Leadership Institute for Girls

Dear Petunia, It’s been a little over 15 years since you celebrated your 15 th birthday. You may not remember much of your teen years as you made a vow to block most of that out. You always felt left behind and never wanted to be part of anything.   You had serious issues with your body and as result had a very low self-esteem.   You covered well your low self-esteem with your loud squeaky voice, always seeking attention.   You were most of the time misunderstood and a laughing stock of your peers.   You never talked about your emotions to anyone.   You never cried at  least not in public.   You never complained.   You will not even tell anyone if you were sick. You had inquisitive mind and always asking questions.   You always said the wrong things at wrong time.   You never wanted to upset anyone but you were always in trouble with the ‘law’. You got easily lost in a good story book. Reading for long hours made you the happiest.   You read everything you could get your h

As I journey into and through this dream of reaching out to girls in my community – I realize it’s a huge dream.   This dream involves real issues, real people and real life – it’s that big. Some days I am more than ready to dive in and reach out in every possible ways.   And, some days I am really petrified – the kind that leaves you paralysed. Today, I had an honour and privilege to meet with one of the girls am intending to mentor.  Her name is Alinah and she is the sweetest girl.  We laughed and talked like we’ve known each other for a very long time. The next thing I know, she starts crying, right in the middle of our conversation.  Prior to our meeting I expected anything to happen but I did not expect her to get emotionally overwhelmed.  It was our first meeting and we had ice cream and talked about school. Without going into details of Alinah’s emotional reaction, once again, I’m convinced that we can be the change we wish to see in the world.  I certainly cannot change t