There are no words to describe how amazing of a program EmpowHer is. I joined in the summer of 2021, and felt an instant connection with it right after my first virtual workshop. I soon realized how similar all of us girls were but at the same time so unique. However, we all had one goal in mind, helping give back to the women in our communities. Every workshop I attended was so engaging and I always ended up learning something new at the end. This program has been helping me come out of my shell and with my fear of public speaking. Through the different projects that EmpowHer has organized, I was able to interact with so many other girls and that helped me learn how to properly socialize with new people. The staff of EmpowHer are extremely friendly and always there to help us in whatever way they can. I am so grateful that I was able to discover EmpowHer because although it has not been too long since I first joined, it has already taught me so much. As someone who is still in high school, EmpowHer has prepared me for the real world. With the engaging events and workshops, this program has to offer, I have already learned about skill-building, career-searching, interview skills, and so much more. I cannot wait to continue my journey with EmpowHer and see where it takes me!
- Anupriya Sharma
EmpowHer is a fantastic experience. It is an honor to work with such fantastic, kind, and dedicated people who teach me so much. Throughout my time with EmpowHer, I've learned how to share new resources from EmpowHer with my peers, such as producing digital resumes, websites, and formal presentations. This team is not only useful, but the camaraderie we all have is simply remarkable.
- Alisha Thapar
Being a part of EmpowerHer has been such a wonderful experience for me. I got to learn so much and I truly feel empowered as a young woman. I’ve learned many skills like how to use elevator pitches, many different forms of marketing (social media, LinkedIn, etc.), and the importance of networking. I was also given multiple different opportunities to network where I met motivational individuals who inspire me to be better versions of myself. The Paramount workshop for example taught me to work hard towards my goal thanks to the kind words said by Mohamad Fakih and his story. The Liberal workshop and Phil De Luna workshop showed me the importance of political support. I was also really fortunate to meet influential individuals like Ruby Sahota and Phil de Luna as well as volunteer for them. Another opportunity I gained thanks to Empowerher was to meet companies like Bain & Co where I met workers and hear their story/ path. This welcomed me to a world that showed me that no part where I am, I can always strive for more and try harder. For these reasons and so much more I’m very grateful for EmpowerHer. I’ve gained a lot of experience and get to be a part of an empowering group of women.
- Afrah Abdullah
I have been a part of many programs and organizations but none has provided the experience that you receive from EmpowHER. As a giving program, EmpowHER not only provides you with resources and free workshops but also allows you to use your newfound skills and abilities to plan future events and work on projects. Joining EmpowHER has already shown me a bright future by giving me these new tools that will be of huge aid to me in the future while also connecting me to mentors and people who I can reach out to in the future for references or help. Besides gaining all these experiences and resources, by being part of EmpowHER, I am also a part of a safe and welcoming community that is diverse and respectful. Your opinions greatly matter to this program as well as you get a chance to show off your potential while working together as a team to accomplish a goal. It is the perfect give-and-take relationship, by spending time at EmpowHER, I get to volunteer in a safe space while also receiving these vast opportunities and workshops which are always useful and will continue being helpful in the future.
- Amna Rehman
Hello, my name is Aimee, I am currently in grade 12 and I have been part of EmpowHer since June 2021 and I couldn’t be more grateful to be apart of such an amazing program but also such an amazing team. Joining EmpowHer made me realize that I wasn’t doing so much for my community and I am happy that I was able to do so with a strong and talented team of women’s. But also, that t the future is really female. I love how it feels , like a family, I am super proud of the girls, because we done so much together, and they will always be there for you. Every time that we have a workshop, I always try to make it because it really helps me to understand some things that I never knew of or better.. things that I will be needing in the future. That’s why I love EmpowHer, there is the motivation, the talent, the future, the passion. The program definitely helped me to boost my confidence, I am a shy person, so I used to not talk a lot or just not wanting to be involve in certain stuffs, well look at me now and I am loving it. My communication skills are now better than ever since I began this amazing journey. If you want better communications skills or help your community or better if you just love to volunteer and have fun at the same time, this is the perfect opportunity for you.
- Aimée Eva Manga
EmpowHer is the best thing that happened to be when I was not sure how to get into the job market. I am really happy to be a part of EmpowHer due to which I got the opportunity to join a bridging course in NPower as a Data Analyst which will help me to explore opportunities in desirable IT industry. I am able connect with many interesting people as well as learn different things about Canadian job market. It has helped my networking skills a lot. I eagerly look forward to the career fair and all of the different events hosted by EmpowHer. I actively participated in covid awareness campaign by creating videos on social media. The mentors here do their best to help me succeed as an individual and provide me with all the support I need.
- Nusarath Reddyapalle
I joined empowher during summer of 2021. I was pretty bored of quarantine and not having proper social time. That’s when I thought I will utilize my time to do something good, so I started looking for volunteering opportunities. I found empowher and immediately fall in love with the program. The amount of knowledge and exposure I got through this program is beyond explanation. I got chance to learn about so many things in such a short period of time. The workshop they provided is so thoughtfully organized to fit the need of young women like me. They provided us wide range of information from political knowledge, interview skills, financial education, resume writing, public speaking and many more. I am amazed with the program and its impact upon me and other young women. It provided me with information that was not only beneficial but essential to emerging generation of women. Being a 3rd year nursing student, I got chance to explore different career choice of nursing in its career fair. This program challenged me through its workshop to bring best version of me. Empowher helped me boost my confidence and motivated me to be more involved the community. I feel proud to be a part of such an empowering community of strong and motivated women.
- Sabina Gautam
I am beyond thankful for joining the EmpowHer program, as it has opened so many doors and opportunities. Although I have, as writing this, been in the program for just a little over 2 months, I can see how being surrounded by like-minded, charismatic, and hardworking individuals has upped my own spirits. I am learning more about myself and my future every day, and this program is helping me see that finish line more clearly. I am happy to say that all the mentors, guests, and fellow members are all such welcoming & friendly people who made me feel included from the get-go. I want to conclude this by saying a huge thank you to EmpowHer for allowing me to be involved in such an incredible space!
- Nabeeha Ahmed
Hello there, I’m Hannah and I’m currently a junior in high school living with the aspirations to pursue a career in the field of Adolescent & Young Adult Medicine. I've always lived by the concept that if you ever feel like there isn't a place for you at the table, build your own chair, I believe that women were not put in this world to simply shadow men or follow their footsteps, but instead, women were meant to stand out as resilient and courageous beings making an impact and leaving a legacy wherever she goes. It was because of this passion inside of me, that I joined EmpowHer, I joined not knowing how thankful and content I would be! The amount of healthy discussions we had, laughs we shared, and lessons we've learned are endless and forever I am grateful for that! EmpowHer provides a platform for women ageing from 15-29 to showcase their talents and learn essential steps to improve their leadership skills and personal well-being. I've been volunteering for a few months and I can confidently say that this organization has 100% changed my life and opened my eyes to see this world from a different perspective. The EmpowHer community is one that you don’t want to miss getting involved with, because without you even knowing, the sessions, workshops, and trainings sculpt you into becoming a bolder and more fierce womxn!
- Hannah Thomas
I am really honored to be a part of EmpowHER and to learn about opportunities to get involved in community initiatives in Peel region. EmpowHER has helped me connect with other like-minded females and provided me access to community events as well as career support, especially for young people who are building their careers.
- Paloma D’Silva
I found empowHER during a time when I really needed to be around empowered women making moves! EmpowHER has created a lovely community and always supports you in any way they can. Not only offering a variety of different workshops but also offers hands-on opportunities as well which helps you gain experience and pick up on different skills. I cannot thank EmpowHer enough for always supporting us and giving us the space to voice our opinions on many topics through our meetings. This is an amazing community of Women who want to do the work and always support each other. I am grateful to have found it and I hope the program reaches anyone who needs it!
- Nadia Huaco
I am so grateful to have found and applied to EmpowHER. This program has provided me with a space to learn and develop my skills and further my knowledge about what I need to be successful in the workplace. The mentors take the time to personally help me succeed as an individual and provide me with the tools I need to strive and achieve greatness. As well as I have made friends and relationships with the fellow people in my cohort to build a long lasting community.
- Avani Kalicharran
I’m currently a third-year high school student, and I’d love to pursue social science and food and nutrition. I’ve always been passionate about who we are as people, and we formed bonds since the very beginning.
I joined Empower not too long ago, but I immediately fell in love with the organization! The community is wonderful and I feel my opinion is welcomed along with everyone else's. We’re able to utilize and organize our thoughts, and express our worries in the community, and what we can do to spread the word-whether signing petitions for a city law, or creating an event in which many can join and learn of different experiences. I’ve had the great honour to meet many people I respect in education, real estate, finance, and much more! I look forward to every meeting I join and what I can do to help my community. We’re always learning about experiences, not just facts, where we can reach out, plan, and make a difference! My passion for this organization grows more and more each day, so I’m always doing the best I can!
- Jasmeen Kaur Bhuller
Joining the EmpowHer program was a very great decision in my life. It’s been three months since I've been a part of this program and I feel very proud. This program provided so many good things to my knowledge. I’m pretty sure that this knowledge will help me in my future decisions. The group of EmpowHer try their best to teach the best to young women and I’m very grateful and thankful for them. EmpowHer was a great experience in my life because as a young 16 years old girl it helped me so much and I learned very amazing things that will help me further."
- Kainat Faizi
I have only been a part of EmpowHER for a couple of months and I am very grateful to have found this program. It has provided me with a safe space to not only learn new skills, but to also share and communicate with like-minded individuals. The administrative team and mentors take their time to individually learn about and help us with our future goals; providing us with necessary connections and advice in order to help us succeed. Overall, EmpowHER has provided me with skills and experience I will need in the future, and I am grateful to be a part of the team.
- Bahar Wakili
EmpowHer is a passionate organization that strives to challenge women and help them grow into strong, inspiring individuals and leaders. I recently began volunteering with EmpowHer and it has truly been one of my life’s best decisions. I have already learned so much through the many amazing workshops like branding, digital marketing, networking, and government and structure. I have gained more confidence and been given more opportunities to express my ideas and creativity. I learn something new every day and cannot wait to acquire many more beneficial skills. They are a group of diverse and talented people with brilliant ideas and opinions whom you are bound to learn from. EmpowHer is truly a beautiful community that I love and appreciate!
- Mahnoor Abid
My experience with Empowher was been amazing as I have been able to give back to the community but also learn a lot of new skills that I wouldn’t necessarily learn at school. I love working with the amazing people and volunteers at Empowher and the work that we do for the Peel Region is so helpful and to know that we are helping girls in this way feels so empowering. The thing that I want to gain from Empowher is the skills to be able to find a job and to do some of the basic things that we aren’t taught at school. I am really looking forward to the career fair and all of the different events hosted by Empowher.
- Jyoti Kalsi
I got introduced to EmpowHer through LEaD and I can say that joining EmpowHer was a right decision. By joining EmpowHer, I was exposed to a variety of opportunities that helped me develop not only professionally but also personally. I was able to attend free workshops that taught me many new things like financial literacy, interview preparation, how to form your elevator pitch, graphic resume building, and much more. Through EmpowHer, I met community leaders like Ruby Sahota and Harkirat Singh. I was also involved in the event planning of our Career Exploration Fair and helped reach out to professionals in the nursing field! EmpowHer is a lovely group of hardworking and amazing womxn.
- Akshita Kumar
When I first joined Empowher I was so nervous about meeting the girls and their team, I'm usually a very social person but due to covid, it was hard to get in touch with people. After I got to know the team and the girls and women who do their best every day to make sure that the youth of peel region feel supported, I realized that it's more of a family than a workplace environment. I love helping out with Empowher and many other things, they do their best to make sure the youths like like myself prepared for the future and upcoming challenges. Coming in, I didn't expect myself to be so invested in the program but after understanding what they really do, I'd like to say for anyone who joins the program it would be a great benefit to them.
- Urja Patel
I came into EmpowHer in the hope of volunteering, being introduced to the community and developing my soft skills! It turned from a cohort into a place I can call home, from strangers into friends and family! I am a proud EmpowHer girl, it has shown me the true potential of women, of tremendous impact when united, it has developed a safe place where our voices are appreciated and heard, a strong place where we learn different programs, get introduced to specialized people in different work fields, taught the soft skills along with the details that even educational institutions miss when launching us to the workplace, and they always make sure you are updated with newest work opportunities and if you need anything through your journey
Being in Empowher made me see the bigger picture, connected me to the person I have always aspired to be and most importantly to wonderful, talented, ambitious women and mentors. These three months have opened my eyes, heart and mind to the infinite possibilities we have and how we can concur our future, write it again and be the designers of our destiny and all of this wouldn’t have developed without EmpowHer.
- Reem Halawi
EmpowHer is a passionate organization that strives to challenge women and help them grow into strong, inspiring individuals and leaders. I recently began volunteering with EmpowHer and it has truly been one of my life’s best decisions. I have already learned so much through the many amazing workshops like branding, digital marketing, networking, and government and structure. I have gained more confidence and been given more opportunities to express my ideas and creativity. I learn something new every day and cannot wait to acquire many more beneficial skills. They are a group of diverse and talented people with brilliant ideas and opinions whom you are bound to learn from. EmpowHer is truly a beautiful community that I love and appreciate!
- Reeba Abid
My experience with Empowher has been great. I think that it is a good opportunity for females to learn about many key factors to become successful in starting a business or connecting with other people that we may not have learned in highschool. I also enjoyed taking part in workshops and meeting people that I probably would’ve never met, and future events and retreats that were created. But the thing I enjoyed the most is that people that led Empowher made me feel very comfortable and happy and not as worried as I was in the beginning, and essentially the leaders made it fun to receive volunteer hours. Although it was online, I was still able to learn a lot of information and self-reflect.
- Keonna Harriott
I joined Empowher in order to improve my communication skills. I have always believed that effective communication is key to success, and if we wish to bring about change, we must be able to translate our ideas into words. Empowher provides me with the resources and training to excel. From the workshops, meetings, assignments, and networking opportunities, there are various manners by which you are challenged to step out of your comfort zone. Not only has Empowher given me the opportunity to enhance my skill set, but it has provided me the chance to give back to the community. Empowher’s initiatives are aimed at uplifting and empowering womxn, helping them pave the paths of their tomorrow. I am extremely grateful for the connections I have built in this program, the Empowher family, and to help support Empowher’s mission.
- Juana Singh
Initially when I joined EmpowHer, I thought I already possessed a sufficient amount of skills that would be beneficial to have in a workplace. However, little did I know that EmpowHer would help me learn so many more new skills, develop and improve the skills I already had, give me chances to volunteer, and help me with networking all at the same time. Thanks to EmpowHer, I feel more prepared to enter the workforce once I complete my degree. Additionally, with the support of the EmpowHer team and my peers, I felt that I was able to improve my confidence and gain useful event planning experience through planning our career fair event. I would definitely recommend EmpowHer to anyone who is looking to gain or improve on valuable skills such as marketing, networking, or just for anyone who’d like to be able to learn and make a difference in their community!
- Thérèse Perucho
I decided to join EmpowHer in hopes of boosting my confidence, developing new skills, and becoming more involved within my community. Although I’ve only been a part of this program for 2 months, I can say without a doubt that I have already learned so much! Through EmpowHer, I had the opportunity to attend various workshops about different topics such as resume writing and marketing. These workshops have helped me gain so much knowledge, and out of the many I took part in, my favourite has to be the Web Designing one. Through this session, I learned how to create a website using a software called Wix and my creativity, which I really enjoyed doing. Moreover, this program has helped me get out of my comfort zone and has improved my communication skills. It has also taught me the importance of building connections with others and has given me the opportunity to meet strong leaders in our community, like MP Ruby Sahota.
Along with providing wonderful opportunities for female youth in our community, EmpowHer also has a great and welcoming environment. In fact, the leaders and coordinators of this program are some of the nicest people I have met. They want to see you succeed and will always be there to help you reach your goals and get your voice across. I am so glad that I decided to join this program. It has really been great working with different people and giving back to the community by planning events. All in all, EmpowHer is a phenomenal program, and it has helped me develop as a person!
- Romaan Waseem
I have been an active volunteer in EmpowHer since March 2021. Empowher has given me,over the past months, an unforgettable experience in building strong community relationships. I have learned many skills in networking, public speaking and organizing events.It's a pleasure being part of organizing an event such as the Career Exploration Fair July 2021. There are numerous workshops I have attended that helped me build confidence and leadership skills. Guest speakers such as Ruby Sahota and Harkirat Singh have educated me in their workshops about the political process and the issues that need to be addressed in our society. Empowher has given wonderful opportunities to open discussions about diversity and women in the community. To conclude, Empowher has given me a memorable experience,making me feel involved in our community. I can't wait to see what other skills I will pick up going forward with this program.
- Rukhaiya Fareed
Hello, my name is Zaynab and I joined EmpowHer in March of 2021. Throughout the course of these past few months, I have gained a considerable amount of experience in networking, graphic design, and writing resumes, among many other significant capabilities. EmpowHer has allowed me to build on numerous skills including public speaking, collaboration, multi-tasking, and responsibility, which were all demonstrated through hosting and organizing events, such as the Career Exploration and Academic Fair in July of 2021. I am fortunate to be part of a community so accomplished and welcoming as EmpowHer’s community, and I’m looking forward to the many workshops and future events we have coming up!
- Zaynab Syed
In empowher I have learned how to be resourceful and build upon my communication skills. They give me opportunities to introduce our guests and it is a space where I feel that I am constantly learning. Not only about the subject at hand but myself. There have been times where not everything goes exactly to plan and I knew that they would be right there to support if needed. The environment of Empowher is everything I could possibly want. Professional, loving, and kind. It has been one of the best experiences I have had volunteer and I can’t wait to spend many more years with them.
- Christiana Ifeoluwa Odeleye
I joined EmpowHER not, knowing how truly thankful I would be for this program existing. Since joining EmpowHER I have gained confidence in myself and my abilities, which have helped me in every aspect of my life (school, work, and in other social settings). I have gained various skills through the weekly workshops held by knowledgeable individuals from different fields (e.g. mortgage, real estate, branding, resume writing, elevator pitch, etc). To highlight one of my favourite workshops was, hosted by Melissa Dsouza, who works in the marketing field. She shared her pathway, hardships as a woman in her field, and how she overcame these challenges, which was highly inspiring to hear. Overall, EmpowHER has led me to meet powerful and inspiring womxn, which no other volunteer experience has given me. Through various opportunities, such as hosting events, I have met new people and gained connections, who have helped in my personal and professional development. I would recommend this program for any womxn looking to find a place they can grow in while having a solid support system. I will forever be grateful for the impact EmpowHER has made in my life!
- Tarman Sohi
I joined EmpowHer in order to provide a healthy boost to my self-confidence, self-esteem, and life satisfaction. I wanted to feel the satisfaction of doing good for others and my community, which provides me with a natural sense of accomplishment. Like many others, I also came into the organization with a hope of developing new skills and polishing the skills I already possessed. But, the program is giving me much more than I came looking for. It gave me a sense of belonging in my community, it made me feel as though I had a place and a role in making a positive difference to my community and the people around me. I am constantly given the opportunity to build strong networks, take risks, accept challenges, and step out of my comfort zone, something that I feared doing. EmpowHer showed me that I have a chance in becoming a strong female leader in my community. Going to the various workshops allowed me to speak to successful leaders in our community, ask them questions, and gain an insight of their career/work. The resources provided to me in EmpowHer became my assets. This platform gives me a huge opportunity to interact within my community, develop collaborative and leadership skills, and overall improve my confidence in myself and others. I would recommend joining this great organization to anyone who wants to become an active member in their community, build a strong skill set, and gain experience in order to become strong, independent and empowering women in our society.
- Hira Abid
