Every young woman deserves to understand how much they are valued, their worth, strength and purpose, says Andrea Wheatley.

Andrea, at left, is running a course for students at Ōtaki College in the third term called Shinegirl. The course is aimed at giving girls the skills to approach their education, and ultimately their future, with confidence and commitment.

“So many struggle with low self-esteem, hurt, bad past experiences and challenges we face every day, especially in this current generation,” Andrea says.

Shinegirl is an eight-week course with 10 year-9 students participating. It’s run throughout New Zealand and in more than 40 countries. It uses an experiential, practical and inspirational approach, which addresses several key areas: exploring self awareness, personal decision-making, managing feelings, communication skills, self acceptance, personal responsibility, and conflict resolution.

Andrea says she saw a need and she’d previously run Shinegirl in Nelson, so she sought approval to run it at Ōtaki College.

“We have five keen volunteers who have been trained to facilitate it and we’re looking forward to supporting students in our community.”

The course, however, has a cost and Andrea is keen to talk to anyone who might be able to help.

“It would be great to get some financial assistance for this intake and possible future programmes."

• For more information or to offer assistance, contact Andrea Wheatley 021 866 010.