Working towards developing a community that prides itself on raising young women who uplift one another instead of bullying each other, are the Bluff’s Sunette Kerwan and Tarryn Meyer who are the proud founders of ‘A Friend Like Me’ programme.
A Friend Like Me is a programme for young Bluff school girls, which aims to inspire and uplift girls and teach them by inspiring means. The project works with groups of grades four to seven. A range of relevant topics and issues such as bullying, puberty, sex, abuse, stress management, body image and self-esteem, health and wellness, career advice and the importance of counseling are covered within the talks and workshops held at local schools by A Friend Like Me.
Sunette, who is a mom to a teenager, said seeing the struggles her daughter’s peers face daily, inspired her to be a friend and ear to every broken heart. “There is always somebody going through the same thing as you and it’s important to know you are never alone. This initiative was born from a place of empathy and compassion of a tough childhood and concerned motherhood. Motivating our girls, teaching them about self-love, kindness, compassion and being a friend like me can be life-changing, ” she said.
Tarryn has taught yoga for close to 11 years and is passionate about helping young girls deal with anger and self-doubt problems. “Through A Friend Like Me, we are making an effort to reach out to young girls who may be facing different life challenges and we want to equip them with information and life skills that will empower them to be well-rounded individuals. We are striving to build young women who are conscious of their potential and can be a friend to another young woman in need,” said Tarryn.
There is no charge to the local school’s or parents for this programme, but the team is in need of sponsorships for goodies bags and other logistics. The duo have submitted their non-profit organisation documents and are awaiting their final registration status as an NPO by mid-February. Those donating will receive a certificate for tax purposes. For more information, contact Sunette Kerwan on 083-390-5141 or Tarryn Meyer on 079-868-9694.
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