Tween Empowerment Day

The 2nd Annual "Who I Am" Tween Empowerment Day

You know that your girl is AMAZING but maybe she needs a reminder. These last couple of years have been rough on all of us and I just want our girls to have some fun. Cue the "Girls just wanna have fun" music!

Brave, funny, kind, determined, strong, beautiful, unstoppable....your girl should be celebrated for what she is, the inner qualities that make her so special.

She is not a number on a scale, a bikini size or how many Instagram likes she has. She is AMAZING just the way she is and needs to know that!

The "Who I Am" Event is for girls 9-12...

* A day out at a flower farm to enjoy nature

* Meet and bond with other young girls

* Inspirational motivating speakers

* Fun activities including an empowering art project in the art studio

* An empowerment photo session with a free photo gift

* Empowerment t-shirt

* Fun, girlie swag!

The last Tween Empowerment Day we had was simply INCREDIBLE! Girls were talking about it for months and still using the skills they learned. Give your girl a day of fun with lasting confidence for $99.

A portion of the proceeds will be donated to Bloom in Fayetteville, GA. Bloom is A REFUGE FOR FOSTER CHILDREN - where foster children can find safe, nurturing foster families with the training and support to help them heal, and free resources like clothing, school supplies, and toys so they can focus on thriving.

For more information about Bloom, visit their website here: Bloom

Limited spots.

If you have any questions, please email Debbie at cedarhillstudio@comcast.net

Debbie McFarland, Photographer of Tweens and Founder of Sparks of Kindness Movement

The event will take place at Cedar Hill Flower Farm

478 Mask Rd.

Brooks, GA 30205

The back story of why I am doing this:

I am a local photographer who has been doing empowerment sessions for many years, first for ladies, HS seniors, and then tweens. I started with tweens about 4 years. While it used to be ladies who were so hard on themselves, I noticed it was getting younger and younger. When I first announced it on social media back then, I knew it would be like opening a can of worms but didn't realize the extent of the issues. Within 48 hours, I had over 75 moms contact me with story after story. Comparing themselves to others (unrealistic comparisons to tv and movie stars, magazines, etc...) but then social media and bullying make it worse. The stories I read touched my heart and some were heartbreaking. After talking to so many of them these last couple of years, I knew I had to do more. As a photographer, I have noticed that there are so many young people who are hard on themselves and that age is getting younger and younger. "I don't want to smile with my teeth because the kids called me bucky," says a 9-year-old of her "buck" teeth. "I need to wear mascara because someone told me I had bug eyes," said the 10-year-old. "Please don't get my legs as they are really fat," the 12-year-old told me during family portraits.

Remembering how my self-loathing started at the age of 13, I realized that it affected and directed my life until an epiphany the weekend before my 40th birthday. Hating the way I looked, thinking that the things I said were dumb, worried constantly that people were judging me when I walked into a room...well, it limited me. I made decisions based on those false beliefs.

With the Tween Empowerment Photo Sessions, I have been asking the moms to secretly send out questionnaires to people who knew and loved the kids with questions about their inner qualities that make them unique and special. The kids were shocked when they came back to see their images in a slideshow and these words of affirmation popped up from people they know. Many would cry and say, "I just didn't know anybody thought those things about me!" It made me realize just how much they were hurting. With social media and our current society, these young girls compare themselves to others instead of appreciating the unique qualities that make them so special. Covid made it really difficult for young children who then had trouble interacting with others. I was even told about an anonymous app where kids could send hate messages to others without thinking twice about it.

I wanted to create a special day to remind them how incredible they are JUST the way they are.

That is how the "Who I Am" Tween Empowerment Event came about. I just knew I had to do more! We will have speakers and activities that are so inspirational. They will create an empowering art canvas in my uplifting and fun art studio. Then the girls will have an awesome photo shoot to feel beautiful along with a portrait gift to remind them of the truths they learned that day. Whenever they are having a bad day, they will have reminders of their incredible qualities. There will be snacks, a candy buffet (I know it's not healthy but oh so fun!), will get to feed the horses, receive a swag bag of girlie goodies and so much more.

It is going to be such an amazing day for the girls. The event will take place on our 10-acre farm, Cedar Hill Flower Farm in Brooks.

The limit is 75 girls and we would love to have full capacity to help more girls so if you could get the word out, that would be so helpful. We are hoping that everyone will share on their social media.

The girls will be divided into groups of ten for their activity stations so that they might be able to bond better. This will be a non-judgmental zone where every girl is made to feel welcome and loved and they will be reminded of that in the beginning.

In addition to the empowerment workshops and photography, I also have started Sparks of Kindness, a kindness movement that has spread to over 50 countries and has been featured all across the country in the news. In addition, I have traveled to get certified to lead empowerment workshops. I realized I could combine all three passions of mine to help these girls.

I will be contacting each mom before the event to find out a little more about their amazing girls and give more details about the day.

You can see photos and read more about the event on

my website and see more about Sparks of Kindness below:

https://cedarhillstudios.com/empowerment-details

https://www.11alive.com/article/news/local/sparks-of-kindness-facebook-group-helping-others-pandemic/85-f66a5141-9c3b-4a55-aa2c-e10dc7e084cc