The Mind is Powerful

This is an essay by 16-year-old Skyler, who participated in our 2019 Camp. An old soul with wisdom beyond her years and one of the most compassionate hearts we've ever seen. She showed up keen to open up and let us carry some of the weight on her shoulders.

These are her words. These are her thoughts. We are so impressed by her thought process and her commitment to self betterment. It's impossibly inspiring. We exist so young women like Sky can flower like this. This is Skyler rising. 

Thank you, Sky, for sharing your heart and soul with us all. 

The mind is powerful. Very powerful.

It develops, and is continuously growing with knowledge and experience. Needless to say, it’s a place of thoughts, reflections and opinions. So why not make sure it is a beautiful place?

Girl In The Wild, addresses that sometimes our minds, my mind, can be a tough place to be, however ensures that it’s okay sometimes to have it be gloomy. Because temporary gloom, can still be beautiful. The dynamic of Girl in The Wild is one that moves people; moves me. I saw it everyday, from the people I met through the actions of making the camp possible, to simply hearing stories of empowerment and hardship every other woman experiences. They created an environment that allowed me to express and just be with the hardship I face, which was huge for me at the time. Their camp reminded me of the beauty in my smile, and in the other girls smiles, being able to recognize and embrace there is a truthful story behind each one.

The women apart of this program reminded me that the hardship that brought tears to my eyes wasn’t what defined me on the surface. They saw so much more, they trusted there was so much more, and I was able to process that without the distractions of everyday life. I was able to stare at the pedals of a flower and just be still if that’s what I chose to do. I was able to thank my body for its power, and not dread its limits because I was reminded of the truth in my words even if they were just neutral ones, due to the separation I had from all society's doubts. I was in a position to be able to recognize my strength from the unity that came from being surrounded by determined and embracing people

The intentions and effects of Girl In The Wild are indescribable, and that said, is an opportunity that should be experienced by every girl. Girl In The Wild wanted me to rise, and wanted everyone else to rise; “girls are gonna rise” and there’s so much more to where that came from. Their tactic to bring girls to a beautiful place, away from all societies responsibilities and just be in the presence of connections and growth is truly spectacular. They read my group, and we worked through the intentions for the camp as so fit, allowing it to be more personal. My takeaways are all things I still hold close to my heart months later, and every girl who has the opportunity to experience Girl In The Wild without a doubt will be inspired.