State of Wisconsin Girls (Virtual) Summit
What does wellness mean to girls today? The State of Wisconsin Girls Summit 2021, held October 9, 2021, convened thought leaders and inspiring voices to encourage girls to take care of themselves physically, mentally, emotionally and financially.
Keynote speaker: Ayanna O’Kimosh
Thirteen-year-old Ayanna O’Kimosh, a three-time national boxing champion from Keshena, Wis., is a member of the Oneida Nation and a descendant of the Menominee and Arikara Nations. O’Kimosh teaches self-defense to girls as she raises awareness of murdered and missing Indigenous women and girls.
Learn more:
MMIWG: We Demand More (Urban Indian Health Institute)
Participants will choose one workshop for Session 1 (8:50-9:50 a.m. CST)
1. Stay Super! (Amber [she/her] and Kadijiha [she/her], Brush Box founders and Alverno alums)
Brush Box will be providing a community driven art activity where individuals are able to highlight their personal strengths and
weaknesses. This Be Your Own Hero activity will allow for participants to build their own superheroes that represent how they present themselves in their communities. Discussions will revolve
around grounding techniques while within a brave space, self-advocacy, women helping women, and community-based entrepreneurship. The Brush Box team encourages using art as a process to heal
and build relationships.
2. Manifesto! (Regan Halas [she/her], Unsung Studio)
What is art and why does it matter to you? How do we update the idea of art so that it means something to us personally: to who we are and how we live? How can art help us to inhabit
ourselves, be more alert to love, to re-define beauty so it means something real? How do we access our imagination without apology and invite our own unique voice forward? This workshop will
be a conversation and exploration of what art means to us, as we are, right now.
3. Be Your Best Self (PEARLS for Teen Girls)
You are unique, brilliant, beautiful and capable of achieving your goals and dreams. In order to get there though, there's work we each have to do within ourselves. In this workshop led by
PEARLS for Teen Girls, you will explore what it truly means to be your best self. Through activities that develop your
decision making and self-awareness skills, our hope is you'll walk away feeling empowered to take on the world.
4. Winning Ways of Using Social Media (Tammy Belton-Davis [she/her], Athena Communications and Adekola Adedapo [she/her], Alverno College)
Join us with the founder and principal of Athena Communications, Tammy Belton-Davis. Belton-Davis, an Alverno alumna, is
an award-winning communications and equity professional specializing in personal and brand management (creating a professional personality or image). Tammy will share tools on managing your
personal brand and building a winning networking plan for your school and business needs. Enter the session "lottery" to win a self-care basket of goodies!
5. Discovering Your Inner Poet (Amira Adams [she/her], Alverno student and Thea Bowman Scholar)
Amirathepoet will share her story and the journey on becoming a poet and spoken word artist. This workshop will encourage the attendees of the Girls Summit to dig deep and bring out their own
inner poet while exploring how mindfulness and mental health play a large role in the process!
6. Food Justice (Teens Grow Greens)
Do you believe that everyone should have access to fresh and healthy foods? Unfortunately, many people across Wisconsin have trouble getting access to food that nourishes and fuels the body.
We will explore what food justice looks like, define food sovereignty, and talk about our favorite foods! We will end with a few tips on how to get started with growing edible plants and
recipes featuring edible plants from your own backyard. All foodies and plant lovers are welcome!
Participants will choose one workshop for Session 2 (10:50-11:50 a.m. CST).
7. The Revolution Inside of You (Barbara Cerda [she/her], Barby The Book Fairy & La Revo Books and an Alverno alumna)
Barbara Cerda ‘17, founder of Barby The Book Fairy and co-founder of La Revo Books, invites you to a discussion on how learning about yourself is revolutionary. It impacts your own life
and those who surround you. Reading and story-telling are some of the ways we discover who we are. When we learn something new about our identity, we change little by little. In this
workshop, we will talk about nurturing ourselves through passion projects and self-discovery.
8a. Let's Talk About It: A Conversation About Racism and Racial Injustice (Hope Owens-Wilson ‘16 [she/they], William Winter Institute for Racial Reconciliation)
During this workshop, girls will participate in a series of activities that will allow them to have an open, meaningful, and safe peer-to-peer discussion about racism and racial injustice.
The purpose of this workshop is to help empower each other by discussing topics related to racism and racial injustice. This workshop is open to people of every racial background and anyone
with an open mind.
8b. Let's Talk About It: A Conversation About Racism and Racial Injustice (Drea McAlister [she/her], Alverno student and Thea Bowman Scholar)
*registration closed for this session*
During this workshop, girls will participate in a series of activities that will allow them to have an open, meaningful, and safe peer-to-peer discussion about racism and racial injustice.
The purpose of this workshop is to help empower each other by discussing topics related to racism and racial injustice. This workshop is open to people of every racial background and anyone
with an open mind.
9. LGBTQ Allyship and You (Rebekah Salonen [she/her/they/them], Alverno alum)
In this session, participants will explore identity as it pertains to gender and sexual orientation, LGBTQ terminology and language, and some history around gender to gain a better
understanding of what it means to be an ally in the ongoing fight for LGBTQ rights. Whether a member of the LGBTQ community, an already outspoken ally, or someone just introducing themselves
to the topic, we all have our part to play.
10. Taking Care of YOU (Dr. Jessica Larson [she/her], former Alverno faculty member)
Girls are often culturally conditioned to become "people pleasers" and put everyone else's needs above their own. This often leads to dissatisfaction in life and eventually leads to burnout!
In this workshop, we will explore topics related to self-care including key practices such as listening to our intuition, asking for help, and maintaining strong relationships. Led by
psychologist Dr. Jessica Larson, this workshop is geared towards both youth participants and their caregivers.
11. Stay Super! (Amber [she/her] and Kadijiha [she/her], Brush Box founders and Alverno alums)
Brush Box will be providing a community driven art activity where individuals are able to highlight their personal strengths and weaknesses. This Be Your Own Hero activity will allow for
participants to build their own superheroes that represent how they present themselves in their communities. Discussions will revolve around grounding techniques while within a brave space,
self-advocacy, women helping women, and community-based entrepreneurship. The Brush Box team encourages using art as a process to heal and build relationships.
12. Secure Futures Money Path (sponsored by PNC Wealth Management)
*recommended for high school-aged participants
With the power of the Money Path app, you can chart a course to reach your lifelong career and financial goals! Money Path will provide you with an opportunity to explore and compare the
post-high school paths you are considering and how they could impact your financial future. In this session, you will get your own Money Path account and build a personal, career and
financial plan.
Thank you to our event sponsors, including:
Ready for what's next
