For this month’s blog, JV AmeriCorps member Rachel Young (Juneau, AK ’14-15) shares her experience serving as Young Parent Healthy Teen Assistant at the Catholic Community Services of Juneau in Juneau, AK. Below, Young reminisces about coaching elementary school girls through Girls on the Run, a program that inspires girls to accept and love themselves using a curriculum that incorporates exercise and running.
“We are strong! We are smart! We are unique! We are beautiful!” I echoed these exclamations amidst the hundreds of elementary school girls decked out in face paint and homemade tutus and choked back my own tears of joy. Why was it that at 23, I was only just realizing these lessons for myself?
There was a general sense of excitement and energy in the air as these amazing girls made their way to the starting line of their celebratory, season-ending 5K run. They had been working for this. They were ready for this.
It hadn’t all been easy. As a coach, I’d seen tears, anger, and sadness. I had mediated conflicts and misunderstandings and even had my own feelings hurt once or twice along the way. But that is what eventually made us a strong, resilient team- by learning to work together and love each other to overcome our obstacles. These girls learned about themselves and their team-mates this season. They transformed into strong-willed, confident, compassionate teammates. They learned how to work together, how to support each other, and how to treat themselves with care. Each practice, they shattered stereotypes about femininity and redefined what it means to be a girl of the 21st century.
One student stood up to the bully who had been teasing her in class. Another learned how to communicate her feelings with her dad. A third girl gained the confidence to mediate a disagreement between two of her friends. As these girls learned about themselves, they brought me with them on their journey. I remembered that I, myself, am powerful; my body is beautiful; and my future is limitless.
The morning of our 5K run, 150 vivacious girls left the starting line at Sandy Beach, and later, 150 triumphant girls crossed the finish line. Some ran, some walked, some hopped, and some even crawled like a cat on all fours. That day, there were no losers; only joyful, empowered, loving, and courageous girls.
After the event, we stopped for a team picture and the runners thanked me and my fellow coaches. I then thanked them right back. Thank you, girls, for showing me that it’s never too late to learn and grow and I’ll never be too old to be silly. I’ll always be a Girl on the Run.
