"What the Heck is" introduces you to Vancouver organizations and causes you might not have yet heard about, written from an insider's point of view by people working within them. View the archive HERE.
“Working with you made me see what I really have to offer... It's like I went from being totally lost to knowing I have something to give to my friends and family.”
- M.M., Passion Project participant
Being a teen or young adult isn’t always easy and for some young women, the challenges can seem overwhelming. Our environment creates pressures for girls to “fit in” and as a result causes uncertainty about how they can achieve success in life. These environmental influences can affect the self-worth of young women and create the potential for self-harm through substance misuse and abuse, cutting, unhealthy relationships and poor self-care.
This is where Passion Foundation steps in to provide innovative leadership and community programming to young women aged 11 to 24 to help them to live life to their full potential. We provide opportunities for leadership development, self-exploration, positive role modeling and community building through our Elements of SUCCESS leadership coaching. Our programs help decrease self-harm and support young women to connect with their life purpose while being part of a supportive community of success oriented peers.
To date, we have made a positive difference in the lives of more than 400 girls in five countries by giving them tools to support sustainable leadership and community development. Based in Vancouver, Loretta Cella, our founder and Executive Director, started the organization based her own challenges to shine as an adolescent. With the right support and energy she’s taken things to the next level. The community is ever growing; creating remarkable opportunities for so many. One group that is standing mega tall right now is the CAUSE Girlz Empowerment Project.
The CAUSE Girlz Empowerment Project is a group of 10 Burnaby teens who are giving back to their community and helping make the transition through young adulthood a little easier for their school mates. Created by a group of students from Burnaby’s Byrne Creek Community School, the CAUSE Girlz Empowerment Project is embarking on an innovative journey to support their community.
The group is made up of refugee and immigrant students in grades 10 – 12, who meet twice a week to create monthly activities for grade 7 and 8 girls. As students from countries around the world, the young women are helping other girls in their neighbourhood and school get the kind of support and guidance they received when coming to Canada. Through positive role modeling and fun activities that provide opportunities for self-exploration, these girls are helping their peers develop the skills needed to make healthier choices, gain greater direction and become more purposeful in their daily lives.
The CAUSE Girlz Empowerment Project is just one example of the “paying it forward” mindset that we believe teaches girls the value of peer support. These kinds of community projects lead most of our participants to continue to perform service in their communities long after they have finished their training. Loretta Cella, explains “By working with these girls over the past year, we have created a true community of peer-to-peer teen mentors where young women are learning leadership skills and the value of contributing to their world.”
CAUSE Girlz Empowerment Project participants. All photos courtesy Passion Project
To learn more about Passion Foundation projects, visit www.Passionfoundation.org or like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter at @passionteams
