Empower a Middle School Girl

April 2022

Greetings Friends of 4GIRLS Organization, 

We’re back!!  April 2^nd, 2022 was our first in-person workshop in two years! The excitement proved worthy of the long wait to inspire and empower middle school girls and we delivered a rock-solid program to boost self-esteem, promote healthy lifestyles, and develop personal skills for real life success.  Masks were optional and Covid protocols were in place to make sure it was a safe and successful 4GIRLS experience.

It all started in January with a change in leadership on the Board.  After two years in the top role, Yesmean Rhibany handed the baton to Gail Schwandner, who became president of 4GIRLS Board effective January 1, 2022.   We also welcomed three (3) new board members; Kimberly Mendez, Robin Gordon Peterson and Rochelle Manns, who bring their expertise in outreach, fundraising, and social media to the 4GIRLS team.  The workshop theme word “UNSTOPPABLE” was selected and the Workshop Committee got to work planning the 12^th Annual Workshop, including dates, venues, logistics, content, curriculum, guest speakers/presenters, and the recruitment of participants, mentors and junior mentors.

Our Junior Mentor Program has remained alive and well with monthly business zoom meetings, empowerment events, and social media campaigns to keep 4GIRLS organization up front and relevant for our middle school audience.  For the first time, we partnered with the Junior League, a Long Beach nonprofit whose mission aligns closely with ours, to present a leadership module in their Especially Me Program for 5^th grade girls.  The activity was planned and delivered by our Junior Mentors at their empowerment workshop on March 5^th.  

Those who were not involved directly planning the 4GIRLS Workshop or the Junior Mentor events were busy with the 4GIRLS Flea Market fundraiser, an online auction, which was held in the beginning of February to raise funds for the workshop. Thanks to our many supporters, we raised $7,000 to use for the event, which is and always has been 100% free to the participants.

Our Unstoppable Workshop on April 2^nd was a huge success.  We inspired and empowered 81girls from 19 schools in 5 school districts, as well as private schools and home study programs in the Long Beach and surrounding areas. Our 6^th, 7^th, and 8^th grade girls participated in Vision Journaling, Nia body movement and expression, break-out sessions on body neutrality, circle of influence, and the high school experience presented by three teams of Junior Mentors.  Besides being unstoppable, the girls now saw themselves as resilient, confident, and authentic.  After the workshop, a 7^th grader said, “I love my body and now think of myself with positive words.”  One of our 6^th graders shared her word with everyone on a microphone, saying, “I learned to be confident and I’m worth it.”   Another said, “The workshop taught me all the good things about myself.”  And the response of an 8^th grader when asked what she learned remind us why we do this in the first place.  “I can do anything without being scared and afraid of failure.”  Yes, you can.

We thank our 4GIRLS community for their support of our work, and extend our best wishes as we continue to inspire and empower the girls in our lives. Our next empowerment event is a Self Defense class in May, which will carry forward the message to all that we are UNSTOPPABLE.  

Sincerely,

The 4GIRLS Board of Directors