A Ninety-Day Empowerment Journal for Young Women: Learn to Affirm Daily Self-Love, Self-Confidence, and Self-Brilliance
()
About this ebook
This guide for girls and young women ages thirteen to twenty-one tears down the negative images presented in various media of African American youth and young adults.
While its intended to be read with an adult mentor, it can also be used by individuals who want to grow and develop on their own.
If youre a young female, youll engage in fun activities, including:
Listen to Stevie Wonders song Isnt She Lovely, and then, using the letters of lovely, write a meaning for each letter to describe what is lovely about you.
Read the poems Mother to Son by Langston Hughes and Still I Rise by Maya Angelou, and explain how encouragement is defined in each poem.
Read 10 Challenges That American Women Still Face Today on the Ms. magazine website, and list three challenges you face now or are likely to face in the future.
Youll also learn how journal writing can be an appropriate strategy for problem solving when talking it out with a friend, parent, or other adult doesnt seem possible.
Change the way you look at yourself, others, and life with A Ninety-Day Empowerment Journal for Young Women.
Gwendolyn L. Cooke PhD
Gwendolyn J. Cooke, PhD is a retired educator who remains committed to advocating for children of the poor who, too often, fall through the cracks. She’s also the author of two books for adults: Keys to Success for Urban School Principals and Look Up: Images in the Classroom.
Related to A Ninety-Day Empowerment Journal for Young Women
Related ebooks
Trusting Yourself: Growing Your Self-Awareness, Self-Confidence, and Self-Reliance (Book for Preteen Girls, Self-Development) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSummary of Andrea Bonior's Detox Your Thoughts Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe 5 Commandments of Self-Love: A Journey of Honoring and Accepting Yourself Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSummary of Cyndie Spiegel's A Year of Positive Thinking Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMorning Habits to Boost Your Self Esteem - Discover a More Confident You Today Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsIn Her Power: Reclaiming Your Authentic Self Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Excellent as You Are: A Woman's Book of Confidence, Comfort, and Strength Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Art Of Making Time For Yourself: A Collection Of Advice For Moms Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA-Z Guide On How To Start Being Positive: The A-Z Of How To Think Positive And Be Happy Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBack to Me: Authentic reflections, hilarious recollections, and hard truths on the road leading back to me Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsReturning to Joy: Inspiration for Grieving the Loss of Your Dog Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSummary of Furiously Happy Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsWonderful Ways to Love a Teen: How to Parent Teenagers...Even When It Seems Impossible Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5A Book About Love and Happiness Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLife to the Fullest Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsFeel Good: How to Change Your Mood and Cope with Whatever Comes Your Way Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Learn to Let Go: Leave your worries and stress behind Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsYou Can Learn to Think Positive and Change Your Life. Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLove Me: A Little Book About Self-Love for Women Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAlign to Love: Unlearning Fear and Aligning to Love Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSomething to Think About...: 369 Steps to Self Awareness Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsChange Starts Within You Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Alive At 35: Redefining Self-Worth And Discovering What Love Is. Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsFinding Your Life Purpose - How to Live Your Life Without Fear or Failure Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMeditations on Self-Love and Joy: Awakening To Joyful Living Poetry, #1 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsHow to Live a Better Life: Build Self-Control, Develop Good Habits, Find Life Purpose & Attract Success Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Evolution of Her: Redefining Your Beliefs about Your Feminine Identity Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings42 Days To Confidence Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLove Your-Self Deeply First Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Teaching Methods & Materials For You
Becoming Cliterate: Why Orgasm Equality Matters--And How to Get It Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Praxis Elementary Education For Dummies with Online Practice Tests Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Science of Making Friends: Helping Socially Challenged Teens and Young Adults Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Three Bears Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Speed Reading: How to Read a Book a Day - Simple Tricks to Explode Your Reading Speed and Comprehension Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap...And Others Don't Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Verbal Judo, Second Edition: The Gentle Art of Persuasion Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Principles: Life and Work Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Competent to Counsel: Introduction to Nouthetic Counseling Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Speed Reading: Learn to Read a 200+ Page Book in 1 Hour: Mind Hack, #1 Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5How to Think Like a Lawyer--and Why: A Common-Sense Guide to Everyday Dilemmas Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Fluent in 3 Months: How Anyone at Any Age Can Learn to Speak Any Language from Anywhere in the World Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5How to Take Smart Notes. One Simple Technique to Boost Writing, Learning and Thinking Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Lies My Teacher Told Me: Everything Your American History Textbook Got Wrong Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Personal Finance for Beginners - A Simple Guide to Take Control of Your Financial Situation Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The 5 Love Languages of Children: The Secret to Loving Children Effectively Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Jack Reacher Reading Order: The Complete Lee Child’s Reading List Of Jack Reacher Series Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5From 150 to 179 on the LSAT Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Better Grammar in 30 Minutes a Day Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Lost Tools of Learning Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Chicago Guide to Grammar, Usage, and Punctuation Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Financial Feminist: Overcome the Patriarchy's Bullsh*t to Master Your Money and Build a Life You Love Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The 5 Love Languages of Teenagers: The Secret to Loving Teens Effectively Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Summary of The Dawn of Everything by David Graeber and David Wengrow Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Weapons of Mass Instruction: A Schoolteacher's Journey Through the Dark World of Compulsory Schooling Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A study guide for Frank Herbert's "Dune" Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Raising Human Beings: Creating a Collaborative Partnership with Your Child Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Reviews for A Ninety-Day Empowerment Journal for Young Women
0 ratings0 reviews
Book preview
A Ninety-Day Empowerment Journal for Young Women - Gwendolyn L. Cooke PhD
Copyright © 2015 Gwendolyn J. Cooke, PhD
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
Scripture quotations marked KJV are from the Holy Bible, King James Version (Authorized Version). First published in 1611. Quoted from the KJV Classic Reference Bible, Copyright © 1983 by The Zondervan Corporation.
iUniverse
1663 Liberty Drive
Bloomington, IN 47403
www.iuniverse.com
1-800-Authors (1-800-288-4677)
Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.
Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.
Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.
ISBN: 978-1-4917-6835-8 (sc)
ISBN: 978-1-4917-6837-2 (hc)
ISBN: 978-1-4917-6836-5 (e)
Library of Congress Control Number: 2015908361
iUniverse rev. date: 06/27/2015
Contents
Foreword
Preface
Introduction
Messages to Users of this Journal
A. For Adult Mentors
1. Mentoring
2. Use of the Internet
3. Access to a Computer
4. Facilitation Instructions
B. Teenagers and Young Adults
1. Lessons in this Journal
2. Journal Entries and Reflections
3. Writing a Daily Journal
4. The Ninety-Day Challenge
5. A Gratitude Journal
6. Affirmations
7. Journal Format
Journal Entries and Reflections
Part 1. Love Yourself
Part 2. Create Positive Relationships
Part 3. You and Your Future
Resources
Bibliography
To My Parents and My Teachers
To my parents and teachers who taught me
To be peaceful, loving, generous,
Grateful and thoughtful of others’ needs.
Indeed, I have been blessed with the ability to see the glass
As half-full
in the midst of tremendous odds. That lesson alone
Compels me to lift others as I continue to climb.
Much is required
Mentors continue to teach me that:
Whoever has been given much will be responsible for much. Much more will be expected from the one who has been given more.
Luke 12:47 (KJV)
To adolescent young women
Additionally, this journal is dedicated to adolescent young women who are courageous enough to commit to using this journal for 90 consecutive days. As you write, be encouraged to use the affirmation below to sustain you on your journey to defining your future.
A Daily Affirmation for Success
I love myself, and I am worthy of others’ love.
I am smart. I excel in and out of school daily.
For positive reinforcement of my beliefs about myself,
I will read daily
a poem by Langston Hughes or a poem by Maya Angelou.
As a teenage girl using this journal,
the world can become my creation when I
imagine it, write it, visualize it, plan it, execute it, do it, and implement it!
I will preserve a right mental attitude.
This includes an attitude of courage, frankness, and good cheer.
To think rightly is to create.
All things come through desire, and
every sincere prayer is answered.
Indeed, we become like that on which our hearts are fixed.
Foreword
Diana Daniels, Executive Director
National Council for Educating Black Children
What happens to a dream deferred? In A Ninety-Day Empowerment Journal for Young Women, the author, Dr. Gwendolyn J. Cooke, provides a blueprint for continuous attention to varied challenges that are unique to adolescent girls’ maturation. In three parts—Love Yourself,
Create Positive Relationships,
and You and Your Future
—adolescent girls are required to think and use a variety of resources to address successfully daily challenges they are experiencing. The attainment of dreams becomes more possible as they learn how to remain focused on their dreams and not have to defer achieving them because of poor decision making.
For example, take teenage girls’ obsession with multimedia presentations of what is beautiful. Being thin is in. Showing skin is in. Short and tight—spandex preferably—is the cover of choice, and wearing it makes one all right. A face with lots of makeup trumps a light blush and lip gloss. Fashionable high-heeled shoes (that lead to feet problems for the rest of their lives) are a must!
Using a journal format, the author gains and maintains the interest of girls by using an on spot
strategy. Entries into a journal are required. However, the required writing is not too long, nor is it too brief. Writing requirements are linked, moreover, to the Internet, a tool that students are required to use in most schools. Thus, the girls’ skill with using technology is not viewed as only accessing dull
work to be completed for their teachers. Many accessed sites will compel students to interact with parents, teachers, mentors, and peers. And boy, will they have fun!
This book tells it like it is.
Girls completing journal activities will gain understanding of the US Centers for Disease Control’s six risk behaviors for teens:
1. Tobacco use
2. Unhealthy dietary behaviors
3. Inadequate physical activity
4. Alcohol and other drug use
5. Sexual behaviors that can result in HIV infection, other sexually transmitted diseases, and unintended pregnancies
6. Behaviors that may result in intentional injuries (such as violence and suicide) and unintentional injuries
What better place to discuss these issues than with a caring mentor and peers who have questions too? Journal writing is an appropriate strategy for problem solving when talking it out
with a friend, parent, or another significant adult is not possible. It also fosters caution and further consultation with a