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GROW IN CONFIDENCE. KNOW YOUR IDENTITY.

FOR GIRLS OF FAITH

FACILITATOR GUIDE

JOURNEY

Journey 01: Facilitator Guide

BRAVE & BEAUTIFUL TEACHER GUIDE Copyright © 2026 Releasing Generations Published by Releasing Generations Printed in the United States of America All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. All articles, art, and photographs have been published and printed with the permission of their creators. Scripture quotations marked (ESV) are taken from The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Scripture quotations from The Authorized (King James) Version. Rights in the Authorized Version in the United Kingdom are vested in the Crown. Reproduced by permission of the Crown’s patentee, Cambridge University Press. Scripture quotations marked (NIV) are taken from The Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. Scripture quotations marked (NKJV) are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved. Scripture taken from the Holy Scriptures, Tree of Life Version*. Copyright © 2014,2016 by the Tree of Life Bible Society. Used by permission of the Tree of Life Bible Society. Scripture quotations marked (NIrV) are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Reader’s Version®, NIrV® Copyright © 1995, 1996, 1998, 2014 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com. The “NIrV” and “New International Reader’s Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™ Art Direction and Graphic Design by: Ahava Design, LLC. Photos by Unsplash and Pixabay.

TheBraveSeries.com Through The Brave Series, we are on a mission to help youth and adults of all ages overcome insecurities about their value and purpose. The Brave Series empowers teens and adults to:

The Brave Series is a publication of Explicit Movement, one of three facets of the Releasing Generations organization. You can learn more about Explicit Movement at Explicitmovement.org

• Grow in confidence and emotional health.

Our leadership team has decades of combined experience working with, serving, and supporting teens, young adults, parents, community leaders, and church leaders within many denominations locally and globally.

• Gain wisdom and vision for their future, enabling them to step into their purpose and pursue their dreams. • Become aware and equipped to safeguard themselves and others from exploitation and sex trafficking victimization.

You are not alone in your struggles.

Learn more at TheBraveSeries.com or visit us at ReleasingGenerations.org Brave & Beautiful Volume 01 (Faith) Teacher Guide – 03/2026

Welcome to the Brave & Beautiful journey! Thank you so much for taking the time to invest in your teen girls and in your relationship with them! Whether you go through this journey with just one teen or a group of teens, you will find this to be a transformational experience for all involved. The articles will also be relevant to your personal growth. Each chapter provides discussion questions and optional activities for you to use as a springboard. You can pick and choose which optional questions you would like to use and create your own. As the discussion flows, you may be inspired by wonderful, spontaneous questions. The activities provided for each chapter are also optional. As a teacher or parent, we encourage you to be creative and do other activities as you are inspired, as time permits! The lessons are typically geared for small groups, so please adjust the activity if you are doing a 1:1 mentorship. Enjoy your journey! Authors/Educators: Cathy Lynne Fong, Erin Chinen, Loraine Hotoke, and Michele Okimura

BRAVE & BEAUTIFUL FACILITATOR GUIDE

Table of Contents Journey 01 WELCOME .............................................. 05 IMPORTANT REMINDERS . . ........................ 08 FAQs .. .................................................... 08 EMPATHETIC RESPONSES .......................... ..........................11 THE BRAVE & BEAUTIFUL CULMINATING..... ..... 12 CELEBRATION EVENT RIGHT OF PASSAGE EVENT FOR DAUGHTERS ..................................... 13 OVERVIEW .............................................. 14 4-Volume Journey CHAPTER 1: SHE IS BRAVE & BEAUTIFUL ..... 16 Defining What is Brave & Beautiful CHAPTER 2: SHE DISCOVERS ..................... 18 Becoming Self-Aware CHAPTER 3: SHE ACCEPTS ....................... 20 Being Secure and Confident CHAPTER 4: SHE BELIEVES . . ..................... 22 Discovering Your Uniqueness CHAPTER 5: SHE EXPRESSES ................... 24 Activating Your Creativity CHAPTER 6: SHE SPARKLES .................... 26 Dreaming Big for Your Life CHAPTER 7: SHE RESTS .......................... 28 Dreaming Big for Your Life

BEFORE YOU BEGIN: • Be positive, affirming, and encouraging to your teens whenever possible! • Be mindful NOT to dominate the conversation. Make it a point to listen more than you talk. • Express gratitude when teens share good points. • Make the discussion times as enjoyable and meaningful as possible so you look forward to your time together. • Thank teens when they take a risk and share vulnerably with you. • Remember, the discussions can be serious at times, and there may be unexpected expressions of raw emotion, but laughing together also strengthens the bond between you and your teens.

IMPORTANT REMINDERS IMPORTANT: THIS IS NOT A TIME TO GIVE ‘LECTURES’ OR GIVE ADVICE (UNLESS THE TEEN GIRL ASKS FOR ADVICE). We hope and pray that going through Brave & Beautiful together with your teen or group of teens will be a positive, enjoyable experience for everyone! As a teacher, parent, or mentor, you want to create a safe place where each teen girl can freely open up and share her thoughts and feelings. • This is not a time when your teens passively listen to your advice or teachings. • This is not a time to quickly ‘correct’ the teens’ lines of thinking. • Do not try to force your teens to agree with your perspectives. • Seek to understand your teens first before seeking to be understood. However, in the discussions, there will be opportunities to pass along your wisdom naturally as you share your thoughts and life experiences. If students feel that you really care about what they have to say, they will appreciate being heard. If you listen to them without negatively judging them, they will typically want to share things with you—which is the goal!

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FAQ WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF THIS GUIDE? This is a powerful tool to mentor teen girls in life and leadership! The meaningful discussion and activity times after each chapter can strengthen your emotional connection with them, heart-to-heart. Verbally processing the content with someone as mature as you will help teen girls to digest the material and have a deeper learning experience. Going through the material with someone also ensures they will complete the Brave & Beautiful Journey through Volume 4. Volume 4 has vital information that could help protect their lives from dangerous situations!

WHO SHOULD GO THROUGH THIS WITH A TEEN GIRL? Because Brave & Beautiful is for teen girls and the articles are coming from mostly female perspectives covering common female issues, it is more natural and comfortable for a mom or female mentor to go through this with teen girls. However, we do understand that in some cases, a father may want to go through this with their teen, which is also fine. *Going through this with a small group of teen girls can also add beneficial and enriching perspectives to the discussions.

WHAT DO YOU DO IF A TEEN GIRL SHARES SOMETHING SHOCKING, DISTURBING, OR UPSETTING TO YOU? Because the topics and discussion questions encourage vulnerability, your teens may muster the courage within themselves to share something that may shock, disturb, or upset you. Prepare yourself now, so if this happens, you are ready to respond with compassion, understanding, and grace using self-control and NOT react in anger or shock. If you react in anger or shock, this will probably cause teen girls not to want to open up going forward. You want to do your best to create a safe place for teens to share. As a teacher or parent, it can be so easy to react in anger or shock when your teen shares something upsetting. The tendency can be to want to control the situation. You can be real and raw in your thoughts and feelings with God privately or with a trusted friend at a later time, but NOT in

that moment with your teen. If you can stay calm and seek to understand, this will help build emotional connections. Refer to the article following this introduction entitled Empathetic Responses That Promote Connection. Respond with kindness, gentleness, love, and empathy—not judgment. Pray silently and ask the Lord to give you the strength to keep a straight face and listen. Know that it took courage for your teen to share what he did. Affirm your teens and thank them for sharing vulnerably.

BECAUSE YOU WILL BE SHARING YOUR THOUGHTS AND LIFE EXPERIENCES IN THE DISCUSSIONS, HOW VULNERABLE SHOULD YOU BE WITH YOUR TEEN? Creating a heart connection with your teens involves sharing some of your life experiences with them. You will create an atmosphere of vulnerability when you share stories from your life—your struggles, failures, and what you learned from them as they relate to the subject being discussed. It is so valuable for your teen to learn more about your story! Decide beforehand what you want to share as you prepare for the discussion. Letting your teens know that you are not perfect, made wrong choices, and experienced pain in your life will build that heart connection. The teen girls may particularly appreciate you sharing stories from your teen years.

WHAT IS A RECOMMENDED READING PLAN? There can be creative versatility in your reading plan depending on what works best for you in your context. Please check out thebraveseries.com website for more ideas and reach out to Michele and her team to create a tailored plan for your needs and schedule a meeting. We want to support you in whatever way we can. The chapters are fairly short and can easily be read in a short amount of time. You may choose to go through a chapter per week or cover one or two chapters every two weeks. If you are in a retreat type of setting, you can cover a number of chapters within your retreat time that is reasonable for your students.

The discussion times could be anywhere from 30 to 60+ minutes, depending on your available time. If the conversation goes longer than usual and you need to end it due to your schedule, you can always continue the conversation at your next meeting. *NOTE: If a teen is going through a particular struggle in the present, you can opt to skip ahead to a later chapter that addresses what she is currently going through. For example, if a close relative of a teen passed away, you could decide to skip ahead and go through the chapter on grieving in Volume 2. You can skip ahead to what is most relevant, then return back to the order we have laid out for the journey. Although the chapters are ordered to build upon each other, feel free to skip around to the most relevant chapters that will best serve your teen girl(s).

THIS PUBLICATION IS FOR MIDDLE SCHOOL AND HIGH SCHOOL GIRLS. CAN A YOUNGER GIRL GO THROUGH THIS? Because the first three volumes focus on growing a girl’s confidence and character and knowing her identity, you could easily go over Volumes 1-3 with younger girls using your judgment. The older a girl is, the more mature she is, and the more she will have a deeper grasp of the lessons. Volume 4 covers the heavier subjects of sexual violence, sex trafficking, and pornography, Continued

which may not be as age-appropriate for younger girls (you may decide to pick and choose articles from Volume 4). However, as a teacher or parent, you can use your judgment since you want younger girls to be aware of online predators and the pornography issue, especially as some studies have shown that the average age of first exposure is around nine years old. You know your child best and can decide.

CAN A YOUNG ADULT WOMAN OR OLDER WOMAN BENEFIT FROM GOING THROUGH THIS BRAVE & BEAUTIFUL JOURNEY? Although the target group for this publication is middle school and high school teen girls, we have found that this journey also speaks to women of all ages. Women will find quality content in the articles that support their personal growth! In Volume 4, valuable information about pornography, sexual violence, sex trafficking, and other topics covered can be gleaned and passed on to young people through women who have gone through this Brave & Beautiful experience!

PLEASE REFRAIN FROM ASKING TO READ YOUR TEENS’ PRIVATE THOUGHTS THAT THEY SHARED ON THEIR JOURNAL PAGES. We strongly urge teachers and parents to honor each teen’s privacy regarding the interactive pages she filled out—unless she willingly wants to share her writings or art with you. We want every teen girl to be honest and vulnerable in her reflections and journaling. Knowing that others will be reading her private journaling without permission would greatly hinder the effectiveness of her experience.

BRAVE & BEAUTIFUL SHOULD BE KEPT AND REFERRED TO EVEN IN YOUNG ADULT YEARS! We envision that the teen girls will keep Brave & Beautiful for decades to come as a manual for life and leadership, a tool, and a reference guide. Sex trafficking also happens during the young adult years and in colleges. We pray this will be a resource the readers will repeatedly refer to.

BRAVE & BEAUTIFUL

EMPATHETIC RESPONSES THAT PROMOTE CONNECTION By Vicky Wong, MSCP, LMFT, LMHC, NCC, and Michele Okimura It is not always easy to know what to say when someone tells you something very personal. There is power in words. Careless words keep people isolated and silent for years. Supportive words bring healing, restoration, and courage to discuss their burdens or experiences. Here are some tips on what to say vs what not to say when someone shares vulnerably. After someone shares something vulnerable, it can be hurtful not to say anything, quickly change the subject, or make a joke/comment to lighten the mood. When appropriate, a hand on the shoulder, a hand squeeze, or a hug can also communicate comfort and empathy. *Do not start immediately sharing your similar experience. This time is not about you. It is about listening to them. Giving advice and encouraging words comes later after they feel validated and heard. Be sensitive to when you feel they are ready for further input. Vulnerability + Empathy = Breaks Shame.

WHAT NOT TO SAY: ▶ ▶ ▶ ▶ ▶ ▶

▶ ▶ ▶ ▶ ▶

You just need to let go and move on. Other people have it worse than you. You’re making too much of a big deal of this. You just need to trust God and pray harder. Are you just trying to get attention? I can’t believe this really happened.

Tell me every detail and don’t leave anything out. How come you just can’t forgive? Did you enjoy it? (referring to abuse) What are you going to do about it now? At least…(minimizing issue)

WHAT TO SAY: ▶ It sounds like you are really feeling (angry, sad, excited, shocked, etc.) by what happened. ▶ I don’t know exactly what to say right now except that I’m here for you. ▶ I’m so sorry that happened to you. ▶ This must be so tough for you. ▶ You are very brave and courageous to talk about what happened. ▶ It took a lot of courage to talk about this, and I’m proud of you. ▶ I am here to help you through your sadness. ▶ We will walk through this together. ▶ I care about you. I am here to listen to you and help you in any way. ▶ I am so glad you are sharing this with me.

▶ You are not alone. ▶ I believe in you! ▶ I’m so sorry that awful thing happened to you. You didn’t deserve this (abuse, hurtful situation) ▶ You are not to blame. This is not your fault. (if they were a victim of abuse) ▶ Healing is possible. You can be whole again. ▶ Forgiveness for such a deep hurt is a process and will happen over time. ▶ What I hear you saying is… (reflect back what they said/ reflect back what you sense they are feeling.)

THE BRAVE & BEAUTIFUL CULMINATING CELEBRATION EVENT This is an optional event that celebrates the completion of Brave & Beautiful, marking a milestone with gratitude and reflection. This can be a significant and special defining moment to launch the students into their futures. It could be held at a facility, a park, or a beach and include an activity like hiking, swimming, fishing, or zip-lining. You can keep this event to include just you and the students; however, consider inviting parents to it. You can also have the students invite their father or father figure to it. Another option is to have students invite up to two mentors of their choice, which could include parents.

Prepare a simple program for the event. Please use the following options as a springboard to tailor the event. • As part of the program, have each student prepare a short speech they can read to the audience that can include reflections on the following questions: ▶ Self-Awareness: In what ways have you grown to view yourself differently/more positively? ▶ Transformation: How did this journey impact you? Share 1-2 ways you were changed by the Brave & Beautiful Journey. How have you grown? ▶ Regarding Connecting the Dots articles in Journey 4: Share one or more big takeaways after going through the articles on pornography, sexual abuse, and sex trafficking. What new perspectives have you gained? ▶ Being Brave & Beautiful: In what ways have you been encouraged to be brave through this journey? In what ways has your beauty been affirmed through this journey? NOTE: With your students’ permission, please send their letters or a summary of their reflections, along with your feedback and/or endorsement, to info@thebraveseries.com. Thank you! We look forward to hearing from you and your students.

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• One of each student’s guests would be asked to prepare in advance and read a short letter of affirmation to the student in front of the audience after the student shared their reflections. • As the facilitator of the journey, share your reflections and affirmations. • Celebrate around a meal and/or provide food or snack refreshments following the formal program. • Depending on your time allotment, invite a guest speaker who can inspire, encourage, and affirm the students. • Consider gifting the students the Dream Big Journal: Keys to Unlock your Dreams, a companion resource for their next steps found at MicheleOkimura.com, or consider going through the Dream Big Journal curriculum as a follow-up.

FOR PARENTS: A RIGHT OF PASSAGE EVENT FOR YOUR TEEN DAUGHTER We have added this additional activity that can be so meaningful for your teen girl. We wanted to mention this idea to you now so you can be envisioning the possibilities as you feel led—be creative! This celebration event can help her to grow in confidence and know her value! Be innovative and simply use this activity as a springboard to tailor it to how you want to encourage your teen girl. Here are a few milestone ages that this activity can be applied to: • In the Jewish culture, when a girl turns 12, a Bat Mitzvah celebration takes place as a coming-of-age ceremony into adulthood. • A girl’s Sweet 16 Debutante Birthday party or her quinceanera can also be considered a coming-of-age ceremony in America. • When a girl graduates high school, this can also be a year to celebrate with this activity, since she will be moving onto college, higher education, trade school, or the workforce.

AT THE EVENT Sometime during the event, have a time when each of the invited guests presents their letter and gift to your teen. Each guest is to read their letter, give their wrapped gift to her (have your daughter open the gift), and explain the meaning behind the gift they gave. It is always special to have a time of prayer for the guest of honor to seal the formal time! Taking photos during the event, including a final group shot, can also be special.

AFTER THE EVENT Collect the letters written to your daughter. You could place them into an album or a large envelope with any photos from the event.

WHO TO INVITE? You could invite a few or many women who are especially close to your teen girl. They could be family members and/or mentors. You can choose to involve your teen girl in deciding who to invite to this event. This will be a powerful time of women affirming and loving on her, welcoming her into the season of becoming a young woman!

PREPARATION Ahead of time, ask the women invited to write a one-page (or so) letter to your teen girl, expressing their love and sharing their wisdom as she enters a new season of her life. They can include their hopes for her. Inform them that they will be reading their letter to her as part of the program at the event. Their letters will later be put into an album for your teen girl to keep forever. Ask the invited guests to bring a gift that has a symbolic meaning which expresses what they appreciate about your teen girl and how they believe God sees her, and/or how they see her. They are to attach a positive meaning to the item they gift to her, which they will share at the event. Encourage them to be creative! Plan the details of the party using your creativity to make it special and memorable!

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SHE IS BRAVE & BEAUTIFUL

SHE RELEASES

SHE DISCOVERS

SHE TRUSTS

SHE ACCEPTS

SHE CRIES

Defining What is Brave & Beautiful

Growing in Self-Awareness of Your Design

Accepting Yourself and Not Comparing

Releasing Forgiveness Dealing with Your Anxiety and Fears

Grieving the Losses in Your Life

40 SHE BELIEVES

SHE BLOOMS

58 SHE EXPRESSES

SHE PERSEVERES

SHE PROTECTS

Thriving in Every Season of Life

Believing the Truth: You Have Immense Value Creative Ways to Express Yourself and Your Voice

SHE CONNECTS

Connecting with God

Guarding Your Heart and Purity

84 SHE RESTS

Persevering Through Difficult Times

SHE SPARKLES

Valuing the Rhythm of Rest in Life

Shining in Your Uniqueness

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Journey 04 Listen

SHE CELEBRATES

PORNOGRAPHY

SHE LOVES

SEX ABUSE AND TRAUMA

SHE GIVES

SEX TRAFFICKING

SHE DREAMS

VOICES OF FREEDOM

SHE CREATES

HOPE ARISES

The Power of Gratitude Healthy Friendships

The Value of Being Generous Be Released to Dream Big Activate Your Creativity

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The Negative Effects of Pornography Addressing Sex Abuse and Healing Trauma

Protect Yourself from Victimization Letters to You from Survivors You Can Make a Difference!

SHE ARISES

Arise in Purpose and Vision

She Lstens!

SHE IS BRAVE & BEAUTIFUL JOURNEY 01 • PAGE 10~15

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS 1.

What does it mean to be brave? Describe what being brave means to you.

Who is someone you know personally or know of who is brave? Why did you pick him/her?

What does it mean to be beautiful? Describe what being beautiful means to you.

Who is someone you personally know or know of who you would describe as a beautiful person? Why?

Would you describe yourself as brave? Why or why not?

When have you displayed a level of courage?

Would you describe yourself as beautiful? Why or why not?

Let's believe God sees you as beautiful. Knowing beauty goes beyond outward appearances, what is one situation where you displayed your beauty?

ACTIVITY Brave & Beautiful Walk About Instructions: 1.

Explain that the group will go on a short walk outside.

As they are walking, each of them is to ask the Lord to highlight an object, a plant, a person, or something in nature they see that represents bravery or communicates bravery.

Explain that God can speak creatively through nature or an object to remind us of His truths! Share verse Joshua 1:9 NIV: “…Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” One of God’s greatest encouragements is to be brave in Him! He is with us!

When something catches their eye, they are to ask the Lord how that particular thing speaks of bravery. They will be sharing with the group what comes to mind.

Each girl is to let you know when she made her choice and is ready to share her related message about bravery. *You can share an example such as: “I saw a bird’s nest in the tree. To me, I realize it takes courage for the baby bird to take its first leap out of the nest to fly for the first time. Even though it is their instinct, it still is a risk and takes some courage. I need courage to spread my wings to fly into my unknown future.”

When each girl in the group lets you know she has something to share, have the group stop and listen to what she has to say while looking at what was highlighted to her. *Each person must have a turn to share their particular object, plant, or scenery that speaks bravery and courage to them.

BRAVE & BEAUTIFUL

Take a walk and do the activity, making sure everyone, including you as a leader, shares something.

After everyone has shared their bravery mini-message, now have everyone ask the Lord to highlight something beautiful and have them share in the same way as before.

Have each share how their choice (object, plant, person, nature scene) is a great representation of beauty. Remind them that God loves beauty and is a beautiful God Himself! Share Psalm 27:4 NIV: “One thing I ask from the Lord, this only do I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in his temple.”

10. Have a fun time of sharing and being creative, gleaning profound mini-messages from each other!

ADDITIONAL ACTIVITIES 1.

Using magazines, have the girls make a collage of images and words that express bravery and beauty. Encourage them to put this collage in a place where they can be reminded to aspire to express their bravery and beauty to this world!

Have each girl stand and declare, “I am BRAVE AND BEAUTIFUL!” Have the rest of the group applaud and cheer that person in response, celebrating and affirming that statement. It may be difficult for a girl with a low view of herself to say it, but this can give them a positive experience declaring their worth!

Have each girl decorate a large smooth landscape rock with a paint pen, writing “I am brave and beautiful! They can use this as a constant reminder of who they are, and they can work on embracing this belief about their value.

NOTES