Young girls today face a lot of pressure at a young age today.
To help girls feel valued and improve their lives Morguard, which owns and operates the New Sudbury Centre, has partnered with Big Brothers Big Sisters Canada for its BeYou campaign.
“I see at a young age that girls can start to feel like they’re not pretty enough, or not good enough, and I find that really heartbreaking,” said Amanda Gopaulsingh, a customer service manager at the New Sudbury Centre, and one of BeYou’s organizers in Sudbury.
Gopaulsingh said she has two young daughters, and already sees the social pressures they face, which are amplified due to the Internet and social media.
“I want them to grow up knowing how valuable they are,” she said. “The pressure is really one to be beautiful, to be thin. Everybody is beautiful in their own way.”
Saturday afternoon three local ambassadors spoke to an audience of girls and women of all ages at the New Sudbury Centre, as part of BeYou’s campaign to empower girls.
Alicia Woods, the founder of local company Covergalls, spoke about her experience as a female entrepreneur in the male-dominated mining sector.
Woods said she had to face a lot of adversity to launch a successful product and company.
She said positive role models, and mentors, are incredibly important to help any young person achieve their dreams.
“I had role models throughout my life, both male and female,” she said.
Selina Rose, a registered holistic nutritionist and yoga teacher spoke about some of the startling statistics young girls face, and how they can lead healthy lifestyles.
Rose said half of girls in Grade 6 are on a diet, and 60 per cent of 13-year-old girls don’t feel good about their body image.
She said she struggled with those issues when she was younger, but was able to overcome them through yoga and proper nutrition and a healthy relationship with food.
Lisa McCallum, a case worker with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Sudbury, spoke about the Go Girls Program, which promotes healthy bodies and minds.
