For some, school started last week, while for others school starts today. Many young black girls are being thrust back into a social dynamic that has been marred with a social unrest that many students will have to experience first hand. Our mission is to help them to focus on what matters most during this school year, excelling in every way, academically, socially and mentally.
The Her Mind Rocks team, has worked to put together some great tips for parents who are in need of some help empowering their young, black girls this upcoming school year!
Teach them to understand their gifts, and to use them wisely. Each and every one of us, has been blessed with gifts, or what you may know as talents. Often times, our children do not know how to hone in on their gifts, in order to use them effectively. Knowing your gifts, not only allows you to have an area in which you can excel, but is an amazing confidence boost.
I realized my gift, my junior year of high school and it was truly a life changing experience! I joined Mr Maxwell's creative writing class, and never looked back...I realized that I could not only write, but people enjoyed reading my poems and short stories!
My classmates raved openly about how great of a writer I was, I felt as if I fit in somewhere, and went from being a shy girl, who was always hiding in the back of the room, to boldly standing up in the front of a room sharing my work with others.
But it took one attentive teacher to realize the potential I had in this area, and to encourage me to simply try.
- Be more aware of your child's potential gifts, what do they love doing more than anything else?
- What is the one area, in which you rarely have to push them?
It may be their love for writing essays, their excitement for math class and homework, or something completely unrelated to school, like an instrument they have taught themselves to play, or their love for design and art.
Every child has something that they love to do, remember, even something like speaking is a gift. Not everyone is a great speaker, but even more so, not everyone is able to easily captivate everyone around them with their words, you can ask the lovely Amber, from Talk to Amber, about just how successful you can be as a speaker!
By helping young, black girls, to discover and build their gifts, Her Mind Rocks, helps them to find their footing in this world...empowering them, by creating more confident, women, with a sense of direction.
Remind her that she has a role to play in her community, we all do! But many are not aware of this truth. We are all interconnected as black women, and change cannot be had if we do not band together.
Her Mind Rocks, is fully aware of the way black women are portrayed in the media. This moving, and inspiring short film by Charity Ekpo, allows us to listen to what young black girls understand their portrayal in the media.
- Her role is positive!
- Her role is inspiring!
- Her role is needed!
We need to raise girls that understand that it is not simply about having an impact, but having a positive one! Girls, who are proud of their heritage, and are committed, to shifting the way black women are portrayed in all levels of the media, in order to do this, they need to understand where they come from, the women that came before them, and the sacrifices that they made in order to achieve change and the responsibility that we have as women to uphold certain values in order to continue to create change. They also need to understand the negative effects that today's media has on them and their peers.
In helping our daughters understand that all of their choices help to shape their community for the better or worse, we are preparing them to be leaders in the communities.
Teach her the importance of remaining mentally fit, many times this means understanding the importance of not carrying the weight of the world on her shoulders. As women, we tend to carry everyone and everything, refusing to accept that we cannot always be superwomen. We need to raise girls who understand that it is okay to ask for help.
We are able to do anything that we put our minds to, but not everything is worth doing!
Sometimes in our haste to prove to ourselves, and to everyone else that we are able, we lose sight of our paths because we are so overwhelmed with the mundane. Doing so can be negative, rather than positive. Your impact as a woman will be just as great, if not greater, if you find and walk your path!
Being mentally fit, also means, being physically fit. Physically fit does not mean fitting into society's beauty ideals, but simply being healthy. Beauty comes in all shades, and sizes, but health is necessary in achieving your full potential.
Teaching our girls how to remain physically fit, will only result in mental fitness, as they learn how to make healthier food choices, and the importance of choosing an active lifestyle.
The Her Mind Rocks 2015, Back to School Workshop, will offer middle school and high school girls in Cleveland and surrounding areas, the opportunity to win some fun prizes from local businesses in the community, and to prepare for this new school year!