Presented by

This spring, Girls Inc. of Metropolitan Dallas hosted our second annual Power 2 the Girl Conference. This year’s conference was themed “Power H.E.R (Health, Equity and Reform)” and provided girls in 6th-10th grade attending schools in underserved areas of Dallas the social and emotional tools they need to navigate this challenging time.

• Health: Girls learned about the “double shift” society places upon women and identify ways in which COVID-19 has exposed girls to this “double shift.” Girls acknowledged and release heavy and harmful feelings and burdens and replace them with sustainable self-care strategies for mental and physical revitalization.
• Equity: Girls learned about the “glass ceiling” and analyze factors contributing to gender inequity. They explored strategies to advocate for themselves and others and discover how collaboration is more powerful than competition.
• Reform: Girls learned to recognized unfairness at the individual level and injustice at the institutional level. Girls practiced speaking up with courage and respect when someone has been hurt or wronged by bias. They walked away with tools to plan and carry out collective action against discrimination, bias and injustice.
• Power H.E.R.: In this culminating event, girls experienced sessions on each of the three series topics: Health, Equity, and Reform. Girls created action plans to harness their power within, heard from an inspiring keynote speaker, and celebrated the collective strength of girls.

The schedule, format, and topics of the 2021 Power 2 the Girl Conference were designed for the current pandemic reality. This invitation-only conference was presented as a series of four sessions, (March 11, April 15, April 29, and May 22). The sessions were designed as an innovative hybrid model of small in-person gatherings at schools with hands-on, engaging activities and a live-stream component to allow guest speakers to share motivational content.