the texas conference for women.

so as you can tell by my lack of posts lately, i hit a wall. i had a couple of less than encouraging meetings and allowed myself to get discouraged. i'm realizing that no matter how much i want to do something, if i don't have appointed people around me cheering me on and pushing me, i lose motivation.

but the good news is that i attended the texas conference for women and became inspired again. i attended a couple of sessions focused on women who made (and continue to make) a difference in their communities and the world at large-- "start something big", "finding and following your voice", and "women making a difference". one of the things i heard that had the largest impact on me was "where your tears are, there is your passion." the woman who started the strongheart fellowship program (http://www.strongheartfellowship.org/), cori stern, spoke on how she started several non-profits based on her encounters with individuals and communities in need. when i think of young women in texas (and i think of the girls i encounter on the east side of austin), my heart breaks....the need, the lack of opportunity, the lack of hope. my tears are there.

i also benefited from listening to rachel muir, who started the organization girlstart (www.girlstart.org). she is passionate about providing math, science, and technology programs to girls and began the organization when she was 26 (my age!) with $500 and a credit card. she said that she realized that starting this organization was all she thought about, talked about, and dreamt about, and she knew that she would have to do it. she had no choice. i don't know if my situation is the same, but i sometimes think it is. in my heart, i want to work with young women in any capacity to decrease the number of teen pregnancies and increase their opportunities to go to college, escape the poverty cycle, and realize their own self-worth beyond the object of someone else's affection. young women's issues are continually on my heart, and i just need boldness to take the steps to start my own girlstart...i'm thinking the teen hope network is a good name...

again, i was reminded that i need to think more creatively. how do i start out small? can i make a difference with a non-profit that does not work on the public policy level? i hopefully will be meeting with my former supervisor at the massachusetts alliance on teen pregnancy next week when i'm in boston. i hope she will be able to provide some direction and advice as i continue on this path. i've been debating my near future quite a bit lately and where i should be. what i'm realizing is that my heart is in texas...my heart is in teen pregnancy prevention...and as much as i love the prevention field in general, i want to make a difference in texas specifically. we have the highest teen birth rate...why would i go somewhere else when the biggest challenge (and potential for a real impact) is here in texas?