CPFSA fetes girls in state care
Published:Tuesday | June 21, 2022 | 12:08 AMJudana Murphy/Gleaner Writer
Colourful dresses, matching fascinators and radiant smiles were all around at the ‘Girls at 10 Tea Party’ hosted by the Child Protection and Family Services Agency (CPFSA) on Saturday.
Some 30 girls in state care were in attendance at the event, which was held under the theme ‘Empowering our girls, equipping tomorrow’s women’.
Children’s officer in the psychology unit at the CPFSA, Sassah-Gaye McPherson, reminded the adolescent girls that their feelings matter, and urged them to develop a healthy self-esteem.
She proposed measures that are part of the ABC model - activities, breathing and care - among the strategies they can use to foster positive emotions.
“Engaging in movement activities helps to release happy chemicals and happy hormones in the body. Dancing is one activity you can engage in, and it can help you to calm down, help you to feel happy and energised,” she said.
McPherson explained that intentional breathing exercises can regulate their emotions by interrupting and redirecting their flow.
“Another key to building your self-esteem is to do more of the things that you love and enjoy,” she said.
McPherson added that positive words are useful in building self-esteem and the confidence of others around them.
“I am fearfully and wonderfully made,” the adolescents chorused, as they participated in an affirmation activity.
They were also engaged in interactive sessions on social graces, grooming, sexual health, reproduction and menstruation.
STAGE OF RESET
CPFSA CEO Rosalee Gage-Grey said the girls are on the cusp of puberty and are at a stage of reset.
She shared that adolescence is an important and decisive age for girls, as what transpires during this time shapes the direction of their lives. For many girls, this period of their life also marks a time of heightened vulnerability, and that calls for formal edification.
“Our focus here this morning is to celebrate all the ways in which you, our amazing and beautiful girls, are special, while still giving a reset in how good you feel about yourselves, your changing bodies and how you choose the people who will become your friends as you grow older,” Gage-Grey said.
Meanwhile, Minister of Education Fayval Williams said she was pleased to participate in the fêting of the young girls, as she assured them that the Government is committed to ensuring that they receive an education and live fulfilling lives.
“You are no different from anyone else. Circumstances may have placed you where you are, but you are God’s creation and no less deserving than (any) other child,” Williams remarked.