May 1, 2023 in retreats

Retreat Spotlight: She Wins

She Wins Inc is a free leadership and social action organization for girls affected by inner city violence. This trauma-informed program integrates mental health and wellness principles into leadership programming, and has served over 600 middle and high school girls in Newark, NJ since its inception.

The young changemakers from She Wins are addressing societal issues, changing broken systems, and lifting up their communities. They have testified on Capitol Hill and within the halls of local government on issues related to gun violence, inadequate mental health support amongst underserved youth, gender equity, criminal justice reform, and systemic racism. These young women are pursuing activism through creative endeavors, political leadership, public speaking, mentorship, and advocacy. Within this past year, they went out into their Newark community and completed over 600 hours of community service.

This year’s Changemaker Retreat at The Uplands was focused around the theme of “Leadership and Self-Care.” The young changemakers engaged in several workshops, including mindful journaling about how self-love and self-care plays into their vision as leaders. The girls also engaged in a “self-made campaign” where they set SMART goals and defined how they will lead, answering questions such as “what makes me unique that I love about myself?”, “what are my intentions?”, “what are my dreams?”, and “how will I lead”? Outside of workshops, the girls soaked in all that The Uplands had to offer – nature-based wellness practices, delectable food, hiking, sound baths, games, “dog-time,” mindfulness practices, and team building activities. A major highlight was a “self-love exploration” creative workshop, in which the young Changemakers explored what self-love means to them. They then manifested these ideas into custom dolls as tangible reminders of the memories and self-love learnings that they will take with them after their time at the Uplands.