I was just asked to speak to and photograph a Girls Group at Refugee One. Refugee One is a great organization that “provides a local home for the world’s most persecuted,” and they are located in the Uptown area of Chicago.
The purpose of Girls Group is to have a safe space for the girls to talk about all the things teenage girls need and want to know. In addition to being 14-18 years old and trying to understand high school and growing up, these girls face a lot of additional challenges having recently arrived in Chicago with limited English abilities and knowledge of American culture. Another big issue for most/all of the girls is the responsibility of being a translator, caregiver for siblings, and point of contact for the outside world for their parents, who usually speak less English than they do. This new group will give them the tools to help them cope with all of this and empower them to be confident, strong young women!
I’m so honored to participate and hope I can be of some inspiration to these young women. Stay tuned for photos from the shoot…
