Worthy Now Conference: An evening to remember
Photo courtesy of Worthy Now.
Six years ago, a team of leaders gathered around a table and together wondered how they could support the women on campus. Seeing the present issues women faced, they built on the idea birthed by Brené Brown—you are not worthy when you achieve, but you are worthy now.
With the key principles to embrace worth, empower others and inspire calling, this event is not self-focused. Rather, it strives to encourage women’s individual worth alongside the men and women they grow with. Director of Student Development Rosie Adams helped create this year’s first Worthy Now Conference.
Upon creation of the event, Adams helped choose speakers such as Casey Cole and Megan Allen, but the conference also includes three male speakers—Chris Gates, Mike Hayes and Alex Staup.
“We wanted males to be a part of the conversation. We think that often in our culture we are telling women to be empowered, but we are doing it at the expense of men,” Adams said. “We don’t want to do that with Worthy Now. My hope would be that it’s not just an event, but a movement.”
It is safe to say that Adams’ dreams are moving in the right steps. What started in 2014 as an event that occurred once a year slowly grew. In 2017 alone, they hosted four Worthy Now events. This year, however, they decided to make the event a five-hour conference, complete with dinner and dessert.
How did this event grow to where it is now? The leaders believe that it is because the men and women of Lee grabbed a hold of the ideas that were being shared.
“I’ve seen it put language to what many of the female students and staff that I work with experience,” said Adams. “ I’ve seen it start conversations… it shows me that it’s integrating into our campus culture.”
To make sure that the topics are always current, the leadership team crafted the idea of Worthy Now Representatives. These are female students involved in various parts on campus like diversity council or athletics. The leadership team meets with these ladies to get feedback and information on what is relevant to today’s women.
Jalyn Poynter, a freshman nursing major, saw the opportunity as a representative to help women have a better sense of their emotional intelligence through the work Worthy Now is doing on campus.
“If women understand themselves better, it builds emotional maturity which can help improve communication with other women and men as well, “ said Poynter.
Kelsey Osborne, sophomore political science major, placed emphasis on the creators of Worthy Now, addressing complex issues that young women are facing. At the conference, women can freely come and combat the problems they are facing as women.
“[It was important] that people saw that something was not right in our community and therefore created the event [in response],” said Osborne.
The Worthy Now Conference is hoping to change Lee’s campus forever. In the words of Adams, “Worthy Now will be an evening to remember.”
Worthy Now will be on Lee University’s campus in Pangle Hall on Friday, Sept. 13. For more information, follow @leeuworthynow on Instagram.
