What the girls say about Free to be

From Brookelle

When I had discovered Free to Be, I was in a dark place. It was my Junior year, and academically I was being pushed hard. I wasn’t sleeping as I tried to balance my homework and commitments into the early morning of the next day. And, I wasn’t the only one struggling. I soon found my friendships were falling apart as everyone tried to cope with stress in their own ways. While the relationships around me crumbled, I was at a loss for what to do. It was then that my mom suggested that I go to a free event for teenage girls that focused on body positivity. Little did I know that I would become engaged with the Free to Be program. I was excited; I loved the event. For the first time in months, I felt happy not only with my body, but I was excited to share the experience with all my friends. Free to Be was the exact thing that we all needed at the moment. So I dragged a group along with me, and we’ve slowly been able to patch our relationships with one another.

 

Later, when I learned about the Free to Be ambassador program, I knew that this was something that I had to try, because I wanted to step out of my comfort zone. Even though not every “week” applied to me, it was enlightening to have a community of girls--who barely knew each other--come together and support each other. Free to Be helped us to break down the stigmas associated with opening up, and provided a space that allows for vulnerability. Through our vulnerability we built strength.

 

I am so grateful for what I have learned through Free to Be. In a society full of Instagram “stories” displaying these lives that we’ve fabricated, having a setting that allows for girls to be true to who they are is more important now than ever. This organization allows everyone to truly be themselves. I have discovered new strengths. It’s given me the insight and tactics to not only navigate relationships with my friends, but it’s also given me more appreciation for myself. Everyone deserves a place where they are allowed to be, truly, 100%, unequivocally, Free to Be.

 

From Madeline

I like Free to Be because it helped me grow into a better person. It taught me how to handle certain situations in a good way. I also like the activities we do. We do activities that make people feel included and worthy and it helped me look on the bright side of things. It helped me make changes to get rid of the toxic people and change for the better.

 

From Kinz

I like Free to Be because it’s helping me learn how to love myself just the way I am. It’s also helping me to not care want others think of me. I also liked meeting new people. I like the events that we had over the course of the months of 2019.

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From Tehya

Though I didn’t have a lot of time to participate in events with free to be this summer, it was still an eye opening program. The worksheets were amazing ways to learn and the events that I did go to were fun and a good way to challenge the way I thought about myself and others. Thanks for creating Free to Be Jamie!