HAGATñA — Every other Saturday, teen-age girls are provided free classes on radio broadcasting and beauty and fashion, which are conducted by volunteers at Island Girl Power’s clubhouse in Tiyan.
Island Girl Power is a division of Ayuda Foundation, a non-profit organization.
An open house, which marked the Island Girl Power Clubhouse’s official inauguration, allowed the public to tour the facility on Saturday. Self-defense and peer counseling classes will soon be offered at the clubhouse. Other future courses include volleyball, Web site design and teen health, while a three-week summer camp is scheduled in July.
Some of the highlights of the open house were performances by the students, musicians and dancers. The guest speakers included Dr. Ellen Baez, businesswoman Paula Bent, independent beauty consultant Melody Pyle and bodybuilder Carmela Somalpong.
The Island Girl Power Clubhouse is an outreach program that aims to help 9 to 14-year-old girls maintain their self-esteem and self-confidence through programs, classes and special projects, according to Executive Program Director Cindy Hanson.
“We teach the girls to become disc jockeys. I’ve been teaching the girls basic skills and rules on what they have to do when they’re on the air, at the clubhouse for the last few weeks. We’ve also been working with Power 98 at their studio—recording the girls, letting them know how they sound,” Hanson said.
Volunteers started the project a year ago, Hanson said.
“We work with very, very limited funds and we just do the best we can. We’ve been working a lot with people who donate time and services. We’re always open to donations,” she said.
Hanson encourages hobbyists to share their experience with the girls.
“We want to show that girls and women can do anything they want and be anybody they want to be,” she said.
Island Girl Power Clubhouse is located at 827 E. Sunset Boulevard, Tiyan. Its contact number is (671) 473-3006.
