POWERFUL TOGETHER
BI-WEEKLY NEWSLETTER
January 28, 2021
New Year, New Hope
With the new year, we are at the beginning of a new phase of the pandemic; one marked by the rollout of vaccines. This roll-out will likely be impacting you at different times and in different ways. We are advocating equitable access to the vaccine. We need to protect our health and the health of our community. This is an important step in lifting our community and us out of the pandemic.
ORGANIZATION ANNOUNCEMENT
Thank YOU!!
To everyone who donated to Girl Are Powerful and helped us meet our end of the year goal, THANK YOU! We are so grateful for you and your support. Because we reached our goal, we were able to unlock match funding from Otto Bremer. This means that in 2021, we can continue to offer the outstanding programs you’ve come to expect from GRP. Our supporters mean the world to us. Thank you for all that you do to make this a more equitable world!
Our Mother-Daughter Event Starts February 6
Thank you to everyone who signed up for our upcoming Mother-Daughter Event. We’re so excited to get started and hope you are too! “Anchoring Our Love and Strength” is full of powerful sessions and amazing speakers who will help mothers/caregivers and their girls bond through discussion, movement, learning, and quality time. This event will be different than in years past since it will be virtual, but we still have an amazing speaker line up. Follow this link to learn more about this event.
Girls Are Powerful’s Plans for 2021
This year we have some exciting new projects in the works:
- New Curriculum! Thanks to the Saint Paul Foundation, we are revamping our curriculum to put it online, making it more accessible to girls everywhere. We will be working with the University of Minnesota to make it happen.
- Peer Mentor Program Pilot. Girls deserve mentors who demonstrate the different ways women can break free from stereotypes and be strong, smart, bold and powerful. The Girls Are Powerful Peer Mentor Program will afford young girls the opportunity to explore their interests and discover new passions. We are looking forward to launching this pilot program tentatively scheduled for Q2 2021.
- 2nd Summer of Power. This past summer, we piloted our Summer of Power activity box program, and it was a huge success. We are excited to announce that we will be holding another Summer of Power this year! Keep your eye out for registration in April/May.
- Girls Are Powerful is writing a children’s’ book! Get a sneak peek of the story by completing our short survey and providing your feedback. This survey is for parents / caregivers and their daughters, so get together and enjoy our new GRP story! Sign up to join us here.
Girls Are Powerful Seeks New Board Members
We are currently seeking passionate, dedicated and committed individuals to strengthen our team as board members. Board members help steer the organization towards a sustainable future by adopting sound, ethical, and legal governance and financial management policies, as well as making sure the nonprofit has adequate resources to advance its mission. Join our Board Service Open House to learn more about this opportunity, hear about our organization and the direction of our work. Start the application process here and get notified about the date for Board Service Open House.
Girls Are Powerful in the News
- Watch our CEO and a member of our Youth Advisory Board here: Conversations w/ Al McFarlane: COVID-19 TOWN HALL
- Herself360 shared our story, check it out: Girls are Powerful; Shawntan Howell
Upcoming Feature:
Raising Nourished Girl interview series
GRP’s CEO will be speaking on a free interview series focused on providing practical and useful tips and guidance for how to support, nourish, inspire and educate the “Whole Pre-Teen/Teen Girl” (and their mom) in the areas of health, empowerment, body confidence, self-esteem, puberty, periods, nutrition and overall wellness. Sign up to hear from other doctors, nutrition experts, fitness coaches and more!
Our hard work, sacrifice, and commitment to our communities has helped change the pandemic’s trajectory and saved lives. One year into this pandemic, we know that improvements are tenuous. If we let our guard down, COVID-19 finds a way to surge back in terrifying ways – and we’re starting to see that happen in other parts of the country and the world.
Community Spread Continues
At current levels of community spread, there is still a significant risk of you coming into contact with someone who has COVID-19 when you are at a gathering of multiple people from outside your own household. It’s important to wear a mask and stay 6 feet from others when you are out in the community (such as when grocery shopping, going for a walk, standing in line for takeout, etc.). These precautions apply to people who have already been vaccinated, too.
Who’s Getting Vaccinated?
At this time, Minnesota is only receiving 60,000 doses of vaccine per week. With a population of 5.6 million, that’s just 1 percent of the supply needed. We encourage Minnesotans to remain patient as more vaccine arrives in the weeks and months ahead. Right now, people in group 1A are getting vaccinated. Those are health care workers and long-term care residents and staff. 1B will be next, people 65+ and essential frontline workers.
February = Family and Friends Appreciation Month!
This February, we are taking the time to recognize and express our appreciation for our family and friends. We’ve all been through a lot together these past few months. Sometimes, in stressful situations ( like a pandemic) it’s easy to take people for granted. Take a moment this month to tell the important people in your life how much you care about them!
“I’ve learned that family and friends are who make us who we are today and without them, we would never be complete,”
Wonder Person
Madam Vice President has a pretty nice ring to it, don’t you think? Last week the U.S. officially inaugurated the first woman Vice President! We are so inspired by Kamala Harris’ journey to the vice presidency and are so empowered to see a strong and powerful woman hold that seat. She broke a long-standing glass ceiling by becoming the first female vice president, making it easier for others to follow in her footsteps. We are so inspired by her.
At the most recent YAB meeting, the girls defined the values of the group. They established the 6Cs of the YAB: Creativity, Courage, Confidence, Compassion, Commitment, & Conscientious. These values will provide guidance when selecting projects, designing campaigns, and bringing in guest speakers.
Over the next month, the YAB is working on developing new projects that will help their communities through this difficult time. We will share new updates soon. We also have had two new members and are excited to introduce them to you!
Mask Donations
The Youth Advisory Board recently made a number of custom masks and donated them to Mary’s Place. Mary’s Place is a transitional shelter that helps families with two or more children. The YAB felt these families could use a little extra support and some fun masks during this time of year.
Listen to all three YAB playlists!
The cloud, water, and earth playlists are ready to share! Last fall, YAB shared that they used music to help them get through hard patches during quarantine. Out of this conversation, the cloud, water, and earth playlists were born and it has been a highly loved project. Each playlist consists of roughly 15 songs and are geared towards a specific mood. Check them out!
Head in the clouds? Hone in on your creativity and find your unique tune while listening to the Youth Advisory Board’s Cloud playlist on Spotify! https://spoti.fi/38U0hQf
Get movin! Listen to the Youth Advisory Board’s water playlist on Spotify to calm your storms or whenever you need that extra push in your day to get moving after sitting still! https://spoti.fi/35JMZUm
Bring on the good vibes – life on earth! Tune in to ground yourself and find your inner beauty with the Youth Advisory Board’s Earth playlist on Spotify. https://spoti.fi/2UHiZ57