If you missed last week's interviews, browse through this short list of frequently asked questions about the
Girl of Worth conference!
Q: Why is there a need for a girls’ conference for this particular age group (6th – 9th grade)?
Rebecca: A couple of years ago, a group out in California did a study on this age group, and they tagged these years as the “Bermuda Triangle” of adolescence. Now, if you remember much about the Bermuda Triangle, that’s a place where ships sail in and are often never found again. That happens often with our kids. They sail in to their middle school years, and also that first year of high school, totally unprepared for the changes that are going to happen there, and what parents often find is that they lose their kid. The child that seemed well adjusted, bright, cheerful, and secure, is suddenly this totally different person. I believe there is a real need to set this group apart and say, OK—here are some things to be looking out for: physical, emotional, and sexual changes are going to be going on, and a lot of crazy things are going to be happening to your body and your mind. But look around!!! Everyone else is going through the same thing. You’re normal!
Q: What happens to girls as they approach the middle school age? When it comes to growing up, why is this age so difficult?
Rebecca: Girls especially can be very uncomfortable about the physical changes that are occurring. I don’t know if you remember middle school, but those were the worst years of my life! I felt like I had the body of an alien, and my mother tried to comfort me by telling me that everybody has an awkward age—but it always feels like you’re the only one—the only one with bad skin, bad hair, no friends. But the thing about these middle years is that all that surface stuff is distracting girls from what is really going on: They are growing up, and they are growing into a future that God has prepared for them! Adolescence is really just a bridge. It’s temporary; and if you can just see that there is another side and that you are going to get there, it will give you the strength and hope you need for the journey!
Q: If I’m a parent, why would I want my teen daughter to attend this conference?
Rebecca: This is going to be a day of encouragement and inspiration for these girls, especially as they face the challenges of another school year. It’s going to be a great kick-off. And you know, I’m a parent, and I want my kids to listen to me, and I know that most of the time they do, but there’s something about hearing a fresh voice. Sometimes a speaker can say something that a parent has been trying to say for a long time, but their phrasing is just different enough that their teenager will finally catch it, you know, they process it. Many times, a song can speak to kids louder than any message, and we’ve got great music planned for this event!
Q: If I'm a teen, why would I want to go to this conference?
Rebecca: I think the word for the day is going to be FUN!! This is going to be a really fun conference—great worship, passionate messages, a powerful testimony about self-image—and then we’ve got door prizes, t-shirts, tote bags, lunch by Fazoli’s, and a fashion show by Dillard’s in Bowling Green.
Q: How can a fashion show be used to build self-respect in girls?
Rebecca: We are an image-conscious culture, and here we are telling our kids to “just be yourself.” The truth is, they often really feel like they can’t be themselves, especially when it comes to what they wear. If our girls think they have to show off their young figures and their skin in order to be admired and to “feel” attractive, then we are really going backwards in this culture. It’s hard to respect yourself when you feel like your personhood rises and falls on whether or not you have a boyfriend. And this is the age when instead of acknowledging that they can be and do anything—it’s still all about who is the best looking. It’s absolutely crazy. You can be cute and comfortable without being provocative. Fashion has everything to do with creativity—we hope to show girls some creative alternatives to all the body-revealing clothes that they see on TV and the Internet.
Q: What is your vision for the conference?
Rebecca: My vision is transformation—for the girls, for the community, for myself. What I see is a day where everyone leaves changed!
