Charlotte Wasserman is a student at Hathaway Brown, author of It’s A Girl’s Life Blog, and Co-creator of GET GRITTY Cleveland.
Charlotte started a non-profit event, called GET GRITTY Cleveland, in 2018.
“I felt there was a need for people my age to start learning about the importance of a growth mindset, resilience, grit, and finding a supportive team. Being a teen in today’s environment is tough with the huge social media influence, all the instant technology, and the pressure of being perfect at everything. I truly believe taking a day to learn about how you can be a better version of yourself, and how to use key skills to grow and lead can really make a difference.”
Over 100 girls from across Northeast Ohio each of the past two years! Each year, Charlotte worked with the head of the GRACEDBYGRIT Foundation, to make this event an inspiration. Follow Charlotte on her blog (https://itsagirlslifeblog.com/) her Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/itsagirlslifeblog/?hl=en), and Facebook (It’s A Girl’s Life) to continue to watch her efforts to help the girls in her Cleveland community!
We sat down with Charlotte to learn more about this amazing young woman and her entrepreneurial spirit.
Why are you doing this event, and for whom?
Charlotte: Never did I feel so strongly for girls to start leaning into the unknown. Leaning towards something that seems scary or not easily achieved. I never felt so strongly that girls needed to learn that it's not just the act of ‘taking action’ that makes someone gritty, but also the act of ‘removing something off your plate’ that you just aren't passionate about or walking away from an unhealthy relationship or situation. Our perspective of life is so dependent on how we think, yet why isn't this important message taught in schools? It seems so important to me. It’s also apparently important to over 300 girls who have attended our events over the last 3 years, to the many supporters who have donated, and to the two local newspapers who have shared my story. I couldn't just wait around for this important topic of living life with grit, having resilience, leaning into your imperfections, and finding a supporting team, to start being implemented into the curriculum. I had to act on it while I felt passionate, so I did.
What does this event mean to you?
Charlotte: The goal of the event is to teach girls valuable information that isn't taught in school. We help these girls learn how to get back out there after something doesn't go their way, why it's important to keep an open mind. Why it's important to do scary things. All through local Clevelanders who teach through sharing their knowledge and their story. Every year we have a keynote who applies our GRIT curriculum to her own life, and she shares her story. It is a great real life example of someone in our community who has approached struggles with grit and resilience. Someone who through determination and a lot of hard work, has made an impact and is out there reaching their goals and making a difference. This year's theme revolves around how to take action without fear, how to feel those hard feelings, and how to deal with big and small challenges. Here is an introduction from my speech for the event to learn about how I view ‘taking action without fear’:
"Do it scared, do it knowing that you won't know everything, do it even though you're not ready, do it without perfection, whatever you do, take the leap and go for it. I have to remind myself of this every day. The act of just doing it and going for it without knowing how it will go can be scary. It takes grit, confidence, to do it, and when it doesn't go how you thought it should, it then takes resilience to deal with those "imperfect" moments and to figure out what's to do next."
I feel so passionately about spreading this message because girls need to hear it. They need to be motivated to fail and jump up. They need to push themselves even when they don't know what the results will be. If they do, they will learn, grow, and live a life with grit.
Follow Charlotte on her blog (https://itsagirlslifeblog.com/) her Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/itsagirlslifeblog/?hl=en), and Facebook (It’s A Girl’s Life) to continue to watch her efforts to help the girls in her Cleveland community!