Supergirls is a leadership program at CRP for girls ages 6 to 12.
It provides girls with a friendly space to talk about their emotions and teaches them techniques, like yoga and meditation, to deal with stress and anger. The program also helps girls build up their confidence, learn about their cultures, and become proud of who they are.
Ameera and Safa are both Supergirls. They’ve been coming to CRP since September.
Ameera
Can you tell us a little about yourself? Like where you’re from, some of your favorite things, and what you want to be when you grow up?
I’m from Syria. I love swimming. My favorite color is red because it symbolizes love. I also like gold, like when the sun comes up. When I grow up, I want to be an architect. I like drawing that’s why I’m interested in it. I want to build castles and other buildings!
Can you tell us about the Supergirls program?
We have yoga and meditation and story time. I like yoga best. My favorite pose is the butterfly.
I like yoga because it helps me relax. I like feeling relaxed because when I come home from school, my little brother cries a lot. But it’s quieter at Supergirls.
We used to do computer classes, but they were cancelled. We also play games sometimes, like Bingo, Uno, Jenga, snakes, ladders, and chess. My favorite is Jenga! It helps us learn to focus. Anytime you don’t understand the games, you can ask the teachers for help. I really love them a lot because they play games with us and they listen to us.
Do you learn about everyone’s culture?
Yes. Like one time, we went grocery shopping and our teacher is from Iraq, so I said the names of all the fruits in Syrian, and she told me their names in Iraqi because we have different words.
Has Supergirls helped you make friends? Do you feel more confident now?
Yes. When I first came to Supergirls I was sitting alone and feeling very shy. I didn’t really know what was happening. I didn’t know anyone’s names at CRP. But now I like talking to people. I made a lot of new friends.
Do you love Supergirls?
Yes. I wish that I could stay in Supergirls for the rest of my life!
Is there anything else you would like to say?
Yes. One time, they placed mattresses on the floor and we had to run around them. then when they said “stop” we had to freeze. If you moved, you lost. If you were on the mattresses you lost too. I really want to play that again. It was so much fun!
Also, we have a motto that we say together everyday. It is “I wish everything that I think about and say and do would help everyone around me and won’t cause harm to anyone.”
Safa
Can you tell us a little about yourself? Like where you’re from, some of your favorite things, and what you want to be when you grow up?
I’m from Syria. My favorite color is blue. I like it because it’s a dark color. I love swimming and playing doctor. I really want to be a surgeon when I grow up. I always ask my cousins to come and play with me.
Can you tell us about the Supergirls program?
We play a lot of games that help with our concentration. My favorite is chess! We also read stories and then we’ll act it out afterwards. Or they’ll give us flash cards with something written on it and we’ll read what is on the card and act it out. If we don’t understand what’s on the card, our teachers explain it to us.
We also do breathing exercises to relax. Someone takes a bell and rings it and tells us when to inhale and exhale. We feel peaceful after.
Sometimes our teachers tell us how to apologize and how to forgive someone else.
Do they teach you about each other’s cultures?
Yes, we learn about each other’s cultures, like the food. Sometimes we go to the kitchen and they make us try different foods, like fatteh.
Do you love Supergirls?
Yes. I used to be super shy but I’m not anymore. In Supergirls, we’re all friends. And I like all the games we play.
Is there anything else you would like to say?
I really love Supergirls. We play a lot and it’s so much fun and they teach us a lot of new things.
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