By Sandra Omari-Boateng
For some young girls in the area, it seems there’s not really an outlet for them to talk about the issues they face.
To combat this issue, the 10th-annual My Beaut“I”ful Self event was held Nov. 14 in Iowa City as a workshop and seminar for girls from diverse backgrounds to come together.
The one-day workshop for young women focuses on self-efficacy, self-awareness, and improving self-esteem. The workshop falls within the larger community organization of G! World, which organizes and hosts numreous events and forums with young women throughout the area, said LaTasha DeLoach, the founder of G! World and My Beaut“I”ful Self.
The theme for this year’s workshop was “We Are Above Average” to motivate young women to realize their potential.
“We started with just a girl group and then it morphed into My Beaut“I”ful Self so other young women who are not a part of our group would come together,” DeLoach said. “G! World is the actual overarching organizations which include weekly girl groups and some high schools we’re associated with.”
Young minority girls from all around the area came together and discussed topics they otherwise might not be able to without the workshops and meetings. Participants said the program helped them learn they are not alone in their struggles and how to empower each other.
“I heard about this program through friends and this is my first time at My Beaut“I”ful Self,” said Te’Angela Lewis, a sophomore at City High. “It’s a way to be open and free with people that may relate to you.”
Lewis said she would most likely continue to go to G! World events in the future.
“It’s a way for me to speak my mind because I am a very conservative person,” she said.
Chastity Dillard, facilitator for G! World, said the summit is a way to make the girls feel more included in their community.
“It gives them an opportunity to reach out and see other women that look like them, they can identify with, and are successful, as well as working on issues girls in this area have to deal with,” Dillard said.
She said this year was her second involved with the program, and she thinks it’s definitely a useful tool to get to girls in the area to interact with one another.
“They’re able to talk about ideas no one else is usually talking to them about,” she said.
