Psychologist helps boost local teens self-esteem

According to the latest numbers from Real Girls, Real Pressure, a national report on the state of self-esteem,  7 out of 10 girls believe that they are not good enough or don’t measure up in some way, meaning anywhere from girls’ looks to their performance in school and relationships with friends and family members.

One Year To Empowerment is an non-profit organization started one year ago by Dr. Sam Scott,  a local psychologist.  The psychologist says she noticed the stresses faced by today’s teenage girls  from cyberbullying to stereotyping and decided that teenage girls needed a positive outlet.

“It’s a lot of stress that teenagers have to deal with these days. But I started thinking about ways that I might be able to get them more engaged of school and just positive activities,” says Dr. Scott.

The organization currently has 15 teens from all over the Eastern Shore and operates from Salisbury’s downtown plaza. In their meeting room known as their ’boutique’, they have the walls covered with inspirational quotes that the teens created themselves.  Dr. Scott admits she didn’t create this program alone.  Dr. Smith has worked with teens themselves to organize activities for the girls to participate in the year-long program.

“Different activities that foster mental health wellness, physical wellness, and a lot of this is community service,” says Dr. Smith.

The girls do everything from learning how to change a tire ,to building a wheelchair ramp for a home, and taking a self-defense class. However some of the most valuable lessons they’ve learned are from each other.

Ada Kennedy, a teen in the program says,”You’re just surrounded by very positive people who are very intelligent.”

Zoe Barry, a teen who has been part of organization for one year says,”My favorite part of this program is probably spending time with all these girls and noticing how empowering a group of girls you don’t even know can be.”

Another part of this organization is that the teens are all sponsored by a member of the community. Although One Year To Empowerment has their new class of girls for this year, they are still looking for girls who are interested in volunteering and interning. They are also accepting donations to keep the organization up and running for future girls.

For more information on how to get involved  click here.