10 Things I Believe About Tween & Teen Girls
aka My Guiding Principles
by Lindsey Turnbull
MissHeard Media Founder
I’ve been working with tween and teen girls since I was a teen myself, which means I have over a decade of experience working with young women. I consider myself a “teen girl whisperer” and experienced youth professional. Also, I have my own strong value system and beliefs that guide my work. Over the last decade, I have come up with principles that guide the work I do with MissHeard Media!
I believe that:
1. All girls deserve to grow up and live in a world free of sexism, racism, Islamophobia, ableism, transphobia, ageism, homophobia, and hatred of any kind. We must all work together to dismantle oppression that holds us back. As the great Maya Angelou said, “None of us are free until all of us are free.”
2. Empathy makes the world more just and equitable. I practice empathy with all of the young women I meet. MissHeard’s events and media aim to encourage and teach empathy to young women.
3. All young women are capable of changing and of making change. I work to show young women their power and encourage them to make change where they can- in their communities, and in themselves.
4. All young women have potential, power, and creativity. Every MissHeard event includes discussions and activities that highlights each of these pillars.
5. Tween and teen girls are complex beings that deserve to be recognized and appreciated for where they are in life. I meet girls where they are and acknowledge their full humanity, including their complexities and contradictions.
6. Young women are allowed to make mistakes, to stumble, to fail, and to grow. No one is perfect- I hold space for growing, evolving girls on their journeys.
7. Where someone comes from does not determine who they will be. All girls, regardless of where they come from, have unlimited potential to become the person they seek to be. It is my honor to nurture that journey. By empowering and encouraging girls, they can all achieve great things.
8. Tween and teen girls deserve stable, loving, nurturing, caring, adult presences in their lives, including parents, coaches, teachers, religious leaders, etc. I am privileged to be one of those people!
9. Together, we can go further and accomplish more. Every single one of us has a role to play in making the world a better, healthier, more equitable place. Through social media and other new technology, tween and teen girls are more equipped than ever to connect and create their own communities.
10. All girls deserve to be heard, valued, and loved. At no point in my work do I forget this. I let this belief guide me in all I do through MissHeard Media.
11. I added a bonus belief after some careful consideration and a summer full of camps: When I walk into an event, I want to gift my best self to the people in the room.
What are your guiding principles? Tell me in the comments or on social media! @missheardmedia on Twitter, Facebook,Instagram
Related Reading
The Energy I Carry: Five Gifts I Bring to Every Event by Lindsey Turnbull
Live Events: Consulting and Speaking
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