In honor of the International Day of The Girl, S.T.R.A.W. Inc. Center for Young Women held a seminar for the sixth grade girls of C.W. Sawyer Primary School yesterday.

S.T.R.A.W. (Strengthening, Transforming, Restoring, and Affirming young Women) spoke to the young ladies on issues concerning girls worldwide including poverty, grooming, staying true to themselves and getting an education.

Executive Director and President of S.T.R.A.W. Inc Therena Cunningham said the day was about empowerment.

“The theme for the International Day of the Girl is empowering girls before, during and after conflict and that is what we came to do. We want to show them what it means to be a girl and encourage them to be comfortable in their own skin,” Cunningham said.

She added that they will continue their work of various programs to continue to impact girls throughout the nation.

“Our adolescent girl program or middle school project, community outreach with junior and senior high school students as well as our annual Girls Leadership Conference in March are all geared to empowering the girl,” Cunningham said.

Crystanae Brown student at C.W. Sawyer said she learned that no one can stop your goals or dreams as a girl.

“Most girls are getting raped, abandoned, killed and molested around the world but no one can stop the dreams girls have and this seminar prepared me for junior high and to be a proper lady,” Brown said.

Kaitlyn Bodie a sixth grader at C.W. Sawyer said the seminar taught her to not let anyone tell her that she can’t.

“I learned that whatever you put your mind to you can do it,” Bodie said.
S.T.R.A.W has been in existence for 15 years and caters to young women between the ages of 12-17 years old.