Name: Jade Sypko
Grade: Year 11
Age: 16 Years
School: Albany Senior High School
Hometown and State: Albany, Western Australia
LIFTING US UP – How can women and girls empower each other and their communities in times of uncertainty and change?
To rise, to levitate, to hover. We can lift and give great uncertainty and change a new name. Let’s call it broccoli. Not everyone likes broccoli but with the right mindset and optimism we can see the benefits of broccoli for our mind, body and soul. Broccoli is normal, it only depends how you look at it. Enough with the broccoli. Our community is going through a time of great change and unusual circumstances we have never come across before. The world is forever changing, and we can embrace it. Us women have the right to speak, to think, to do. We have the power to support our fellow girls by talking and including. Taking time to listen to people’s side and see the world from their perspective. Some take change easily; others take time to adapt and acknowledge the necessary changes that must occur. This is new to everyone and we have the power to stick by each other’s side and come together for support and communication.
We can bring together social groups, spreading by word to come together and communicate as one. Social interaction is a great learning experience for everyone, we can build new relationships and even change the way we see things just from hearing somebody else’s ideas. As women we are sensitive and that’s perfectly ok, but this ensures that we must support those who are struggling to endure this great change, we have the power to be leaders and lead our peers to the bright side of all this. It’s a time of mutual agreement and complete understanding. We can empower all girls by encouraging them, giving them that safe feeling they want to feel and the words of wisdom they struggle to hear. This further lifts our voices, to empower our communities with support and compassion to invest in the changing times. Our modern society is only growing, and all this uncertainty and change is another step into our future.
We must allow for anyone and everyone to speak. Let women raise their voice and speak their mind, whether it’s good or bad, it’s a development of independence and confidence. Give girls the confidence they deserve, to feel the power of persuasion and great debate. Actions speak louder than words, but words embed into your soul, one simple phrase can be repeated and turned over in your mind until it’s a natural thought. Our community is so tightly wound that we embed everyday phrases into our minds, “Good morning, How are you?” It’s time to embed the confidence, “You can do this”, “You have the power”, “As females, we can and will rise up together”. It’s as simple as greeting our fellow women and encouraging them in any way possible. So often we get beaten down because we didn’t do something right or we don’t have the right depth of knowledge or we don’t look good enough. But each and every woman needs to hear the words YOU ARE ENOUGH. Tell your friends daily that THEY ARE ENOUGH and watch their confidence spark and grow. Embed this phrase into our community and we have the chance to lift us up. We are the generation of change and we can only go up from here. We can only lift each other up.