Girl Talk is a peer-to-peer mentoring program where girls in high school mentor girls in middle school. Girl Talk is a positive influence in the lives of the girls who participate in the program and in the community at large. One of the founding tenants is giving back to others.
Service Projects to Give Back
Students in Girl Talk are able to help others though service projects throughout the year. Service projects open up a whole new section of the community that our students may have not known about or personally experienced.
One of the biggest service projects the Girl Talk students participated in this year was a clothing exchange. This project took place at three schools. They took one day and made it all about giving back.
Clothing Exchange
It started with each girl gathering all the clothes she no longer wore and bringing them to the next meeting. Imagine the un-worn clothes of one person, then multiply that by 30 girls still learning their own style, and you get quite the collection! Even our high school leaders participated.
We sorted through the clothes by type. Then we let the girls choose their new clothes. All the leftover clothes were donated. After the clothing exchange time, the girls had fun sorting through their new items. Fashion walks, giggles and ooh la la’s filled the room.
Inspiration from Local Police
Another project was happening simultaneously. They put together goodie bags for local police. These bags included Life Savers to remind them how many times they’ve been one, Starbursts for the burst of energy they’ll need, Tootsie Rolls to help them roll with the punches, and a few other pieces of candy with words of kindness. Bags were decorated and sealed with a ribbon.
The bags were picked up by a police woman. She was available to answer questions the girls might have. It was very inspiring to hear the questions and have them answered by such a strong woman.
The whole day was a wonderful reminder to look outside your small circle into the greater community and focus on others.
Girl Talk is a program of Catholic Charities' North Star Youth Partnership (NSYP) that is committed to helping students choose healthy behaviors. Learn more about their program and how you can get involved.
Joanna Johanson is a registered Yoga teacher and currently teachs at BEND Hot Yoga in Prescott and Vinyasa Fit in Prescott Valley. Her love for teaching steered her towards Girl Talk where she fell in love with the program and the good it brings into the world. She lives with her two roommates and cat, Cleo in downtown Prescott which means you can find me walking around the square or reading a book at a local coffee shop.
