Basseterre, St. Kitts — Creating safe spaces where young girls can share their fears, challenges and insecurities with women who have been through similar experiences and have had similar feelings is the vision of the Women empowering Girls (WeG) organisation. Established on March 7, 2022, this fledging group has already made monumental, positive impacts on the lives scores of women and girls in less than three months.
Founders Angelina Gracy Sookoo-Bobb (attorney) and Kristen Hendrickson (youth advocate) joined that Rotary Club of Liamuiga as guest presenters at its breakfast meeting on May 11, 2022. [Dr Joyelle Clarke is also a founding member and the project lead]. The Rotarians were extremely pleased to have the ladies of WeG as their first speakers for their first in-person meeting, following two years of virtual meetings due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to Mrs Sookoo-Bobb, the Women Empowering Girls Mentorship Programme “facilitates conversations between successful women in St Kitts and Nevis business and professions and teenage girls in Secondary and Post-Secondary schools across the Federation. A ‘speed dating’ format is used to allow (wo)mentors (women) to meet with up to 4 mentees (students) aka ‘queenagers’ during a seminar/event.”
Thus far, WeG has facilitated three networking and mentorship sessions and created innumerable bonds between women and girls. Topics typically covered during the sessions include imposter syndrome, period poverty, subject choices, self-esteem, body positivity and questions about life in general.
Ms Hendrickson noted that WeG has plans to host more seminars and also to extend their programme to women and girls in Nevis.
