At a Glance…
- Young Women of Spirit promotes new skills and confidence in teenage girls to empower them to avoid abusive relationships in their futures
- The girls face physical challenges to help them overcome their fears and increase resilience
- Kevan Bracewell supports Young Women of Spirit by providing pack trips into the mountains to further empower and challenge the teenagers
Who are Young Women of Spirit?
Young Women of Spirit was founded in 2009, as a branch of the Sooke Transition House Society, a safe house for women fleeing abusive relationships. Young Women of Spirit aims to prevent domestic violence by making young people more resilient and better able to avoid abusive relationships through working with teenage girls, empowering them to become more confident, independent, visionary, creative and inquisitive. One day a week during the school year, Young Women of Spirit hold a meeting, initially for 15-18-year-olds, its success allowed the group to expand to encompass 13 and 14-year-olds as well. The meetings are a safe place for teenagers to talk, without being judged and incorporate art, yoga, photography and martial arts to express themselves authentically and build their resilience. Young Women of Spirit also employ nature as a healing tool, challenging its students through managed risk to overcome their physical fears, empowering them to greater strength. Building trust among the group means its participants feel more comfortable facing their fears and pushing their limits. The metaphorical journey begins with caving, entering a dark place and confronting anxieties, then moves into the light with paddle boarding, to gain balance, and finishes with surfing, the chance to move forwards. Many of the group members wanted to continue attending and so Young Women of Spirit needed to find a new challenge for its students. This is where Kevan Bracewell’s Chilcotin Holidays supported them by facilitating pack trips.
Why Kevan Bracewell supports Young Women of Spirit
Young Women of Spirit approached Kevan Bracewell’s Chilcotin Holidays. The group are passionate about their cause, empowering young women to success. Their philosophies are a natural fit with those of Chilcotin Holidays, which enables the two organizations to work together.
How Kevan Bracewell supports Young Women of Spirit
Kevan Bracewell provides pack trips at a reduced cost for Young Women of Spirit to enable them to continue building their confidence and overcoming their fears in a challenging mountainous environment. The girls raise money towards the pack trip, and with government sponsorship and the discounted costs, Young Women of Spirit are able to take part in these experiences. Through transformational travel, an intentional experience to learn and grow as a person, they find new ways to connect with nature and the world. Here, the teenagers are out of their comfort zones, learning new skills and developing their resilience, so when they return to their ‘ordinary lives’ they feel empowered and more capable to face challenges in their own lives.
During the pack trip, Kevan Bracewell facilitates personal development with a number of tools. The Hero’s Journey is a classic twelve-step process of leaving the ‘ordinary world’ to face an ‘ordeal’, ultimately overcoming this and returning to the ‘ordinary world’ stronger and more ready to face future challenges. The Journey helps these teenagers reflect on their strengths and weaknesses, allowing them to see how much they have achieved and overcome.
Brendon Burchard’s High Performance Habits of clarity, energy, necessity, productivity, influence and courage are promoted by Kevan during pack trips and while at the ranch. This encourages the teenagers to focus on self improvement, enthusiasm and responsibility for themselves and in their relations with others.
Next steps…
Young Women of Spirit continue to work with teenagers in Vancouver Island, providing a safe space for them to talk and face their fears. To learn more about Young Women of Spirit, follow the hyperlink:https://www.sooketransitionhousesociety.com/