-H Council) This isn't news to us, as we work with youth / foster youth every week and they use Girl Powerful as a safe space to talk about their emotions with GP counselors and their peers. We hear straight from their mouths that they feel lonely, isolated, suffocated and anxious about their futures. Youth are missing out on their social support systems and feeling of belonging, they are being unable to celebrate milestones, family life and abuse has been magnified and over 2 million youth went missing from school due to inequities in our communities.

We are all living day-to-day right now and Girl Powerful teaches youth that they have the power to be in control of their mental health. Girl Powerful strongly believes that movement and self-care is the biggest mental health tool to manage stress, allow emotions to come and go and feel emotionally supported. Girl Powerful Summits empower tween and teen girls to take care of themselves by teaching Girl Powerful Journal self-reflective journal exercises and discussions, positive self-talk, movement, meditation, writing, cooking, etc. lessons, giving the girls tools to carry with them throughout their entire lives. Not only will girls learn how to take care of their bodies, but they will know how to take care of their minds, by learning SEL tools that help process emotions, build self-esteem, communicate with others, make healthy decisions and practice self-love. A Girl Powerful parent who received a scholarship in February 2021 said, “My daughter Alex really enjoyed the Girl Powerful Summit because they gave her a lot of tools to help her stay positive. They showed her how to self love, how to remind herself every morning that she’s enough, how to use “I am” statements and how fitness is not just good for your body but it keeps you grounded and centered. I appreciate what you do. It’s amazing. Thank you” - Evelin Rojas Girl Powerful also works with foster youth through DCFS and ChildHelp, giving ALL girls the opportunity to feel seen, valued and heard.

Expand existing project, program, or initiative

LA County will be different by giving tween and teen girls access to Girl Powerful's virtual self-care summits because it will teach Gen Z that they have the power to change their mood, mindset and outcome by being in charge of their own health. Girls are able to safely register that it feels good to acknowledge their feelings instead of turning to drugs, alcohol, emotional eating or self-harm. Girl Powerful is also a resource for parents, educators and social workers. GP received this email from a parent and now her daughter is heavily involved and benefitting from the program. “My 16 year old daughter is currently going through depression and suffering from anxiety. Through all these years, she has struggled but now during the pandemic things have become more difficult. She lost interest in school and she was not able to pass all her classes. She doesn't motivation, cannot focus and feels overwhelmed. I honestly do not know how to help my daughter anymore.” Girl Powerful helped.

Girl Powerful measures the impact of the Girl Powerful Self-Care Summit by multiple factors. The impact of this project will go as follows: - Project Management: Keeping the project on track to ensure that as many tween and teen girls are in attendance to benefit from the series. This includes reaching out to schools, community centers, DCFS, ChildHelp, and community partners such as Athleta Girl and the Girl Scouts to raise awareness of events. - Participant Questionnaire: Each participant will fill out a post event questionnaire relating to their self-esteem and participation in Girl Powerful activities. - Quality: The end of a project phase is a good time for a quality review, tracking participant attendance, growth, testimonials from participants and parents. - Feedback: Collect reports from social workers and counselors who work directly with the foster youth who are in attendance. Girl Powerful also collects feedback from Girl Powerful mentors.

Social and emotional support