Action Plan Title: Empowering Women through Self Defense

Riya J.

Hometown/Country: Sacramento, California, USA

Program/Year: Leadership Institute Online, 2022

 

Please describe your Action Plan in one or two sentences.

My project was to create a non-profit to raise awareness among teens about dating violence and to help women and teens learn self-defense.

Has your project changed since you presented on it during your Pre-College Course? How?

My Op-eds have been published in Teen Ink magazine, Gloria Steinem’s Women’s Media Center, and UNICEF's Voices of Youth blog, a curated online magazine and blog for youth leaders worldwide to share their opinion on policy issues that matter to their generation. 

What steps and efforts have you taken so far to advance your project? Please be specific.

WEAVE Inc. is Sacramento's leading non-profit focused on reducing domestic violence. I lead the efforts to revamp WEAVE’s social media outreach program and upgraded its website with a particular focus on teen dating violence.

How have you contributed to the work of an existing group/organization?

WEAVE INC, is the largest domestic shelter in the nine counties around Sacramento county. I am leading the efforts to revamp WEAVE Inc.'s social media outreach program and upgrade its website with a particular focus on teen dating violence.

How have others been involved in your project? If you did work with other people, what are the challenges and benefits of working with others? If you've done this project almost entirely on your own, why?

I am being mentored by the Chief Strategy office at WEAVE Inc. with the goal of more accurately targeting teen demographics. This was rewarding as it helped me understand the organization's perspective and gave me a sense of purpose. I learned the importance of targeted messaging and working with a team to reach a common goal.

What has motivated you to continue to work on your Action Plan?

My persistence eventually paid off. My first editorial on gender bias in politics was published by TeenInk magazine. My second article on underrepresented careers got accepted by UNICEF's Voices of Youth blog which curates articles from writers in over 160 countries. The Women's Media Center (WMC), an online magazine founded by Jane Fonda and Gloria Steinem, accepted my third and fourth editorials. Today I sit on WMCs editorial board for teenage writers and empower other girls to write boldly. This experience taught me that you don’t need a title to be a leader; you need the desire to make a difference. You need fire in your belly. Rejections or challenges can no longer slow me down.

What tips and advice would you give to new students as they think about developing and working on their own Action Plans?

Find a passion project that you will enjoy creating. Find one that is meaningful to you. The project may take different shapes and forms, and that it is OK. Be flexible. Be willing to change course if needed. Remember that social change is hard. Don't ever give up. In the end, it will be worth it.