What is it? - A chance to learn about issues affecting young women The opportunity of a lifetime. - An opportunity to meet new friends - A weekend of fun!

Once we arrived we received t-shirts, water bottles, and information pamphlets, along with UNFC bags. To start the weekend we did journaling with Mrs. B. We read an article about Freedom Writers and discussed how journaling can be an effective way of expressing ourselves.

Heather Watts was one of many presenters we had. She is from Toronto and is a member of the Aboriginal Role Model Program. She promotes healthy lifestyles and self-esteem. She opened the conference with a traditional smoke dance. Later in the weekend, she did a presentation about decision making and making good choices. “Girls are like apples on trees. The best ones are at the top of the tree. The boys don’t want to reach for the good ones because they are afraid of falling and getting hurt. Instead, they just get the apples from the ground that aren’t as good, but easy to get. So the apples at the top think something is wrong with them, when in reality, they’re amazing. They just have to wait for the right boy to come along. The one who’s brave enough to climb all the way to the top of the tree.” Referring to boys and relationships.

Throughout the weekend we had free time when we could:

Quilt Squares Every year each participant designs a quilt square. While we were busy with presentations, Mrs. Kowalski and Mrs. Councillor were sewing all of the quilt squares together. Each year one school gets to keep the quilt. This year’s winner was Fort Frances High School.

On Saturday night we have the annual talent show. Every girl who wants to can show off any hidden talents. This year we had everything from juggling, to hip-hop dancing, to singing. At the talent show each group performed a song that they had previously created.

Presentations We were all given journals to express our feelings. We also received jars with questions that we could use to help write in our journals. Throughout the weekend we had time to write in these journals. A video was made by the Atikokan Crisis Center. It was about healthy relationships and safety. “Not a loliday” means “Not a Laugh Out Loud Day” To make things a little more interesting, we were given the opportunity to play the musical circle tubes called BOOM WHACKERS!

Presentations Cont. Things got a little artsy at the conference. We each made little greeting cards with stamps. We had a presentation about healthy nutrition. To make things more fun we played the game jeopardy and learned more about what actions we should take when involving our bodies. We didn’t just get to sit around all weekend, we actually had to do a couple of exercising activities. Lucky for us, Ashleigh Dutton was there to guide the way!

The Young Women’s Conference was a wonderful opportunity. We encourage all girls to apply for the chance of a lifetime!

To the presenters and facilitators for making this conference a great success! To the participants for their enthusiasm, amazing talents, willingness to share, and their unique personalities.! To the School Boards, unions, businesses, and The Atikokan Crisis Centre for their generous support.