Strength TogetHER 15 - Session 7

December 4, 2021

These two words, "THANK YOU" and "SORRY," have the potential to fix anything and brighten your life.

Strength TogetHER,' a girls-only peer-to-peer self-development group supervised by 'Lokopakar,' an organization was formed to explore different points of view, ideas, experiences, and narratives. This virtual platform encourages girls of diverse backgrounds and perspectives to develop as individuals by providing a safe space for them to simply be themselves.

We convened our seventh session via Zoom on 4th December, with all the excitement, enthusiasm, and apprehension that comes with it, following the success of our sixth session. The session on "APPRECIATIONS AND APOLOGIES" began at 6:00 p.m. and ended around 7:15 p.m.

With about 20 attendees and 5 speakers, it was a really enjoyable and productive session. We felt protected and secure under the moderation of Pratiksha Rajopadhyaya, a mental health advocate and practitioner who is passionate about inclusive mental health education, self-love and body positivity. She believes in the power of storytelling and radical empathy to bring social change.

With a warm hello and a bright smile, we began our session. We began calling the speakers to request that they share their stories of appreciations and apologies.

• Our first speaker expressed regret for sharing a chat between her friend and her friend's boyfriend, which she admitted was inappropriate. She continues to apologize because revealing the conversation caused a fight between her friend and her friend's boyfriend.

• Our second speaker told us about a friend she adores. She admired her friend's problem-solving skills and willingness to help her with any issues that arose. She is fortunate to have such a supportive friend in her life.

• Our third speaker told us something for which she had not before apologized. She described how, even if we had done something bad, we did not apologize to our parents since we believe they are ours but that's wrong. We should apologize to our parents for our inappropriate behaviors and respect their sacrifices.

• Our fourth speaker wanted to express her gratitude to one of her teachers for teaching her about periods when she was in class 7, when no one had ever taught her about this topic and she was unaware of it. It was because of her teacher that she felt so at ease during her first periods.

• Our fifth speaker told us about a friend who was physically mistreated by her father and how she knew about it but couldn't do anything about it. She is still regretful for not being able to help her friend before her friend died.

Throughout all of these hearings, our moderator shared some of her experiences with us, which inspired everyone who attended. Our moderator stated a few things that inspired us, and they are as follows:

• Apologizing does not always imply that we were mistaken and the other person was correct. An apology can sometimes be enough to put things right.

• It is important to appreciate others, and we should begin by appreciating ourselves. First and foremost, we must learn to value ourselves.

• We should learn to appreciate the situations in our lives, and the ideal technique is to write down “The things I am grateful for” each morning in a diary, which can make us happy and make our entire day cheerful.

• We must never forget that an apology has the power to bring people together.

This session provided an excellent opportunity for everyone to learn and unlearn new concepts. We were all thrilled to be part of such a wonderful family with such inspiring young ladies.

At the end of an hour-long session, we took a picture to remember our time together. With a smile on our faces, we finished our session. I’m excited to hear more!!!

This blog is written by Dipa Yadav, the proud coordinator of Cohort 15, an eager learner who appreciates sharing her experiences and believes in the concept of ‘Strength in Togetherness’.

Written by- Dipa Yadav (Cohort Coordinator)