When it has been an extended period of time since you have
last blogged, ones reentry into blogdom needs to carry a certain amount of
weight or excitement. It would be disappointing to break the silence with a
pithy story of how I went native for the month of November and didn’t shave my
legs, that I learned the names and capitals of all African countries, or that I
have been spending an embarrassingly large amount of my monthly stipend on
buying chocolate milk.
Instead I wanted to share a story that is much closer to my
heart, and has served as a great reminded as to why I am here.
This past August, myself and five girls from Black Bush
Polder, attended the week long Camp GLOW (Girls Leading Our World) with about
40 other girls from different regions, religions, and ethnicities. It was
incredible to watch the transformation that came over the girls during that
week and they went through sessions, played games, and made new friends. Girls
who at first appeared to be shy and timid erupted by the end of the week into
exuberant, empowered, glitter covered girls who really believed that they could
do anything. They were a force of nature.
But what do you do with this force, this energy, this
belief, after camp is finished? What do you do when you tell girls they can do
anything and then send them back into a patriarchal society that tells them
they cant?
You give them an opportunity to prove themselves.
And that’s just what we did. Mini Camp GLOWs and other GLOW
affiliated activities have been hosted all around Guyana with the help and
leadership of our “GLOW Girls.”
I had the great privilege to work with the five GLOW Girls
from Black Bush Polder to host one our own mini Camp GLOWs.
These five rock stars helped in every aspect of planning.
From the schedule, to the food, they had a say. They even raised part of the
funds and invited girls they thought would benefit.
The only thing they weren’t involved in was dealing with the
bureaucratic morass that is the Guyanese government. I had to navigate the
wilds of three different government offices in order to get approval to use the
school. In all, it involved two trips to New Amsterdam (the administrative hub
for my region and an hour + away), three branches government, multiple trips to
the school, and lots and lots of official stamps. Or as another PCV Beth and I
like to say “bumf” (Look it up. Add it to your every day vernacular. You’re
welcome)
It was well worth it. Even though it didn’t have the same
energy as the week long camp, it still had the essence of it, and it still had
an impact on the girls. The greatest impact of the weekend being the
empowerment that the GLOW Girls felt after having accomplished such a great
task.
During the two days the girls learned and participated in a
lot of fun and interesting activities. The GLOW Girls assisted myself and four
other (amazing/selfless/inspiring) PCVs in leading sessions, playing games, and
doing crafts.
(GLOW Girl Radika (on the far right) helping out her peers
during the healthy body image session)
We had sessions, which covered topics such as healthy
relationships, healthy body image, women’s empowerment, mental and emotional
health, and sexual health.
We played games
(Hula hoop master)
(Hula hoop failure)
Took loads of pictures. (To see more, visit my Facebook
page!)
(I think the prompt for this picture was: “show me what you
look like when you smell something funky”)
We got in touch with our emotions.
(Wendy, another PCV who is a boss when it comes to creative
expression and crafts, used this session to have the girls deal with their
stresses in a positive and visual way. )
We also did crafts
(The girls tie dyed and decorated shirts, and made these
bracelets)
All of this would not have been possible emotional,
spiritual, and financial support that I received from friends and family back
home. I was deeply moved and humbled by the fact that so many of you back home
would give so freely so that girls, a continent away, would be able to
experience a weekend of joy, learning, and growing.
So, on behalf of myself and these chuckleheads: THANK YOU!
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