A 12-year-old girl from Sechelt has been selected to share her insights about issues common to pre-teen girls at the Discovery Girls Tween Summit on Aug. 22 in Pacific Grove, Calif.
The summit, hosted by Discovery Girls Magazine, seeks to connect tween girls from around Canada and the U.S. for brainstorming sessions and discussions about common issues while encouraging girls to come up with their own solutions.
“Our goal is to empower these girls with practical solutions that they can take back to their communities to make a difference in the lives of girls around them,” a press release from Discovery Girls Magazine noted.
Sechelt’s Nadia Behji applied in April for the opportunity to attend the summit, as did thousands of other pre-teen girls. She included some photos of herself, a video of her playing an original composition on the piano and an extensive questionnaire that made her take a close look at who she was and what she stood for.
“You have to be ruthlessly honest and really authentic,” Nadia said.
Two of the questions asked Nadia what her best and worst qualities were. “For my best quality I said I was very enthusiastic, which helps me when I’m writing a song and leading people. I also said my enthusiasm was bad sometimes because I tend to jump right into something without thinking it through,” Nadia said.
Her honest answers impressed the judges who were looking for “girls who have something interesting to say, enthusiasm, personality, insight and a certain spark that we think our readers will relate to.”
Thousands of girls entered for a chance to win a seat at the summit and Nadia was one of only 36 chosen from across Canada and the U.S.
The young woman will be travelling with her mother to the summit next weekend and said she’s not scared, “just really excited.”
“I’m really honoured they picked me and I’m really excited about sharing my ideas.”
Nadia said she has “tons of ideas” about how to empower pre teens and she hopes to get a few key messages out at the summit.
“One of them would definitely be to stand up for what you believe in even if you’re standing alone. It doesn’t matter,” she said.
Nadia’s ideas will help inspire articles for upcoming issues of Discovery Girls Magazine, some of which she’ll get to write.
She’ll be asked to submit writings on things like her most embarrassing moments and her thoughts on health and beauty.
All of the girls selected will also be featured in the bi-monthly magazine with a photo spread and story highlighting their dreams, hobbies and interests, four at a time.
Find out more about the summit and the magazine at www.discoverygirls.com.
