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"Fighting Back Fear"
Leah E. Olm
Duluth East High School, Class of 2003
University of Chicago, Class of 2007
Last fall, a friend and I were walking along the Lakewalk of Duluth, MN and
were harassed by several men. Deciding that this was unacceptable, we organized
a conference dedicated to fighting back feelings of vulnerability and
powerlessness often felt by women. We called the conference Fighting Back Fear.
We wrote and received a grant for $1,000 from the Northland Foundation of
Duluth, utilized the help of several key area adults, incorporated the press,
and campaigned for our project at five different area high schools. Our
conference consisted of four workshops: Date Rape Drug Education, Healthy
Relationships, Physical Self-Defense, and Rejuvenating Yoga. We had 64 girls
who attended, aged 14- 18.
For me, the most moving moment was talking to girls as they left. They thanked
me for bringing the issue of woman's safety to the front lines and for caring
enough to put everything I had into making the conference work. They were so
grateful, and for me that made it abundantly clear that this conference is not
meant to be an isolated event. The information it provided needs to get out- it
needs to be spread across the state and the nation in an effort to empower
women to stand up against the fear that we, perhaps, do not fully want to
acknowledge. Because it was such a success, we chose five girls to run it next
year.
My hope is that it will continue for years to come, empowering young women in
an effort to stem the devastating outpouring of violence against females. The
conference was effective because it focused on each girl's power, not her
weakness. It encouraged each girl to look at herself and know she is worth
protecting. My hope is that each girl will think of what she learned at
Fighting Back Fear when she finds herself at a Frat party in college and is
offered a drink, when she is confronted on a street corner by a man that her
senses tell her is not all right, when she is beginning to understand that a
once-loving relationship has turned down the dark path of abuse, and when she
is overwhelmed by feelings of helplessness. I hope she will look back at
Fighting Back Fear and know that she is not powerless.
I was empowered by the experience. It was a dream of mine in September. Five
months later it was a reality. I had two other equally motivated girls by my
side that I could not have done without, and the personal reward was made even
greater because we all worked together. It was through this project that I
realized I had an enormous passion for social justice. I have since then become
active in the peace-seeking community in Duluth, and have become more vocal on
issues that deal with social reform.
The lessons of Fighting Back Fear will live with me always: have strength, work
for peace, trust your inner voice, be vocal, be fearless, love yourself, know
your truth, and reach out to your community. I hope that these lessons will be
passed on through the conference year after year. I could not ask for a better
way to inspire change in my community.
About Leah
During my senior year of high school, I created and organized (with a friend of mine) a safety conference for young women called Fighting Back Fear, which was held for the second year in a row recently. I'm a
student at the University of Chicago hoping to major in Gender Studies or Political Science, with the intention of working for social justice as much as possible.
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