Girls Own and Use their Power at 2021 CAMP!
By Courtney Vujcich, LMSW
“We will ignite our power! We are girls and we’re gonna own it!” screams a full cafeteria of 3rd-8th grade girls in unison, leading dance moves alongside CAMP counselors on stage, covered head to toe in feather boas and wacky socks for color team spirit day! And truly, that’s what these girls did. Own (and Use). Their. Power!
Own Your Power: Find Your Voice
During the first of two week-long camps for girls in grades 3-8 this past July, titled “Own Your Power: Find Your Voice,” girls ignited the belief in their own abilities, discovering and celebrating their unique power through exploring their personal values and identity, learning about self-compassion and stress management, and building meaningful and lasting connection with their peers.
"CAMP at Girls Empowerment Network is a powerful, magical, and welcoming space. I witnessed many girls come in as strangers and scared to interact with peers, but by the end they left as confident girls who formed new bonds and meaningful friendships,” reflects Erika Martinez, Senior Program Coordinator at Girls Empowerment Network.
And of course, no Girls Empowerment Network CAMP would be complete without the highly anticipated and fun-filled annual CAMP Talent Show, filled with cartwheels, magic tricks, jokes, and many confident girls sharing their skills with their peers!
“CAMP is such a unique and magical environment. One of my favorite events is the talent show, girls work on their performances from singing, dancing to magic tricks all week long and by the end of the week girls are feeling so confident that they perform to their greatest ability. I love that girls feel so powerful, and we can see that through the magic of their performances,” shares Girls Empowerment Network Program Manager Adreayn Torrez.
From creating empowering flower power crowns and magic mindful jars, to learning how to create, develop, market, and present their own business marketing plans, girls built their skills! However, there was no shortage of energy and excitement for building friendship and connection with girls in-person after a long COVID-19 absence.
According to Girls Empowerment Network Program Director Chloé LaPorte, LCSW, “This year CAMP was our first in-person program in 15 months since the start of the pandemic. It was evident that girls were excited to be back reconnecting and building new friendships, playing games, and rehearsing acts for the talent show. CAMP is a magical experience where girls get to grow their self-efficacy in a super fun and welcoming environment where everyone cheers each other on.”
Use Your Power: Be an Awesome Advocate
During the second camp, “Use Your Power: Be an Awesome Advocate,” new and returning CAMPers alike were able to take and build upon their personal power and learn ways to utilize their personal power to advocate for issues they care about. We gave them opportunities to use their voice to create meaningful change in their communities and beyond!
Girls were challenged to explore and communicate their values and identity and use two of the Girls Empowerment Network Six Cs to Self Efficacy, critical thinking and creativity, to learn about democracy, voting rights and social justice issues.
Girls even had the opportunity to learn from real leaders and activists close to their own age from their community in Central Texas! A few high school Spark Change Facilitators employed by the Spark Change Project (SCP) paid a very special visit to show girls how they’ve been able to use their power to advocate for issues they’re passionate about, even testifying during the 2021 Texas Legislative Session at the Capitol!
The Spark Change Project is collaboration between Girls Empowerment Network and The Excellence and Advancement Foundation, which aims to center girls of color as leaders in advocacy, who discover their activist voices, and galvanize their peers to engage in their own passions for positive social change.
Building Self-Efficacy and Resilience for Girls
We know girls benefit from mental health support to cope with the stresses of life and adolescence. A strong foundation that builds up girls’ self-efficacy helps them thrive in the world they live in. An evaluation of Girls Empowerment Network’s programming shows girls make measurable gains in Our Six Cs of Self-Efficacy, helping more girls improve their skills and be more resilient long-term.
During Spring 2021, adolescent suspected suicide attempt ER visits among girls increased 50 percent, compared to a similar period in 2019. Other researchers report during the pandemic one in four children and adolescents experienced depression and one in five experienced anxiety, compared to approximately one in ten prior to the pandemic.
Giving girls a strong belief in themselves helps them to persevere in the face of challenges and be resilient in times of crisis and trauma. Higher perceived self-efficacy is associated with a lower incidence of developing posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after trauma, a high level of self-efficacy correlated negatively with posttraumatic stress symptoms, and researchers believe a high level of self-efficacy is protective when coping with trauma overall. Emerging findings from the COVID-19 pandemic show children and youth with greater self-efficacy had fewer depressive symptoms during the pandemic.
Kudos from CAMP parents
Even parents were glad to see girls connecting with one another in person again at CAMP.
“It was so good for her to make it to CAMP. She NEEDED it and it sparked her to be more confident and comfortable in her own skin. I love how Girls Empowerment Network feeds her soul.”
Mark Your Calendar for Summer CAMP
It is not too early to start thinking about plans for summer CAMP for girls in grades 3-8. We will be posting registration in early 2022 for June and July camps. Each one-week CAMP runs Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. and takes place in Austin, Texas. Sign up on our wait list now to be notified when 2022 CAMP registration opens.
Courtney Vujcich, LMSW, is a Texas-based social worker and Program Manager at Girls Empowerment Network and based out of its Central Texas office. She loves that just one girl knowing what she is capable of can really have the power to transform her community, and her power can cascade to create micro level and macro level change.