A trip to the mall will soon come with a side of empowerment for girls across the country thanks to the return of a powerful campaign.
The crushing reality is that over 50 per cent of girls wish they were someone else. Anyone who is or has been an adolescent girl knows how real the angst-ridden struggle is. Add social media to the mix and the pressure amplified like never before.
Recognizing this, for the fourth year in a row, real estate giant Morguard has joined forces with Big Brothers Big Sisters (BBBS) to empower young females across the country with their multi-faceted BeYou campaign. From September 16-22, 19 Morguard malls across Canada will offer free events and programming to empower young girls.
In the GTA, you’ll find programming at the East York Town Centre, the Holt Renfrew Centre, Centrepoint Mall and the Bramalea City Centre. Throughout the country, five inspiring brand ambassadors will make appearances at the events. These include beloved local body positivity blogger Sarah Reynolds (@thebirdspapaya), Riverdale actress Tiera Scovbye, Canadian ice dancer Kaitlyn Weaver, Disney and Family Channel star Madison MacGregor and P!nk-endorsed YouTube star Victoria Anthony.
National activations at all 19 malls include the Art on Sneakers event, whereby Ardene is donating 600 pairs of sneakers for a design competition. Eager young females will have one hour to design their BeYou-inspired sneakers, followed by a judging period of the top ten designs. The winner in each mall will receive a $100 gift certificate from Morguard and featured through the BeYou website, where a national vote will take place. The talented winner will receive a $500 certificate.
Each wall will also feature a sticker wall – something we can expect to make the rounds on social media – that invites people to add colourful stickers that say things like “Be You,” “Be Proud,” “Be Smart” and “Be Loud” to a collaborative display that will transform a blank wall into an empowering work of art.
Each participating mall will have 100 BeYou commemorative journals to be gifted to attendees at local events and via social media contesting. Each page of the journal is filled with a motivational quote or exercise intended to help create a positive mindset and instil core values. The journal will also be available online to download.
This year, BeYou is giving away custom BeYou window clings. Designed with empowering messaging front and centre, girls can affix the clings to their windows or mirrors. Another element of the campaign involves an empowering anthem sung by award-winning Canadian singer-songwriter Tara Shannon. The song can be downloaded for $.99 on all social media platforms, with all proceeds benefitting BBBS.
Those unable to attend the events are encouraged to visit the resource-packed website, which is full of tools and information to encourage the next generation of females to live as confidently as possible.
For more information and local event scheduling, visit www.beyougirl.ca.
