Acadia students inspiring local youth

If we want to raise strong women, we need to start early and give young girls an example to look up to.

Acadia students are doing just that with the popular Girls Night Out program.

Every Friday night, about 60 female Acadia students head to New Minas and pair up with local girls, ages seven to 11, for a few hours of bonding and physical activity. It’s free to the girls and the Acadia students actively fundraise for the money to cover the cost of putting on the program, now in its third semester.

The program has plenty of benefits. It gives young girls somewhere to go on a Friday night where they can be themselves and not worry about peer pressure. It promotes fitness, with plenty of games and evenings that feature things like yoga or Zumba. And best of all, it provides these girls with mentors, people they can admire.

Having a good role model is important for all kids, especially young girls. With so many cringe- worthy incidents these days involving female actors and singers, the Acadia students provide real- life, positive guidance.

The girls are paired with a buddy from Acadia that remains the same throughout the length of the program. Over the course of the semester, the buddies become close and a strong friendship is formed. Over 120 girls are enrolled in the program.

The Acadia students have to be very dedicated to Girls Night Out and must be willing to attend each week, unless they’re ill. They deserve a lot of credit - it means giving up at least part of their Friday night to spend with the kids, and that’s certainly admirable. Some students who weren’t willing to demonstrate that commitment have been asked to leave – no one wants to see the look of disappointment on a child’s face if their buddy disappears.

For many of the kids, Girls Night Out is the highlight of their week. It’s also the highlight of the week for many of the Acadia students as well, who say they get just as much out of it as the kids.

Kings County is lucky to have Acadia students. They continually give back to the community through programs like Girls Night Out and SMILE and show their dedication to our young people. They are certainly good role models for our youth.

Anyone can inspire a child to achieve their potential in life, and these Acadia students are doing just that: helping to instill confidence in these pre-teen girls, one night at a time.