Imagine a week without violence...Now imagine a lifetime...Let's make it real!

In collaboration with YWCA Canada, and other YWCAs across Canada, the Power of Being a Girl™ program is a signature violence-prevention conference for girls ages 12-17 hosted during the Week Without Violence™. Funded by the Government of Canada's Social Development Partnerships Program, the conference responds to local community needs and relies on girls' leadership in its planning and organization with workshops focusing on a variety of issues including self-esteem, healthy relationships, dating, discrimination, body image, sexual health, bullying and Internet safety, among others.

Power of Being a Girl 2011

• On Monday, October 17, 2011, staff from YWCA Kitchener-Waterloo, YWCA Cambridge and YMCA-YWCA Guelph came together at Bingeman's Conference Centre in Kitchener to help with the annual Power of Being a Girl conference. This year, POBG hosted 164 girls from 12 schools. The program included:
  
  * Keynotes by Mariatu Kamara (founder of The Mariatu Foundation and author of The Bite of the Mango nd by Valerie Hould-Merchand (Olympian synchronized swimmer)
  * An interactive Yoga workshop led by a YWCA Guelph fitness instructor
  * A Women in Arts & Media panel which included panelists:
  - Gayle O’Brien (DAVE FM)
  - Valerie O’Brien (Drayton Entertainment)
  - Lynn Haddrall (The Record)
  - Catherine Arkema (Sketchbook Design)
  - Daniele Dawson (Victoria Hills Community Centre)
  - Lisa Leachman (Rogers TV)
  - Jennifer Gough (Mindseye Studio)
  - Gita Ashley (Growing in the Arts)
  - Jane Mitchenson-Schwartz (Independent film maker)
  

We were honored to take part in a day of encouraging girl's leadership, and thrilled to celebrate the POWER OF BEING A GIRL! A warm thank you to all those who helped make the conference a great success. See you all again next year!

For information contact Kim Decker by email or call (519) 267-6444.

In conjunction with Power of Being a Girl conference and in support of YWCA's Week Without Violence, the Male Allies Against Sexual Violence (MAASV) program of the Sexual Assault Support Centre of Waterloo Region (SASC) hosted the Boys Rock! Conference for boys in grades 7 and 8 at RIM Park in Waterloo. The conference is designed to help boys develop a positive self-image and experience healthy relationships. For more information please contact Joan Tuchlinsky by email or at 519-571-0121 ext. 32.