She’s All That

The San Ramon Valley chapter of Soroptimist International will host its seventh annual She’s All That one day conference on February 11th at San Ramon Valley High School. Soroptimist International is a global society of professional women devoted to the advancement and enrichment of girls and women through local service projects. She’s All That has become a highly anticipated event for “tween” girls in our area. “Teaming up with organizations such as Discovery Center, Impact Bay Area and Teen Esteem, the upcoming conference will have an expanded line-up of breakout sessions and classes” says Robyn Forman, Marketing Chairperson for 2011’s She’s All That conference.

The She’s All That conference started six years ago as a way to help middle school girls address issues most affecting their lives. Robyn says roughly 70% of the attendees were girls searching for answers or support. The other 30% were encouraged to attend by their mothers, but everyone gets something meaningful from the day’s event. 2011’s symposium will feature a new ice breaking exercise designed to make new friends chaired by Chris Howard, Talent Management Advisor for Chevron.

At She’s All That I learned skills for everyday life and I had a lot of fun too. It was like “cool school!” Nicole N, age 12

The first couple of years, moms had a hard time letting go of their daughters as they dropped them off for the full day experience. Organizers of She’s All That eventually offered classes for parents (primarily mothers) such as Who’s The parent, Teen Talk and What’s Eating You? The core outline introduces subject matter such as Self Confidence, Body Image, Straight Talk on Boys, Mean Girls and Cliques and Self Defense. Many of these sessions will be taught by professional counselors, psychologist and therapists. However, there will also be fun segments including hip hop dance, cheerleading, age appropriate make- up tips and making healthy snack choices lead by Soroptimist members and local community leaders. After constantly selling out the last several events, the upcoming She’s All That has expanded the attendance capacity from 300 to 450 participants.

She’s All That was an empowering and motivational event and I would really recommend all preteen and teen girls to attend it. Andrea B. 15
I had a really great time learning a lot of useful skills, like self-defense, cooking and laundry. It was even more fun because I got to attend with my friends!’….Hailey M., age 12

Robyn Forman, a Business to Business marketing consultant who owns her own company, says she truly believes this event makes a difference in the lives of young girls. “If we can’t reach these girls before they get to high school, it’s too late,” Robyn states. “They need to feel comfortable in their own skin and maybe one of our sessions will help them get there”.

“It was really fun and I liked the classes. I actually learned skills. It wasn’t boring like school. The classes also allowed us to do physical activities instead of just sitting in a chair listening to lectures all day. I especially enjoyed the self-defense class.” Kendall B., Age 12

Tickets for the 2011 She’s All That conference are $30.00, however free tickets are available for anyone who might need financial assistance. Information can be found at www.soroptimist-sr.org. The full day program includes lunch for all participants. There is also a raffle sponsored by local businesses. Any net profits go directly to the host school and local non-profit organizations. As the father of daughters ages 11 and 13, I am encouraged by the material and content of the She’s All That forum and am overjoyed that both my girls are looking forward to attending the big event in February.