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POWERFUL TOGETHER
BI-WEEKLY NEWSLETTER

November 18, 2020

STAY SAFE 

We’re in the middle of another, even tougher wave of COVID-19. Our strength, resilience, and patience is worn down. We’re tired of being at home and missing friends and family. If you feel this way, you are not alone! Hospital beds are filling up rapidly and our healthcare system can’t handle many more COVID-19 cases. We have to do our part to stop the spread of the virus: wear a mask, wash your hands, stay home while sick.

ORGANIZATION ANNOUNCEMENT

GIVE TO THE MAX – November 19

Give to the Max Day is Minnesota’s most impactful, single day of individual giving. This giving holiday is Thursday, November 19, but you don’t have to wait — early giving is underway!  Please consider giving to Girls Are Powerful. Our goal is to raise $6,000 to support and accelerate our programming to empower girls. 

Give HERE.  Your gift, big or small, makes a real difference in girls’ lives in our community. Thank you!

Share the Mic MN

As a part of the Share the Mic MN mission to amplify the work, lives and stories of dynamic Brown/Black women residing in Minnesota, our CEO and Founder, Shawntan Howell shared the mic with Fabiana Peterson, a Life Coach, published author and speaker who helps find their inner strength using Neuroscience knowledge. During this exchange Shawntan discussed her story about how she founded Girls Are Powerful and the current state of the organization. You can see the discussion here. #sharethemicmn

Learn more about this initiative at https://sharethemicmn.com/

Celebrating Thanksgiving

The idea of not celebrating Thanksgiving like usual is hard. Getting together with people who live outside our home increases the risk of infection. This year, find a way to enjoy the holiday while still keeping yourself and others safe.  Below are recommended precautions to have a safe and healthy Thanksgiving: 

  • Stay home if you do not feel well
  • Keep gatherings small. Meet outside if possible.
  • Wear a mask indoors and outdoors. 
  • Encourage guests to bring their own food and drinks.

GRP COVID-19 Community Information Series

We created a series of videos that answer some of the most common questions you may have about COVID-19 and living through a pandemic. These short videos are based on current information from the Minnesota Department of Health. Check them out below. 

  1. What is community investigating and contact tracing? 
  2. When to get tested. 
  3. How to get tested.

Girls Are Powerful has done an incredible job engaging the African American community as well as the larger community as a whole by providing accurate timely COVID 19 messaging, uplifting awareness around social distancing, wearing masks, resources and guidance to support the communities – especially youth – during COVID-19. They have done this through PSAs, Videos, and using their social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, twitter and their websites. They are a valuable partner and it has been a pleasure to work with them.
Betty Hiller

MDH Contract Manager / Community Liaison

As we’re settling into this next round of increased restrictions, don’t forget about the valuable tools around you to keep you healthy mentally and physically. Join one of our Wellbeing Matters 2.0 FREE events this month. We have just a few sessions left. We look forward to seeing you on Facebook Live! Everyone can join, even if you don’t have a Facebook account. FB@girlsarepowerful

UP NEXT:   

Empower Hour
We only have two more Empower Hours left! We hope you join us to learn something new and exercise your mind!

Power Move
This past month, we had an awesome time working on our core fitness with Chaz Sandifer and we did some inspirational mindfulness exercises with Chance York. You can find both sessions on our website. Coming up:

  • November 24: Susan Miles, QiGong
    • Qigong is an Asian form of yoga that has been around for thousands of years. Qigong is a form of mindful movement that is a slow, intentional form of tai chi. This is a great session to learn about improving awareness and harmony of mind and body. Join us!
  • December 8, Coach Val, Zumba
    • Zumba is a fitness program that combines Latin and international music with dance moves. Zumba is a great way to move your body and break a sweat while having a blast dancing! Hope to see you online!

Embody Empowerment

COVID-19 has presented us with numerous challenges and opportunities, forcing us to change the way we live. Let’s use this time to focus on being strong, resilient, and learn healthy new behaviors that can help us survive and even thrive during this time of uncertainty.

30 Days of Gratitude

Did you know that research has shown that practicing gratitude can increase happiness? It has been shown to increase positive emotions, improve health, and build stronger relationships. If you haven’t already, follow Girls are Powerful on Instagram to join our 30 Days of Gratitude Challenge. Every day we have a prompt to inspire you to think of something you’re grateful for.

Wonder Worker

We have to acknowledge the incredible drive and power of Stacey Abrams and her organization Fair Fight Action. After losing her 2018 gubernatorial run, she committed to working toward fighting voter suppression and empowering those whose voices have been silenced. Over the past two years, Fair Fight managed to register over 800,000 unregistered voters in Georgia, one of the central states deciding the current election. We are so inspired by her work to create more fair and equal elections.

The Youth Advisory Board is very proud to present the finale video of BOTH Decode Distance Learning with Clare AND Thespian Theories with Olivia! For the finale of both series, Youth Advisory Board Program Lead Maddy Berg sat down with Clare and Olivia and asked them about their experience creating their individual series and the effects of COVID-19 thus far. You can find their series and more from the Youth Advisory Board here.

Amaya’s Art Project Ideas

Looking for something to do over quarantine? Youth Advisory Board member Amaya has your back! Check out her list of art projects that you can create using items found around the home! Amaya has even supplied a step by step guide for her art collage project; a tutorial that is simple to use and easy to follow. Check out the other art projects on the YAB page here. Happy crafting!

Meditative Coloring

Ever wondered about Meditative Coloring? Check out Youth Advisory Board member Lizzy talking about the many benefits of meditation coloring books here. We hope you become inspired by Lizzy’s drawings, maybe even take up coloring yourself as a way to unwind!

Teens, Tweens and COVID: Empower Hour Recap

In case you missed it, some members of the Youth Advisory Board were interviewed by moderator Brandi Powell, journalist and weekend anchor at KSTP-TV last month. They had a frank and inspiring conversation about how they’re coping with COVID-19, how they’ve lost friends due to the inability to stay in touch, but also what they are doing to exercise self-care. Their coping mechanisms vary from seeking nature, journaling, learning new skills and finding ways to give to others. Listen to the talk here.