Ten years of empowerment Girl Talk Inc. celebrates decade of success Kelly Alley
Contributor
Ten years ago, UT alumnus Denetria Moore decided that young girls needed more voices in their corner. Now, her idea has become a reality through Girl Talk Inc., an organization with a mission to help girls from the ages of 9 through 18 increase their confidence and selfesteem. To celebrate their 10-year anniversary, Girl Talk Inc. launched the “Power of One” campaign on Nov. 1, 2016. The goal of the campaign is to highlight 100 women in 100 days, giving recognition to empowered women on Girl Talk Inc.’s website and Facebook page. “We are encouraging people to submit nominations of women who they know really embody the principles of Girl Talk,” Janea Peterson, UT alumnus and administrative and program assistant at Girl Talk Inc., said. “It’s recognizing women in the community that embody the mission and the values of Girl Talk.” The values the organization promotes include college and career readiness and self-esteem, and mentoring plays a major role in spreading that message. “There are a lot of children who don’t have a positive person to pour into them. Girl Talk brings together women t o pour
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back into young girls,” Star Starks, a Girl Talk Inc. mentor, said. “To let them know that they don’t have to make the same mistakes that we’ve made –– or may not have made –– in order to become better women.” Starks is both a community-based and school-based mentor who began mentoring in August 2015. She hoped to teach young girls that it is okay to be who they are and to love themselves for that same reason. “There’s still bullying, and there’s still the issue of self-
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There’s also cyber-bullying now and more exposure to cellphones and TV, so it creates this image in their minds of what they need to be in order to be a woman.” Star Starks, mentor
esteem that girls continue to face. But there’s also cyberbullying now and more exposure to cellphones and TV, so it creates this image in their minds of what they need to be in order to be a woman,” Starks said. “I try to text the girls in the morning before they go to school, just to say, ‘I hope you have a wonderful day. Don’t let anything get you down.’” There are approximately 100 girls in the organization’s community-based and school-based programs, and girls and mentors meet once a month to do various activities, such as going to dinner and a movie. In the school-based program, currently active in 11 Knox County schools, mentors meet with girls after school for one hour per week for 10 weeks a semester. There is a waiting list for the community-based program based on the number of mentors available. Currently, the ratio of girls to a mentor is four to one, however, Girl Talk Inc. hopes to bring that ratio down to one girl per mentor. Mentors should be at least 21 years old, care about the girls, want to see them succeed and actually have the time. Volunteers are asked to commit at least one year to mentoring. “It’s not an extensive process, but it is volunteer(ing), so of course that’s a lot of time,” Peterson said. To apply to be a mentor or to learn more about the organization, visit http://www.girltalkinc.com/.
Tuesday, November 15, 2016