#CultivateConfidence

Back in 2013, when I was serving as Miss California Teen, I spent a lot of time working with kids and promoting literacy initiatives. I collected books, visited schools, spoke to administrators, and worked with SuperStars Literacy in Oakland. After every visit and conversation, I would leave feeling like there was something missing. Yes, it was true that these kids didn't have equitable access to books and personalized support while learning to read, but there was also a missing piece that was causing deeper issues - not just in school, but also in their athletics, extracurriculars, and daily life.

In 2016, I began to work with Girls on the Run, an activity-based development program for girls ages seven to twelve. During a Girls on the Run season, girls train for ten weeks for a celebratory 5K, while learning important lessons about making good choices, setting goals, and building healthy relationships. I loved this program, and stayed involved on the Associate Board with the San Francisco Bay Area chapter while living in the city. I loved everything the program stood for. But as an older sister with three younger brothers, I knew that our boys needed support as well.

In 2017, I created the "Cultivating Confidence for Life" program - an interactive presentation aimed at providing tangible ways for students to cultivate their own confidence. Over the past three years, I have reached over 10,000 students through assemblies, classroom visits, organizational meetings, and online through my titleholder pages on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube (I've linked some of my videos below).

I love speaking to kids about the importance of resilience - the necessity to get up and try again, even if you're afraid. I emphasize the way that confidence is cultivated through taking action. We make "Confidence Cards," where students write down the top five traits/activities/characteristics that make them feel most confident. More than anything, I love connecting with and hearing from kids who are facing the challenges of social media, peer pressure, and self-doubt. I believe that this message is more important now than ever before.

If you'd like me to speak to your school or organization, please send me an email at janelizkennedy@gmail.com. I'm currently based in Washington, DC, but often make trips to California, and travel frequently.

To see #CultivateConfidence in Action, check out the following links:

Facebook Live Workshop, February 2019
Miss Marin County Confidence Challenges, 2018-2019
Miss Yosemite Valley, 22 Episodes of #YVWednesday, 2018
Thank You Notes from Students