2010 AllyKatzz Town Hall Meeting Parent Information
Several years ago, I was inspired to create a safe, online community where my daughter, Ally, could talk with other girls her age—about her dreams, about her goals, about her world. And that community grew into AllyKatzz.com, where girls joined in the discussions, supporting each other, laughing and crying together.
And through my relationship with my own daughter, and her relationships on AllyKatzz.com, I saw that we all have something in common—a passion for life and a desire to make a difference. And sometimes we just need a hand, we need to know there are others out there like us. We just need to connect.
In 2009, I had a dream to give girls just that—a place to connect--offline--to meet, to join together, to stand up and be heard. And my dream became reality on October 10, 2009 in Washington DC – The First Ever National Tween Girl Summit. It was a day when tween girls united to make history. A day for them to tell the world what was on their minds and how they plan to make a difference. A day for them to realize they are not alone.
I found that out as soon as I began to share my dream—I discovered so many incredible women and men who believed in it, believed in TWEEN GIRLS. We assembled an awesome team of people who heard the dream, got that “goosebump” feeling and said, “I want to be a part of helping girls change the world.”
We had big dreams and we made them all come true. But that was only the beginning. We are kicking off 2010 with the First Ever AK Tween Girl Town Hall Meeting at UCLA’s Hall of Fame on Saturday, March 13, 2010. Tween girls will once again unite to speak up and be heard... and change their world.
There will be sessions during the day where girls and parents are combined, but several others that are “Girls Only.” During those times, you’ll have “Parents Only” sessions – time to meet other parents and chat with experts who will help you navigate the tween years. These sessions are FREE for parents.
Thanks to the generous support of our sponsors and AK Tweens’ commitment to helping girls change the world, the Town Hall Meeting is FREE for girls – including lunch, healthy snacks and an ice cream social. The ONLY items for sale in the girls’ area will be fundraising items from the tween-teen charities and AllyKatzz Town Hall Meeting items (i.e, t-shirts). Sponsors will not sell items to girls. In fact, sponsors are giving girls FREE products (Summit goody bags were amazing!). In the Parents Only area, we may have items available for purchase (books from the experts, snacks, etc). There is absolutely NO pressure for girls or parents to purchase anything (we did not have items for sale at the Summit, however, girls/parents told us that they wanted this option for future events).
Guest speakers, celebrities, and experts will be secured and announced as they sign on. Please check www.tweentownhallmeeting.com to see the updated Tween Girl and Parent Agendas as they evolve.
Can’t wait for March 13 – hope to see you there!
Denise Restauri Founder & CEO, AllyKatzz and AK Tweens
Download the Town Hall Parent Agenda (pdf)
Download the Town Hall Application (pdf)
