About a year ago, as a student in a peer counseling Bible class, I became aware of the growing level of insecurity in teenage girls. The rates of teen pregnancy, as well as teen alcohol and drug use, have increased greatly over the years, in addition to a decline in self-respect.
These facts worried me and caused me to wonder why: why would anyone feel the need to lose themselves in a harmful substance or practice ? forgetting their identity in a chemical reaction, or having sex at a young age?
I do not believe that all teens who are involved alcohol, drugs and sex are needy. However, I do feel that when a 13-year-old is involved in these things, her actions scream for help.
While reflecting on this problem, I realized that the root of it all is insecurity. I remembered my lack of confidence as a junior high student ? unable to be myself for fear I would fail the standards set by my peers.
Knowing that some girls perpetually feel this way inspired me to help fix the problem. I wanted girls ? especially FC junior highers ? to know they do not need to validate themselves in experiences or tangible items, because they are validated in Christ.
My goal was to create a haven for girls to understand how unique they are, with no division or pettiness between them. This desire gave me the idea for Camp BLISS. With this idea in mind, I went to Molly Sargent, my peer counseling teacher, to see if I could get help with the activity from the class.
The peer counseling class consists of the girls at Fresno Christian who are interested in today’s youth and helping them form a healthy identity. With the sister2sister program, where participants pair up with junior high girls and take them to lunch already in motion, relationships with the junior high girls had already been made. This created a perfect opportunity to begin the camp.
On June 24, 2008, the first annual Camp BLISS (Beauty, Love, Intelligence, Servant and Strong) was completed. A total of 30 junior high girls gathered at my house for an evening of pure acceptance and worry-free fun.
The peer counseling class was the perfect outlet for my idea, as the girls and teacher in the class were extremely supportive. We had a great time putting on the event together. The camp was such a success that it is now in the peer counseling curriculum and will happen every year. This year’s event is planned for May 31.
Hopefully, the girls who attended the camp last year were able to understand that they are special enough to be their own person, and not have their personality dictated to them. I know how the event affected the girls because they wrote to me and encouraged me with their enthusiasm. They really grasped for one night just how much value they have.
For more information on peer counseling, read the Sept. 11 article, Magazine strengthens girls’ confidence or the Nov. 12 article, Sister2Sister encourages junior high, peer counseling interaction.
