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tHIS GIRL IS
COn Fire
onfidence. What is it anyway? Some say it’s the ability to stand up for yourself. Some say it’s having high self-esteem and self-worth. We know it is import- ant for success in life, but it seems so hard to find, especially for women and girls.
As a half Filipino, half German girl in a French Immersion school in a very French Canadian town, I was different and being different is the last thing you want when you are a kid! I grew up around women who were very critical of themselves, so
I believed that being on a diet was “normal,” that my skin was too dark, that my
nose was too flat so I should use a clothes pin to pinch it, and that I was too short to be considered beautiful. While believing this deflated my self-confidence,
I knew that the women around me loved me, and I came to realize that the comments they made toward me were truly a reflection of how they felt about themselves, never about me. That realization helped me release insecurities
and learn to love my flat nose and freckled brown skin.
You may have experienced similar childhood memories whether it was
bullying in the school yard or unknowingly hurtful comments from the people you loved most. Maybe you are still struggling with your confi- dence to this day. I am here to tell you that you are enough, amazing and worthy.
When I was 12, I began my Taekwon-do training and was fortunate to make my passion my career as a professional martial arts coach. Through this opportunity,
I noticed the young ladies who would join as shy, meek, girls over time bloom
into fiery, fierce, and strong young women because the little successes in train-
ing fanned a burning flame inside them and then one day they exploded into flames, like a Phoenix.
This concept inspired a program called Girls On Fire that launched self-defence and wellness workshop in 2018 with massive success. On April 28, 2019, we had 150 participants at our first Girls On Fire Confidence Conference where we spent the day learning self-defence, self-love and self-belief.
Our young people are the future. If we want to create change, we need to inspire, we need to build foundations of strong, community minded individuals who will take action and stand up for what’s right, we need to help them believe in themselves by teaching to work hard and kindness. Remember when you feel like you want to give up, there’s a little girl watching you. Inspire HER.
theresA stAnLey
PHOEnIx TaEKWOn-dO CLUb gIRLS On FIRE theresastanley@phoenixtaekwon-do.ca
girlsonfire.ca I 780-686-7949
Christina Louise Photography