Girls Empower Girls is a new club at Pleasant Valley High School. Founded by senior Marin Bratsch, the club aims to unite girls from different friend groups, sports and activities. This will be done by supporting female-based clubs, activities and volunteering for female-owned local businesses.
Bratsch was inspired to start the club by her friends from her previous school. “My old school was very big on celebrating and supporting both girls and boys sports equally, same with achievements and clubs. I noticed once I came back here that I didn’t see a lot of the same parallels,” said Bratsch. Even though Bratsch and other girls have not felt the same level of support as the boys at PV, she hopes that Girls Empower Girls will change that sentiment.
Starting a club as a high school student can be challenging, but it does have its rewards. Recent PV graduate Sophia Foad started the Earthlings club her sophomore year. “Starting Earthlings was a very fulfilling activity although it was difficult to start a club from scratch,” said Foad.
Currently, Girls Empower Girls has 12 members, but with their initiatives and platform, they hope to expand to 25-30 members. They hope to reach this goal by working with other women’s clubs at PV. The Girls Empower Girls club will not only resonate with PV, but the Quad City community as a whole. “We are also going to work on having more representation in the school, such as more promotion for women’s sports, targeting harassment issues, and honestly just anything we can do that allows for the girls here to express their opinions, even the little things,” Bratsch stated.
Overall, Bratsch has created a powerful club for all girls. Creating a safe environment for girls to share their thoughts and beliefs is important to have in a high school. Even though it can be difficult to create a space where everyone feels safe and welcome, Bratsch has proven that it is possible.
