Strength TogetHER 1 Session 2

Saturday, June 6th, 2020.
 
Facilitated by ‘Lokopakar’ youth organization which focuses on the development of youth and adolescents in Nepal and India, 'Strength togetHER' virtual program is created specially, for girls and young women of different mindsets and backgrounds. During our sessions, they all come together to share various views, ideas, perspectives, experiences, and stories. This space helps them to grow as individuals by creating a platform to just be themselves, talk about their issues, and find solutions to their problems.
 
After our successful maiden session on May 22nd, we went onto conduct our second session on Saturday, June 6th. Themed ‘I AM ENOUGH’, this session started exactly at 4.00pm, to go on until around 6.15pm via Zoom. It was a very productive session with almost 40 participants and 5 voluntary speakers. Ms. Manusha Jayatilake who is a media consultant for the non-governmental organization ‘Scaling Up Nutrition Sri Lanka’ was our moderator. This time, we were joined by participants not just from the Kathmandu valley but also from Dharan and Itahari as well.
 
This was my very first session and stating the obvious, was very excited to be a part of it. Not only was I participating, but I was also preparing for this blog post. I always loved writing. So, when I was offered the opportunity to write for the blog by our facilitator, Barsha Tamang, I wanted to make sure to grasp it firmly and make the most out of the experience. There was indeed a lot of excitement in the air but I also felt an immense sense of responsibility towards what I was about to do.
 
The session started with me giving a big smile to those powerful girls and them making me feel welcomed in return. It was then time for our five voluntary speakers to tell their stories and experiences on the topic ‘I am enough’.
 
Our first speaker shared her personal journey as a victim of body-shaming and how she gradually overcame her insecurities by developing the self-courage to realize that she was indeed enough.
Our second speaker felt that she wasn't enough because she found it difficult to express herself properly to others.
The next speaker talked about her struggles in the competitive society we live in, which constantly made her feel as though she was never enough.
Our fourth speaker shared how she always felt like somebody who does an average job in everything she does and never able to stand out.
The last speaker thought she wasn't enough, after feeling that she was not a responsible person to continue on her role as a school prefect.
 
While listening to all their experiences and stories, we wondered how much we could also relate ourselves to them. I realized that it was not just me who goes through these kinds of situations. It was the same consensus among everyone around the table who belonged to different age groups. Sharing their stories and opening up to us, somehow seemed to help the speakers to change how they thought about the problem. It even got us inspired!
 
Then, Manusha ma'am, our moderator, came forward to share her personal experiences. She motivated the girls in all ways possible with her beautiful speaking skills that can make anyone compelled to listen to it. Some of her suggestion to girls were;
 
• Take a step back and look at the problem from a larger perspective. It will help to look at the    world in different ways
•Do not pressurize yourself to fit in
 
Manusha ma'am went onto ask each girl about their ways of coping up with sadness. This question helped us to engage in a conversation and learn about alternatives that could help us when we feel down the next time around. Some of the coping mechanism mentioned were;
 
• Talking to your mother (one of our participants said her mom is also her best friend)
• Crying and letting everything out
• Taking some fresh air in the outdoors and appreciating nature more
• Dancing
• Watching funny videos and eating food to feel good
• Taking a nap
• Writing on a secret journal
• Singing just to forget everything else
• Helping to cheer people up by leaving a positive comment on the comment sections of various social media sites
 
It was very interactive. The whole discussion made us realize, "Yes! We are ENOUGH!!" and it is okay to feel down just as much as feeling happy because all of us go through good and bad days.
 
Manusha ma'am also talked about how we should develop a skill set that is relatable to each person. These skills can help us cope with our various feelings including sadness and anger along with insecurities. They help us feel confident, accomplished, and focused on our goals. As she said, "It is really important to learn a set of skills, to be educated about current affairs, to identify and embrace one's strong points and continue to work on our weak points"
 
Manusha ma'am's motivational advice to the girls included;
 
• Being kind to themselves and finding themselves some good friends (GIRL FRIENDS)
• Even the smallest victories are to be celebrated
• Embrace the reality, and to improve themselves to become strong women they'll always be proud of while not being pressurized by various factors.
Her closing quote was from the previous session, "Our Inner Critique puts us down before anybody else". It made us realize how we have only been held back by our own inner critic. The girls really seemed to be moved by this positive note.
 
For me, this session was honestly, worth my time and I got a chance to meet with many strong ladies who really inspired me. To sum up, it was a wonderful experience and I am very grateful to the entire team who managed to create this platform even during a global pandemic where our thoughts are often disturbed by bad news.
 
This session was fruitful, fun, and interesting. We concluded it with a feedback session and also discussed the topics that we should consider for our next session.

Written by: Aastha Shrestha

Edited by: Barsha Tamang (LOKOPAKAR)