What was the initiative?

Thrive: “Like a Girl” is a youth initiative dedicated to providing space for youth to explore themselves through confidence building workshops. At Thrive: “Like a Girl”, we currently offer programming for 10-13 and 14-16 year olds who identify as girl, are gender fluid, non-binary or have experience gender-based oppression. Our 5-week programs cover: self-esteem, confidence and empowerment, reproductive health basics, self-care and gender equality. In the near future, we are excited to be expanding our efforts to include options for young adults.

What was the community connection?

Born and raised in Hamilton, I’ve always called this quirky city my home. Growing up in this city, I saw first hand how large the disparities were among families and, in many situations, supported some of my closest friends through hardships I could hardly imagine. Even though I moved away for school, my intention was always to return home and to try and make a difference in my community no matter how big or small – at the time the only thing missing was the actual difference I was trying to make. In 2018, I came up with this crazy idea to start a youth initiative dedicated to inspiring youth to be their best selves. I applied to the Pathy Foundation Fellowship with the sole intention of returning home to my community to help make a difference in the lives of youth in ways that I wish someone had been present for me when I was younger.

What were some significant achievements?

Throughout this entire process, I have learned the importance of celebrating the small wins instead of measuring success based on large milestones. It’s been a long journey but there were definitely some notable achievements that made every hiccup worth it. On a personal end, I would say my most significant achievement is the development and finalization of my two youth programs. I dedicated several months to researching, drafting, and editing, which ultimately resulted in two program handbooks that I’m very proud of. In addition to that, I would say the growth of Thrive: “Like a Girl” in the community is, in itself, a notable achievement because it allows us, as an organization, to network and partner with likeminded organizations, ultimately working towards a common goal – providing opportunity for youth to flourish and thrive.

How was it innovative?

I believe that the original and creative thinking we foster is what makes Thrive: “Like a Girl” innovative. When working with youth, it’s important to create conversations and discussions rather than host lectures. For many, self-esteem and confidence is something that is learned yet not taught; it’s not as black and white as listing off what nurtures and extinguishes self-esteem. For youth, their best understanding of self-awareness stems from what they associate with that awareness. Using self-esteem as an example again, telling youth that high self-esteem comes with feeling good in your skin is not as effective as letting them discuss what uniquely makes them feel good or proud of themselves.

What is Nicola doing now?

I am currently working as a researcher for the American Society for Emergency Contraception, co-coordinating a US-based national project titled: Emergency Contraception for Every Campus. Through this project, we work with student activists on campuses across the United States to expand access to EC on campus. Our two primary focuses for promoting EC access on campus are: advocating for an EC vending machine, and peer-to-peer distribution of EC. For more information, please go to: www.ec4ec.org. Over the coming months, I will also be working towards finalizing articles written during my master’s thesis and submitting them for final publication. In the near future, I hope to pursue further education with the goal of becoming a clinician specializing in adolescent sexual and reproductive health.