GIRLS CLUB MENTORSHIP

I am so grateful for the Girls Club program, ever since I joined I've been seeing great changes in my mental and well being. I am more confident than ever and know more ways to help and encourage people! I thank you for teaching me confidence, how to deal with anxiety, how to overcome hardship, and how to love myself. Me just knowing you’re on my side helps a lot as well. Without Girls Club, I wouldn't be the person I am today, confident, loving, and not afraid to ask for help or stand up for what's right. You are much appreciated and I thank you for everything that you have done and for the things that you are doing!!

Girls club was such an amazing and life changing experience for me. Before girls club I didn’t really know how to solve basic girl problems most girls do. My mom worked a lot and slept throughout the day so I didn’t really get the opportunity to learn the basics. With girls club I learned how to build lasting relationships, how to get through difficult situations and times, and how to love me first. I never really was taught vital life skills and with girls club I learned everything I could possibly ask and more. It was a beautiful experience to be apart of and I’ll never forget the impact it truly had on me. It was a very empowering experience and made me my most confident version, that I didn’t even know existed.

The biggest thing being in the Girl Club in highschool gave me was a community. More specifically, a woman-centered community. As a young woman in highschool there were a lot of new things to be experienced. Some good, some bad, and in between. Knowing there was a place that you could go and discuss with other young women who could possibly be going through the same thing gave me a sense of comfort. Also knowing that Ms. Kama was there as an adult I could confide in was amazing as well. That same sense of community carries on with every woman I meet, I find myself with a lot of compassion in knowing they were all once young women, dealing with similar issues.

Loving Me First Girls’ Club has had a significant impact on my life. I joined this wonderful organization during my senior year in high school. This club has taught me a lot when it comes to Loving me first. The guest speakers were one of my favorite parts of attending these meetings. Hearing those lovely ladies' stories has 

inspired me to have more confidence in myself. Also, do not worry about what others think of me but focus on who God says I am.

These inspirational stories and everything I learned in this organization have stayed with me even after I graduated high school. Going on to a college campus I had more confidence in myself and more courage to put myself out there. I served on two executive boards and was President of one of the organizations. In each leadership position, I have had I tried to do what the girls’ club has done for me and that is to inspire our members to believe in themselves and support them in a way that would help them achieve their goals. I know for the Loving Me First Girls’ Club support did not stop after I graduated high school. I still felt that support in college. This organization opened up scholarships for its members to apply. Being one of the scholarship recipients,  I was able to pay for my books and other necessary equipment in college. I am forever grateful for the support I have received and everything this club has 

taught me.

I attended Girls club from my sophomore to senior year of high school at Rancho 

Verde High School. I support my mom in everything she does, so it was automatic 

for me to check out the program. She has never forced anything onto me, so going 

to the meetings were always a personal choice for me. I enjoyed witnessing, first hand, the growth of this program. Gradually, my friends and people I knew started to attend and by my junior year, we were packing out a whole classroom. Girls Club provided a space for young girls like myself to convene and relate while being taught and introduced to valuable life lessons. From guest speakers to etiquette classes, I, along with many other young girls, was given the opportunity to grow and learn more about myself. Tears of sadness, joy, breakthrough, and empathy were shared amongst the group in the most positive ways. Friendships formed and grew stronger within the Girls Club. A rise in our self esteem and awareness lead to many of us pursuing the lives we always dreamed of after high school. With girls who attended going on to be college graduates, nurses, lawyers, activist etc., Girls Club was an amazing experience of love and empowerment.

As a senior attending Rancho Verde high school, there was a lot of stress since college was coming up. I felt alone even if I was in a class full of students. Everyone had their little clique, and it felt hard to join one. At the time, I was in a bible club which helped me think of some reprieve, but I needed more since there weren't many people. I came from another school called Vista Del Lago, so Rancho Verde High School was a new atmosphere. As a junior, I managed well and survived, but senior year was challenging. I saw an advertisement for a Loving Me First girls club and joined.

I had no clue what it would be about and was nervous since I didn't know what to expect. I haven't regretted it since it was filled with girls like me, with guest speakers who were educated in specific things. I felt safe just sitting back and listening to people's stories or knowledge about something. It was a very diverse and inclusive group that I think was needed within a high school setting. I didn't feel judged for who I was and felt safe telling my story. There would be conferences sometimes, and they would be filled with people who were there to support us as teenage girls. The group facilitators would have our best interests in mind, and it was a safe place where people would gather and eat food. I knew people's faces around the school because of this group, and I didn't feel alone anymore. This group gave me comfort even if it did occur once a week. I had an activity to look forward to after class, and it felt like a breath of fresh air whenever I attended. I would recommend every teenage girl to join a group like this because I felt seen, heard, and respected. It was more than just a group; it became a family.