It was a full day of mentoring, activities, and stories of empowerment by students and more than 20 high school and adult volunteers (Sheroes).
“By the end of the conference day, our students began to discover their super power strengths, or resiliency factors, and identify themselves as ‘Sheroes,’ because she rose (and will rise) above any obstacle that comes her way,” said event organizer Dena Drouault, one of San Jacinto Unified’s Middle School Counselors. “When youth discover their resiliency factors, they are empowered to make better choices!” continued Ms. Drouault.
Each table at the conference included an adult and high school mentor to help run the activities, get to know the students, and make sure each student felt special and valued. Funding for the conference was provided by community members and a grant written by Women Wonder Writers, which provided fees for the key note speaker and superhero kits that included a superhero cape for each participant as a tangible reminder of their super power strengths to overcome every obstacle in life.
Conference keynote speaker Debra Postil, Women Wonder Writers Co-Founder Executive Director & Co-Creator of The Write of Your Life™ is a veteran prosecutor in Riverside County. She has numerous years experience with juvenile court and working with school districts, in the public and private sectors to reduce chronic absenteeism, suspensions, dropout rates, juvenile truancy and delinquency.
Ms. Postil shared her personal story and spent time discussing a famous quote from American writer/humorist Mark Twain (1835-1910), “The two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why.” Many students wrote notes of thank-you to Ms. Postil at the end of the conference. “You’ve helped me figure out finally what I’ve wanted to become in life…” wrote one student. Another student penned, “Thank you for teaching us about loving ourselves…”