Have You Heard of The Empowerment Project?

Too often girls and young women are told they can’t, they shouldn’t, or it will be too difficult to pursue their dreams when what they really need to hear is go for it! You can do it!

Do you enjoy seeing women inspire and encourage others? If so, you may be interested in The Empowerment Project: Ordinary Women Doing Extraordinary Things. Don’t you just love that title and what it means?

The project started with five female filmmakers deciding to drive across the United States to encourage, empower, and inspire the next generation of strong women to go after their career ambitions. They ask: What would you do if you weren’t afraid? Great question! We should all ask ourselves the same thing.

To make their feature-length documentary, the team traveled from Los Angeles to New York in 34 days, and they interviewed 17 women in various careers. They flew with a female pilot in San Francisco, sat down with the creator of The Oprah Show, spent time in a lab with a cancer biologist, and danced with professional ballerina.

Here’s a sample:

Currently, The Empowerment Project is only available by booking screenings in schools (elementary, middle, high school, college), churches, organizations, corporations, and community centers. You can’t find it on Netflix or Amazon and show it in your home.

If you visit www.empowermentproject.com, you can find a screening of the documentary or schedule one to be shown for your group. The content is suitable for ages nine and up.

If you book a showing, a DVD will be sent to you three to four days before your event. The DVD needs to be returned within 48 hours after the showing.

Unfortunately, the fees for using the film aren’t cheap, but your school or organization may have funds budgeted for this type of thing. There’s a $650 screening fee for the full length version (99 minutes) and $500 for the shorter version (54 minutes). The screening fee allows for two showings at the same location within a 24-hour period. You’re also able to book several filmmakers to come and lead a 45-minute discussion after the film for an additional $2,000 personal appearance fee (plus travel). Also included with the screening fee is a screening packet, which includes discussion questions, screening checklists, and fundraising ideas.

I’ve never had the opportunity to see the documentary, so I can’t speak firsthand about its impact. But I applaud these five women and what they’re trying to accomplish. In my opinion, we can all use encouragement now and then, so bring it on!

What would you do if you weren’t afraid?

If you’ve seen the documentary, please share your experience and opinions about the film.

If you haven’t seen it, does it sound like it would be beneficial in your local schools? Why or why not?

Dawn