This post was written by the wonderful Michelle from our blog team!
In July, I was lucky enough to attend Country to Canberra’s Project Empower workshop in Hawker, South Australia. I finally got to meet Hannah Wandel in person and C2C volunteer Stephanie Davies who was helping facilitate the S.A. workshops. Both Hannah and Stephanie are lovely people and I was amazed by the incredible work they did in the workshop. Part of the workshop emphasised the importance of knowing what your values are. This section, in particular, struck something within me.
Although I was only watching, I wanted to make sure I got much as possible out of the workshop, and so I wrote things down. Hannah and Stephanie encouraged the girls to write down five of their own values so they can be confident about their own values, know what they can contribute, and recognise why these values are important to them. It inspired me to think about and write down my five values.
- Talkative: I enjoy getting to know new people. I’m able to talk to people easily and I can create a conversation.
- Determination: I always want to try my best as much as I can and not give up without trying first.
- Caring: I like to be there for the people around me and make sure they are doing okay.
- Equality: I’m passionate about equality for all and that everyone should have equal rights regardless of gender.
- Passionate: I love to express what I’m interested in and talk about it and why it’s important.
Being encouraged to recognise my own values and write them down gave me a confidence that I have never felt before. It made me happier about myself, as I realised how much I loved these values that I have. It also made me realise that it’s important to know these values, because personally I doubt myself and my abilities a lot. By being able to remind myself of these values that I have, I can find the strength that I need to overcome my doubts about myself and this will make me happier about myself and will remind me to believe in myself and that I can do anything I set my mind to.
This newfound confidence has also made me want to try harder and use my values as much as I can and make them shine. Additionally, I really want to take on the challenge of Hannah’s motto: ‘What would you do if you weren’t afraid?’
Besides the part about values, the workshop as a whole has inspired me to really push forward and do things that I really want to do and overcome the obstacles that might try and scare me. I look forward to taking on this challenge.
Thank you to Hannah and Stephanie for what they have taught me and inspired in me. Without a doubt, I know that all the other girls who have been involved in these workshops will have taken something valuable from them.
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