During one of our weeks, our primary goal was to talk about the importance of maintaining self worth and confidence in yourself. As high-schoolers, we are aware of and have experienced the struggle of self-identity and confidence that many go through, especially in middle and high school. To expand on this topic we had a group conversation about the importance of recognizing and enjoying qualities in yourself, which we soon saw was a topic the girls struggled with. One component of this topic was being able to take and enjoy a compliment instead of putting it aside or rejecting it as so many including myself do on a daily basis.  It was particularly interesting that the girls were readily able to tell another that she is beautiful, but refused to say that about themselves, thinking that they were bragging about themselves as many were accused of bragging in the past. We reflected on how modesty is an important characteristic to demonstrate, but you can and should be proud of yourself regarding accomplishments, personality characteristics, personal qualities and so forth. To elaborate on this topic, one activity we all did was to write a list of ten things that we love about ourselves, from something that we’re good at to how we treat others.  Again, the girls explained how they felt like they were bragging and didn’t know or like anything about themselves, but after reflecting on it and even some personal stories, we were all able to write our list, some exceeding the minimum. In our daily lives and supremely as a pre-teen or teenager, it is vital to have confidence in yourself and recognize and particularly love your characteristics, accomplishments, personality, and so forth.  Additionally, we can build and improve these traits, such as augmenting how we treat others and build respect as well. We certainly feel that the girls benefitted from this conversation and recognized that they are allowed to love everything about themselves, and share those qualities and accomplishments with others.

-Ellora Easton