Central Alberta Child Advocacy Centre’s Climbing Tree Mentorship Program held its first youth conference on Wednesday to empower teenage girls.
The all-female event was designed to give participants tools to help them lead healthy, resilient lives.
Nicole Jones, program co-ordinator for Climbing Tree Mentorship Program, said the inaugural conference was an opportunity to provide a group of about 80 high school girls with advice, information, and coping strategies for when life becomes a challenge.
“We put faces to some of the help that is available to these young people and showed them real-life examples of women who have overcome adversity and reached a place of personal success and peace. I hope that the interactions that took place Wednesday were as meaningful for our attendees as they were for The Climb team,” Jones said in a statement.
Related:
Central Alberta Child Advocacy Centre seeks mentors for clients
The teens heard about experiences from other women, learned about maintaining clean social media platforms in preparation for post-secondary education and job searching, and participated in engaging workshops like chakra healing, bracelet making, and an art class.
Girls also had their hair done by students from Delmar College.
The unique Climbing Tree Mentorship Program offers age-appropriate, health-promoting activities to improve the odds that a child will recover from the abuse they have experienced.
Volunteer mentors with the program work with youth, who have been supported by the child advocacy centre, to improve their mental health, life skills and overall happiness to help them realize their full potential.