GIRL POWER SEPTEMBER 2013 | Page 5

Merel Bakker Mentor of the Month If we feel confident, we are more likely to make better decisions. It helps us to avoid things that hurt us or others and it empowers us to make good choices instead. Like in the United States, also children in Merel’s home of Switzerland are dealing with this challenge and like in the United States, some manage to find the confidence to deal with it in a good way, some don’t. That’s why it’s so important that each child has access to tools that will help them build confidence. Life is always changing, emotions come and go, happy moments will always take turns with unhappy ones and you are the one that determines how you deal with these changes and situations. Those are just a couple of the lessons Merel learned from two big mentors in her life: Rosemary and Steve. By giving her the opportunity to experience these changes as well as by giving her the insight that it is indeed MEREL who determines whether those situ