I spent this weekend with 20 lovely young ladies and 10 other Volunteers at a girls empowerment camp. We had a lot of fun doing charlas about teen pregnancy, HIV/AIDS, gender roles, gossip as well as a mask painting art activity, dancing, swimming, and singing around a campfire while cooking S’mores. Yum!
I was inspired by the camp. I taught the charla on teen pregnancy, emphasizing to these girls that they have the power to say “No,” to demand contraceptives, to wait to have sex. I gave each girl a “pregnancy test” (a popsicle stick with either a plus or minus) and told them that their lives were about to change. What are they going to do if they’re pregnant? After the results were handed out, we had a discussion about the consequences of one mistake, one night, and we discussed how they would care for a baby, how their futures would change, and then we discussed how they can prevent pregnancy for real. As I was telling them how strong they are, how beautiful and powerful they are, I realized that this is what I want to do. I want to start some youth groups and really help inspire teenagers in my community to make healthy decisions.
I brought two girls, and I asked them if they had fun after the camp. They both smiled widely. I asked my host-cousin, who was a little reluctant about going because she's so shy, if she made any new friends. She said she made 18 good, new friends... Mission accomplished.
I had spent the weekend laughing and feeling a sense of purpose. I really cared, and it was magical.
Wonderful! :) I'm so happy that you're defining what you want to do. This sounds like a beautiful experience :)
ReplyDelete