Feminist Changemaker Series: Girl Empowerment Tools from Rise Like a Girl

If you haven’t heard of Kelsey Martin, you’ll love getting to know her! She is one of those people whose sincerity jumps off the page. Even though I only know her virtually, she is genuine, smart, and dedicated to the kids she teaches.

Kelsey founded Rise Like a Girl, which aims to encourage girls to rise above societal limitations and live the life they’ve always imagined. They strive for transformation, where girls turn doubt into affirmation and weakness into power.

Rise Like a Girl offers many girl empowerment tools that you’ll want to know more about. Kelsey dreams big and you’ll want to, too, after hearing more from her. Today she shares with us her strategies, challenges facing children of color, and how to let children lead the conversation…

Hi Kelsey, thanks for being a part of our Feminist Changemaker Interview Series, and for chatting with me today!

1. What was your impetus for starting Rise Like a Girl?

I started RISE like a girl in 2014 with a group of 19 past and present students at the school I worked at in Houston, TX. It all started with an idea I had during my freshman year of college. I became out a Gender Studies second major out of a need to pick a second major and not liking any of the other choices. It was the best decision I ever made because it opened up a world I never knew existed. My very first gender studies intro class exposed me to things like gender as a social construct and the sexualization of women in pop culture.

All of it blew my mind because it validated every insecurity I ever had as a teenage girl. I knew then that creating a girl empowerment program was in my future because it’s something I would have wanted when I was younger. I wanted to create something that gave girls the time and space to express their emotions and build their confidence and self esteem.

2. Why did you choose 8-10 as the age range?

I chose to work with girls ages 8-10 because it’s the span of my reach as an elementary school teacher. However, I will say that starting the conversation early with younger girls is so important! They are energetic and excited learners who absorb everything you teach them. Their curiosity for the world around them inspires them to ask great questions that lead to quality discussions. Giving young girls a “toolbox” of girl empowerment strategies equips them for the adversity they’ll face in the future.

3. One thing you highlight is turning doubt into affirmation. Self-doubt has always been a problem among girls, but has it gotten worse? Why? How do you flip self-doubt on its head with the girls in your program?

It most definitely has gotten worse! Even for me, as someone in her late 20s, I struggle all the time with self-doubt and comparison. The advancements in technology and media over the last few years have a lot to do with that. We’re constantly bombarded with images, whether we like it or not, that force us to compare our seemingly glum reality with their highlight reel. The girls in my program practice journaling as a way to reflect and identify their feelings. They also have the opportunity to share with one another how they’re feeling. This gives them the opportunity to speak their truth, reclaim their power over that insecurity, and make connections with other girls feeling the same exact way.

4. Tell us more about the power you see in girls coming together. How do you emphasize girl empowerment tools like this in your program?

It’s incredibly important for girls to come together! In RISE like a girl, building culture and community is really valuable. It teaches them to lean on each other and work together to accomplish a goal. In a world that tends to be so divided, girls supporting girls makes the world a little bit better.

Read more: Moving beyond “me”: the power of collective action

5. What’s the hardest part about being an elementary school teacher in a city? What the best part?

Being a teacher is the hardest job in the world, no matter where you work. But it’s also the most rewarding! The hardest part about being a teacher in Washington D.C. is having to confront the consequences that systemic racism and oppression has on children of color. The reality of being an “other” in a world that is determined to bring you down is a devastating truth that my students and their families have to face. Many of my students unfortunately have to deal with very adult problems that consequently shift their focus from academics to simply survival.

Being their teacher can be challenging because my role as their teacher isn’t just academic instruction. In fact, that’s only a small part of it. More often, my role is to be their mentor, their mother, their friend, and their guide. I teach them to navigate the world around them, how to rise above adversity, and how to be a good person. I do my best to teach them the skills they need to survive in a world that will judge them first by where they come from. That’s the best part of teaching, really. I love what I do because I have the power to capture a student’s heart and hopefully change their trajectory for the better.

Oh, and it’s not just the students doing the learning either. My sweet students have taught me more lessons of life and love than I have ever given to them.

6. It seems every day that there is bad news in the U.S., usually with more hatred or oppression directed toward a marginalized group. How do you address this with children at your school? Are they feeling the effects of this political climate?

I think kids are definitely feeling the tension! They hear things on TV or things their parents say and repeat them to me at school. Kids in general have an incredible sense of right and wrong, and things always have to be fair. When they hear about people being treated unfairly, they can’t even wrap their heads around it. To kids, it’s simple – treat people the way you want to be treated! I use that mindset to my advantage to open the door for communication with my students. If they bring it up, we talk about it. I allow their curiosity to fuel the conversation because knowledge is power! A lot of the judgement and hatred in the world stems from ignorance. I make sure my students know that seeking information first is the most important step in acceptance and understanding.

7. There’s this weird myth still lingering out there that women don’t boost each other up. But you speak on your site about the tremendous power of female friendship. Will you give us a few examples of how other women have lent strength to your voice, and vice versa?

When I was in college, I had the privilege of being in a women’s leadership organization called Women in Learning and Leadership. That program surrounded me with the most impressive, well-spoken, and inspired young women that I’ve ever met. The conviction in their voices whenever they spoke about something they believed in was infectious. I wanted to be able to use my voice and own my power in the same way. Those women inspired me to step into my power in a way I never had before.

8. The word “feminist” has gone through many transformations, and it still alienating to some people. When did you first identify as a feminist and what do you hope for the future of feminism?

I first identified as a feminist as soon as I heard the word when I was 18 years old in a gender studies class. I knew it was something I believed in because to me, it just makes sense. I hope that we can normalize the word to the point where it doesn’t need to be an identifier anymore.

More: 13 ways to raise a feminist

I hope that we can all raise our kids to believe that everyone is equal, regardless of gender, to the point where believing anything else seems foreign. I know we can do this by challenging our kids to think deeper about gender stereotypes and using the word “feminist” early and often.

9. You’ve been very open in your writing about struggling with anxiety, partly from the fear of being yourself. You mentioned that you struggled to find five words to describe yourself as a teen. Tell us now: what five words would you use to describe yourself?

Still such a hard question! I’d have to go with thoughtful, considerate, passionate, sensitive, and creative.

10. Most inspiring book you’ve read lately?

It has to be This Will Be My Undoing by Morgan Jerkins. I read this book in 2 short days because I could not put it down! I loved it because it’s all about what it means to a black woman today through Morgan’s life experiences. I connected with Morgan’s story immensely and I know a lot of young women who look like me could connect with her too.

Her story was validating and affirming, and it inspired me to stand confidently in who I am because other young women just like me are walking right along with me.

11. If you could tell your 15 year-old self one thing, what would it be?

You are enough exactly the way that you are. Love yourself for the person you were intended to be. There’s no need to change yourself or stifle your words to please anyone. Who you are is enough and you have nothing to prove to anyone!

Thank you so much, Kelsey! It was great to chat with you today and learn more about your work as a teacher, how students are inspiring you, and how we can better equip girls to prepare for adversity. 

For more about Kelsey and Rise Like a Girl, head over here to learn about her inspiring program. 

To find more strategies to build girls up, grab your spot in the 5 Day Reboot to Raising Confident Girls.