When young girls – somewhere between the ages of nine and 13 – use social media, Julianne Nieh wants them to keep one thing in mind: don’t compare yourself to the sometimes-almost-flawless Instagram photos or the boastful Facebooks posts.
“We’re looking at other people’s lives, their successes, which is excellent, but the way we’re looking at it is like, ‘Why can’t we be like that?’” 17-year-old Nieh told the NOW. “I think that’s been a problem.”
To help curb those kind of self-esteem issues and everything else that comes with being a tween, the Grade 12 student has organized a month-long workshop called Girl Code, scheduled to kick off on Oct. 24 in Burnaby.
The goal, she said, is create a “supportive environment” where young girls can share personal stories and opinions about confidence, open-mindedness, determination and empowerment (c-o-d-e).
Each week, Nieh, with the help of some guest speakers, will focus one of the four topics, getting creative by using visions boards and brainstorming methods.
“I don’t want this to be me teaching them how to be, but rather to open them up to these new insights they may not have known before,” said Nieh, who lives in Burnaby but goes to school in Vancouver. “Like what do you think of confidence? What do you think confidence is? Really getting their opinion. By the end, I want girls to feel like they are capable of making a difference in their lives.”
While never having been bullied in school, the honour-roll student admitted she has struggled with self-esteem in the past. It wasn’t until reading books like The Secret that a lightbulb went off.
“It helped me realize that it’s really my thoughts that kind of determine how I see myself and how others may see me as well.”
This summer was when the idea for Girl Code turned into a reality. Nieh volunteered with Sole Girls – also an empowerment group, but one that focuses on living healthy, active lives – in Coquitlam.
“After that, I just thought, ‘What can I do for my city?’ I wanted to focus more on mindset and having a positive mindset because that has really helped me more comfortable at school,” Nieh explained.
With a little help from the non-profit group, Canadians for Youth Leadership and Action, Nieh began putting things into motion, like making posters and finding a location.
“It has been challenging to organize, but it has also helped me to manage my time because everything was a learning experience,” she enthusiastically said.
She added she’d eventually like to see the workshop grow into a conference next year, one that can hopefully attract speakers who inspire the younger generation.
As for comparing herself to her peers on social media, the teenager takes it with a grain of salt.
“Some people don’t realize yes, they only post the best things, but they may also be having other issues that they don’t share,” she said. “We should use social media not to compare; rather, to look at it as motivation for ourselves.”
Girl Code runs from Oct. 24 to Nov. 14. The community initiative, held every Saturday between 10:30 a.m. and noon, is being hosted at MLA Raj Chouhan’s community room, at 5234 Rumble St. There is a $20 registration fee ($10 for a second child). To register, visit www.leadandact.org.
