TCN Newsletter Issue 4: July 2014

Featured Emerging Leader:

Kristen Rivers

Artemis Girl’s Empowerment Training:

Kristen Rivers is Transforming Young Lives in Santa Cruz

Meet Kristen M. Rivers. When she isn’t teaching deep ecology and permaculture design from her Santa Cruz home, she helps young women face the multifaceted emotional, physical, and spiritual challenges of the millennial age. Through after school meetings, yoga, art, gardening, storytelling, poetry, and superfood cooking, “Mama Artemis” helps junior and senior high school aged girls address emotional intelligence, celebrate feminine strengths and qualities, develop positive self image, build friendships and relationships, practice self care, and use tools for healthy living.

With 25 years experience as an educator she teaches these leadership skills in private lessons, in an empowerment girls training class called STEP UP, in summer camps, and to her three daughters. Since there is really nothing quite like this in the Santa Cruz area (and beyond as far as I know) you can imagine Kristen stays quite busy with her positive impact work.

With its recent non-profit status through fiscal sponsor thechildrenareourfuture.org, Artemis has been able to raise over $1,000 to girls in her community who truly need the financial help in order to be successful, which includes helping to get some very in need girls into the summer camp for 13-18 year olds. The transformative impact made in these girls lives is real, and to maximize this impact, Artemis is growing fast.

Kristen plans on creating “the worlds most kick ass website by and for girls” in 2015 to add a positive alternative to that which is being served up to them now. This is especially pertinent, given the ever increasing circulation of escapist and distractifying internet data and social media marketed toward teen youth. Artemis is seeking professional talent for this project: branding, web design and development, conscious social media mentorship, editing and publishing, as well as both professional women and teen girl advisors. With all of these projects coming into fruition, Artemis is calling out to the community for financial support and sponsorship in order maximize positive trace in her students, her community, and natural environment. I encourage you to share Kristen’s amazing work with relevant professional contacts, family members, and friends who may be interested in contributing financially, or through direct involvement in Artemis’ operation.

“I probably wouldn’t be in the group if it wasn’t for Kristen, she is a supportive person and she has seemed genuinely interested in what I have to say, and that isn’t something I’ve experienced too many times in my life…the air in the room takes a different energy when she is there!”

~ Artemis Participant