Today we’d like to introduce you to Lisa Stanton.
Can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today. You can include as little or as much detail as you’d like.
I grew up in Bethesda, Maryland which boasts being one of the most affluent cities in the US and the most educated suburb in the entire country, having every privilege and advantage imaginable and sadly I still found myself struggling with self-esteem and body image. My personal experience as a young woman and a mother is stirring my passion for working with Girls Empowerment Network.
Growing up isn’t getting any easier for the next generations of girls either! Something that’s particularly pressing for this generation is social media, which is a challenge that we didn’t face. We had typewriters, word processors and played Oregon Trail on Mac. We had AOL dialup chat rooms. Now, social media is everywhere and pervades all areas of life for most young girls. Social media creates additional pressure to live up to a curated experience online. People aren’t posting their real life. They are posting happy things in their lives, the celebrations. So, women and girls compare themselves to each other and wonder “why is my life bad?” They have unrealistic standards to live up to and not just what’s going on in their life, but these false body image standards, too. It’s easy to find reinforcement for dangerous negative self-talk: I’m not enough – not pretty enough, smart enough, don’t have enough as it appears other people have in their lives.
Where I am now, I can see how my life experiences influenced my professional path and also our family’s personal path to Houston. My husband is a native Houstonian, and we moved here from Washington, D.C. in 2011, after our twins were born. As soon as we got here, I wanted to be involved in our community. I began to volunteer with different organizations and went back to work for a non-profit. While working at the Jewish Federation of Greater Houston as the Director of the Jerome Robinson Family Young Adult Division, I found myself in the unexpected role of coordinating the volunteer mobilization and supply drive at the Federation/JCC campus after the Memorial Day Flood. I had never done this type of work before but was proud to be able to jump in immediately following the disaster and begin relief work. I had the privilege to help my community during a really difficult time which led to one of my proudest accomplishments, receiving a commendation from the City of Houston for helping mobilize volunteers and relief work after the Memorial Day Flood.
I have always been lucky to be able to work for causes that align with my personal values and was especially thrilled when the opportunity presented itself to work for Girls Empowerment Network because I feel so deeply connected to GEN’s mission to ignite the power in girls by teaching them the skills to thrive and believe in their ability to become unstoppable. Studies have shown that the most impactful way to transform society is by empowering women! Yet, our society today continues to be a challenging place for girls–a place where the power distribution, cost of living and compensation are inequitable and favor men.
We tell girls they can do anything but society sends them the opposite message everywhere they turn. As I mentioned, it’s especially hard to escape now with the constant presence of media, setting up unrealistic and often unattainable examples of what women, girls, and daughters should be. Yet, I truly believe, we are close to a tipping point towards gender equality. This is why our work at GEN is so critical. When we create empowered girls, we create empowered leaders who will transform our society for the better.
I am so proud to be doing this important work and hope to find more Houstonian woman who wants to join me in advocating for girls.
In addition to my work at GEN, I currently serve as the President the National Council of Jewish Women (NCJW) Houston Section, on the Lyon Cohen Symposium and Membership Committees at Beth Israel, and on the Advisory Council for Volunteer Houston at Interfaith Ministries. I am also passionate about advocacy work for Mental Health and the LGBTQ+ community.
Has it been a smooth road? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
I was hospitalized for an eating disorder in college. I look back on my experience, and I fell into that pit that so many girls do with eating and body issues. It’s not about whether we have education and/or access to resources. There’s something that girls need to feel deep within themselves to feel a sense of security. That’s why I am passionate about the Girls Empowerment Network because we are about creating opportunities for all girls to learn that they are powerful.
Tell us about your business/company. What do you do, what do you specialize in, what are you known for, etc. What are you most proud of as company? What sets you apart from others?
I am the Director of Philanthropy for Girls Empowerment Network, creator of the annual We Are Girls conference that has been in Houston since 2016. Girls Empowerment Network helps girls find their power within-school programs that build self-esteem and self-efficacy — the ability to persist in the face of challenges. We ignite the power in girls by teaching them the skills to thrive and believe in their ability to be unstoppable. I’m really proud to be a part of this team and our amazing conference committee with honorary chair Linda Lorelle.
Houston is one of the most diverse cities in the world, and We Are Girls Houston reflects this. The day-long conference for mothers and daughters, or girls and the adults who care about them, is a really powerful event. Girls leave with a sense of sisterhood and pride in being a girl. They feel empowered and equipped to navigate the unique challenges and pressures they are facing. To my knowledge, this is the only event of its kind with this many girls and the adults who care about them coming together for a day full of possibilities, hope, support, and new ideas. We welcome Houston to join us on April 27 from 9am-3pm at Hogg Middle School, 1100 Merrill St., Houston, TX 77009.
Whenever you can create the opportunity for girls to be a part of something powerful, united and connected, that can be incredibly moving for them. It can provide them a sense of pride and belonging that they can take with them, as they grow into adulthood and especially when they move into places that are male-dominated.
We also have workshops for parents, teachers, and schools to help train and impart extra resources to adults on how to navigate these topics with girls. We can educate professionals and parents on how to better support girls and be better champions for our girls.
What’s special about Girls Empowerment Network programs is that we are able to ask “what are you seeing on your campus?” Then, we can customize the 20 modules in our Girl Connect curriculum and alleviate issues these schools are facing and make a difference for them on their campus. Sometimes, it’s girl-on-girl bullying. In other schools, it may be truancy. The pressures and issues for girls, of course, are the same everywhere. Every girl needs support to navigate these challenges and develop healthy self-esteem.
Girls Empowerment Network programs are available in nearly 15 schools in the Houston area, and we would like to be in many more but until we increase fundraising, we’re at capacity to facilitate Girl Connect in schools. Our schools include campuses in Fort Bend, Spring and Houston ISD. We are providing some services without a fee using grants from private foundations and community partners like Wells Fargo for some of the schools. Parent-teacher organizations also may bring our programs to their campuses.
Most of our school champions say this program is so desperately needed in every school no matter where it is located. These are problems girls face regardless of demographics.
Through my work in philanthropy, I have learned the power of investing in women and girls and the transformative effect these investments have on families and communities. I truly believe that if you want to change the world you must start with girls. When we give girls the tools to thrive we will then create communities that thrive. GEN gives girls the foundation to become empowered, successful women who will transform the world we live in! I am thrilled to be working with our community to ensure the vital resources are there to support our mission.
If you had to start over, what would you have done differently?
I don’t think I would do anything differently because truthfully my mistakes — and I’ve had plenty — have taught me something. Those experiences and especially the adversity I’ve faced in different scenarios have empowered me and taught me that I can do anything I put my mind to. Knowing that now, I think having had that feeling earlier in life would have been great. I had to get into my late 30s to really feel and embrace my own self-efficacy.
Pricing:
- We Are Girls Houston tickets are now available. They are $30, and we also offer scholarships to girls and the adults who care about them. To learn more visit https://www.girlsempowermentnetwork.org/get-involved/parents/we-are-girls-conference/
- Girls Advocacy League – This is for the grownups! Our GAL members are those who give $100 or more annually to Girls Empowerment Network. GAL is a great place for women to invest in the services and support system to serve all girls, AND we also give adults access to information that they wish they had when they were younger.
Contact Info:
- Address: 4660 Beechnut St., Suite 102
Houston, TX 77096 - Website: https://www.girlsempowermentnetwork.org/
- Email: lisa@girlsempowermentnetwork.org
- Instagram: @girlsempowermentnetwork
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GirlsEmpowermentNetwork/
- Twitter: @girls_en
Image Credit:
Courtesy of Girls Empowerment Network
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