Girls Club End-of-Year Celebration

This was the first year that a grade 8 Girls Club was available at Danie Joubert in Mariental.  The aim of the Girls Club, facilitated by Dani and I, was to build self-esteem and self-awareness, strengthen and empower girls to make educated decisions, and to address issues of concern identified by the girls.  Session topics included, but were not limited to, self-esteem, respect, friendship, team building, relationships, women’s health, HIV and AIDS, future, goal setting, careers, role models, stress, trust, nutrition, exercise, parents/families, self-defence, drama/acting, t-shirt making, and women’s art.  Six girls attended the Southern Girls Conference in June to promote the development and networking of girls clubs throughout southern Namibia.  Two sleepover parties were held this year with themes of self-esteem and friendship/overcoming differences as well as many other fun activities.  Girls Club has been a rewarding and growing experience for all involved this year!

At the End-of-the-Year Party the girls participated in activities that reflected what Girls Club meant to them through out the year.  “Most Moments” gave each girl an opportunity to share one moment from girls club that was most...educational, creative, funny, ridiculous, etc.  One participant said, “The most educational moment for me was the HIV and AIDS session.”  Another girl said, “The most growing experience for me in Girls Club was sharing with others and learning from each other.”  As reported from the girls, the “most wonderful” part was the sleepover and the “most funny” session was self defence.  The girls then had time to write in their journals about what the most meaningful aspect of Girls Club was to each of them.  This activity was followed by “Strengthening Our Sisterhood” in which each girl selected a wrapped gift as a representation of what Girls Club meant to her.  All of the girls shared what their gift meant placing the gift back in the middle of the circle.  Then each girl selected one of the gifts from the centre based on what they would take away from Girls Club for the year.  Everyone received a surprise to unwrap as a token.  

Girls Club officially closed for 2006 with a certificate ceremony.  Following a reading of Maya Angelou’s poem “Phenomenal Woman”, the girls were presented with certificates that read, “This certifies that ______ is a phenomenal woman for participating in the Danie Joubert Grade 8 Girls Club.”  Each girl also received a copy of the poem “Phenomenal Woman”.  After many photos, hugs, thank-yous, and a few tears the Girls Club came to a close for 2006.