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My Platform
Joining the Miss Canada
pageant has given me an opportunity to shine light on the
hardships of young women everywhere who struggle with their
identity and self esteem. I know how hard it can be growing
up as a in a society that tells us we have to look, talk and
act a certain way to fit in. My goal is to support young
women everywhere in finding their true worth and value.
Technology is a great
resource but it comes with many dangers. It has enabled the
media to portray a warped perspective of the “perfect”
woman. Hardly a day goes by where I don’t have a
conversation with someone who struggles with feeling that
they don’t fit the acceptable mold and yet I can see a
unique set of talents and abilities within each of them.
Women are taught that their worth is based on looking and
acting a certain way and the message is that it is better to
conform than embrace one’s individuality. I think that this
has led to most of us, at one time or another, feeling that
we aren’t good enough, that we miss the mark of perfection
and are therefore less worthy. It is so sad that women
struggle with feelings of worthlessness and think that their
value is in their ability to make the standard held up in
our media.
I think it is time that
we stood up for each other and supported one another in the
process of healing our perceptions of ourselves. That is
why I have picked NOW Canada Society as my charity. NOW
stands for New Opportunities for Women and is a society that
was set up to provide programs and ongoing support, to
female youth who have been victims of sexual exploitation.
I think it is important that all women are given a chance to
find their true worth and heal past perceptions of
themselves. Studies show that many young prostitutes have
experienced neglect and abuse in their childhood which means
that many struggle with their lack of self worth and
therefore feel they are only good for the pleasure others
take in using their bodies. As a society I believe it is
vital that we reach these young women in early on so that
they can have a chance to turn their lives around and
experience love and hope. NOW Canada Society is an
organization which does exactly that. Please read the
excerpt below from the history section on their website:
http://www.nowcanada.ca/
“Early 1998
A street level survey was conducted in Kelowna with sexually
exploited youth from our community. It was determined that
the number one need was for safe housing for
sexually-exploited female youth, looking to exit the sex
trade. Servants Anonymous Society of Kelowna was founded
based on the SAS Calgary model.
July 1, 1998 SAS
Kelowna opened its first safe home for sexually exploited
youth with five beds and one emergency bed. October 1, 1998
- a second safe home was opened with another five beds and
one emergency bed. During this time, a Client Support Worker
was hired to help clients with individual recovery plans.
July 1, 1999 The
Kelowna SAS ASK Learning Centre opened. The six month
curriculum includes life skills, academics, career
exploration and relapse prevention.
August 2000 SAS
Kelowna developed and implemented the Therapeutic Mentorship
Program (trauma therapy). A third house was opened with five
beds and one emergency bed, allowing for one Mom and Child
Safe Home and two homes for participants without children.
December 2000 SAS
Kelowna began a Next Step Program, an eight-week paid job
shadowing, back-to-school/work placement.
February 2002 The
Society answered the #1 emergent need found in a federal
government-initiated homeless study and opened the Alexandra
Gardner Women and Children Safe Centre, a 15-bed,
low-barrier homeless shelter for women and children.
May 2002 SAS
Kelowna officially changed its name to New Opportunities for
Women (NOW) Canada Society to better reflect its mandate and
opened NOW Place Apartments, a 21-unit second-stage
subsidized housing facility for ASK Learning Centre
graduates and marginalized women from our community.
January 2003 to July
2003 In a bid to ensure the sustainability of its
programs and cut operating costs, NOW Canada partners with
funders to move out of its rental safe homes for sexually
exploited female youth and purchases two homes for this
purpose.
June 2003 Equine
Assisted Therapy offered as part of ASK Learning Centre's
life skills program.”
As you can see NOW Canada
Society has been providing safe home for recovering
prostitutes in my hometown since 1998. NOW tells young
women, many who have been engaged in the act of selling
their bodies for sex for many years, that they are worth a
great deal more than their looks and their sexual appeal to
men. NOW empowers young women, encouraging them and helping
them, through a holistic process, with a chance at a healthy
full life. NOW is a well respected organization which
receives funding less than 50% from the City of Kelowna, BC
Housing and Human Resources and Skills Development Canada
relying on businesses and private funding for the rest. I
heartily support this organization for its worthwhile
activities and look forward to speaking more about them
throughout the pageant.
Another way that I plan
on supporting the renewal of the broken female identity
include finishing a book that I am writing on how not to
conform to what society says women are supposed to be and
how to support each other along the way. I would also like
to visit high schools and speak to young women about how we
can assist each other towards experiencing true self esteem
and self worth. I would also like to point them in the right
direction with tips on attaining better self esteem and
developing close supportive friendships with other women.
Through these avenues and others I plan on supporting young
women today in the process of finding their true worth and
value.
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