As much as our society may seem to love to keep damsels in distress around to remind us of outdated gender roles, organizations like MEDIAGIRLS work to empower and teach young girls about other, more positive types of media representations. In a world with a growing emphasis on a multimedia, MEDIAGIRLS plans to bring positive messages to Brookline Teen Center through a fundraiser this Saturday.
The event will feature Julia Sokolowski, a sophomore in Boston University’s College of Communication, who was a contestant on CBS’ “Survivor” and is an advocate for female empowerment.
MEDIAGIRLS, a Boston-based nonprofit, focuses on building confidence in middle school girls and on teaching them how to analyze media messages through various workshops, including one on how to write an advocacy letter to a CEO of a company.
“I’m coming to see MEDIAGIRLS as a training ground for how to use your voice and make a difference,” said Michelle Cove, founder and executive director of MEDIAGIRLS.
Though Cove said she would love to expand their programs to include all ages, it seems that middle school girls struggle the most.
“It’s the ages 11, 12 and 13 when girls start trying to fit in,” Cove said. “In an attempt to belong to the community, they stop speaking out. There’s a bigger confidence dip. But it’s also at that age that they’re able to think deeply and articulate more.”
By targeting this group, Cove said MEDIAGIRLS has succeeded in helping about 90 percent of its graduates understand media better.
MEDIAGIRLS isn’t alone in its fight. Brookline Interactive Group, another private nonprofit organization, is working with MEDIAGIRLS to plan Saturday’s event.
BIG currently runs 17 programs in Brookline schools and community, including age groups from five year olds to 18 year olds. BIG also provides adult classes, said Kathy Bisbee, the organization’s executive director.
“We’re doing work in virtual reality now,” Bisbee said. “We give out grants to community filmmakers. We work with members of low-income communities and communities of color to make sure that voices that are generally not represented in mainstream media are represented in our community and at the media level.”
Despite the upcoming fundraiser’s emphasis on female confidence, Bisbee acknowledged that this movement encompasses more than that.
“We shouldn’t see this as a women’s issue or a men’s issue,” Bisbee said. “This is an issue that affects us all.”
Though many argue that women typically receive more pressures from media, men are often held to impossibly high expectations. Because of this, Saturday’s fundraiser will welcome everyone to hear Sokolowski’s story. Though her opportunity to be on “Survivor” proved to be exciting and humbling, Sokolowski confessed that the media attention has been very mixed.
“I’ve received a lot of love, but I also have haters,” Sokolowski said. “There are a lot of people who love to rip me apart.”
In the beginning, she said it was a bit overwhelming.
“I took everything to heart,” she said. “I just didn’t understand why people were saying certain things, and then I started to believe certain things. It just really messed with my head for awhile.”
Fortunately, she said she eventually learned to ignore certain messages and focus on building her inner strength instead.
“It has given me this whole new sense of empowerment, because I’m able to see through what people say,” Sokolowski said.
Sokolowski decided to share her experiences with young girls by working with MEDIAGIRLS.
“I know I’m not going to be a reality TV star,” Sokolowski said. “That’s not my path. But while I have this media attention, I might as well use it to send a positive message while I can. Because I also think that it’s very rare that you see young, level-headed teenagers on reality TV. So when those girls are able to use that success in a positive way, I think it can be really powerful.”
By sharing her story, Sokolowski said she hopes to help make a difference for those who may struggle with the pressures of all different media sources, from social media to film.
“Women have a heck of a lot to contribute to the planet,” Bisbee said. “If we’re lifted up, if we have more opportunities, we have different kinds of gifts and a different perspective to offer. It benefits society as a whole because we’re able to contribute in more powerful ways to our culture and to our society and to our progress as a human race.”
