Salvation Army Teaches Girls in Mississauga How to be Brave

Brave, a program designed to instill young women with values of personal wellness, confidence, dignity, and self-worth, filled The Salvation Army Mississauga Community Church with messages of hope and positivity for teen girls.

The recent Brave event, for girls aged 13-18, addressed issues facing young women, empowering and educating girls in the dangers of human trafficking and exploitation and teaching them the warning signs.

Mostly though, Brave is a day of fun activities to celebrate girls in a setting where they can be themselves, letting them know that they are seen and that they matter. In Mississauga, 35 teen participants listened to a keynote address from Dr. Janet Munn, an author and previous director of the International Social Justice Commission. They also took part in a craft activity making clay pots and learned some self-defence moves.

“This is a little baby step on what we want to accomplish in these girls’ lives. Through Brave, we get to meet them; they get to meet us, and we can let them know their worth and how valued and precious they are,” said Judy Mansfield, one of the organizers of Mississauga Brave.

This is the third consecutive year The Salvation Army in Ontario has held Brave, and this Spring The Salvation Army’s Women’s Ministries has organized nearly 20 Brave events, hosting more than 500 teen girls at Salvation Army locations across the province.

Three follow-up events with participants continue the dialog with the girls over the next year with small group sessions where they can discuss issues of importance to them, including mental health and wellness, identity, healthy relationships and personal boundaries.

The first of the follow-up sessions, led by Mississauga program organizer Helena Pugh, is a brunch tea party theme taking place in June. Each participant receives a journal where they can get their thoughts down on paper.

“In small groups we can talk about instilling confidence and how to be your own girl in the world. Discussion is led by the girls in speaking about issues that hit close to home. The goal is to have the comfortableness and openness to talk about topics of interest to them,” Helena says.

Judy says Brave builds relationships with the girls in an environment where everyone can become friends in a safe space with a trusted group leader. “No matter what you have experienced, you are beautiful, you are brave and have a courage inside you didn’t know you had.”

More information about The Salvation Army’s Brave events is available at https://salvationist.ca/women-s-ministries/events/brave-2023/.