Girl Talk workshop aims to empower young girls in Sun Peaks

Meghan Kolodka has started her own workshop series entitled Girl Talk, arising from her passion surrounding women’s health. 

Girl Talk is a four-week series with upcoming sessions Oct. 28, Nov. 6 and Nov. 13 designed for pre-teen girls to better understand puberty, deal with changing bodies, care for their minds, build confidence and allow space for safe and open conversation. 

When Kolodka began creating this workshop, she thought about her daughter who is about to enter the preteen stage of life. Kolodka recalled that era and the difficulties that came with the lack of information at such a young age. 

“I thought it would be a really cool experience for a group of girls to get together in a safe place to have someone who’s gone through puberty, who’s had babies, who’s had a lot of body changes and who is really passionate about making sure women know their body, know how to take care of their body and are prepared for any and all changes that might happen,” Kolodka said. 

This workshop will include information sessions, hands-on activities, games and conversation with flowers and fairy light decor. 

“We go through a lot of pictures, we’ve got some hands-on activities, we have diagrams, we play games and it’s just a place for them to feel comfortable asking questions that they might not feel comfortable asking their parents or anyone else quite yet,” Kolodka said. 

An “ask me anything box” will be available for questions if participants aren’t comfortable asking during the session.

There will be a session about periods with a kit that includes supplies like pads, wipes, panty liners and a little note of extra things they can put in there. 

“I feel like when I was younger, it was just like ‘here’s a pad.’ I want it to be like these are the options you may be introduced to as you get more comfortable with your body and things that you might look into using,” Kolodka said.

There will also be some friendship games immersed into the workshop that will help the girls understand how meaningful friendships are during this time in their lives.

“Just remind them how important girlhood is,” Kolodka said. “Being there to support each other through this, and being there to comfort your friends when they need.”

Sun Peaks is unique in the way that sports are important to some, if not all of the girls joining the session. Unfortunately, many girls end up quitting their sport because body changes can feel awkward and cause balance issues which can lead to them feeling that they are no longer good at their sport, Kolodka said. 

“We talk about pushing through that and how it’s normal to feel a little bit off some days… The more they move, the more they keep going, the more they’ll get to know their changing body,” she said.

There will also be mini yoga sessions to teach the girls some cramp relieving poses as well as some balance games. This session will teach the girls how to care for their bodies, properly fuel themselves and understand the changes that are to come. 

Kolodka will be utilizing the expertise available in the community. If a question arises that she is unable to answer, she will reach out to medical staff or other community members she can refer the girls to, Kolodka said. 

Moving forward, Kolodka would like to continue annually and expand this workshop to be available for more girls aged nine to 13 going through this stage of their lives and eventually bring it down to Kamloops as well. 

“I truly hope that they leave feeling empowered about their body, empowered with the information that they have or that they’ve learned. I hope they feel confident throughout all the changes that they go through, even if they might be a little bit uncomfortable,” she said. “I hope they feel ready for everything that’s coming, and I hope they don’t feel any shame about all of these normal things that are happening to them.”