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Empower Montana came to Thompson Falls High School January 28. The program was first recommended by student Trinity Godfrey and counselor Jodi Morgan after a walkout supporting a positive school atmosphere.

Empower Montana is focused on creating a more just and inclusive society by developing youth and adult leaders who work to end mistreatment, correct systematic inequalities and strengthen communities across Montana, as stated on their website empowermt.org. The program was included in the students’ schedules in two half-day segments. The first half of the day was for the freshmen and sophomores, while the second half the day was for juniors and seniors.

The program featured many cooperative activities that really got the students thinking about big questions. Godfrey said she thinks “it was pretty good overall. I feel like the kids actually took it seriously and we got to see a new side to some of the kids that I normally don’t talk to. Seeing that new side and how you can relate to one another is really cool to see.” Teachers also felt that Empower Montana was making difference. “It is certainly important for all of us to recognize how unique and diverse each of us are,” teacher Chadd Laws said.

Empower Montana was suggested to Superintendent Bill Cain, who decided to have the program come to the school.

“I liked where you go through exercises, like the up-downs they had us do, where they ask you everything about yourself and if it relates to you, you stand up. Overall I liked it in a lot of ways,” Cain said.

This program is not just about the school it’s coming to, it’s also about the people who are teaching it. This immersive program enables one student from a community in Montana to travel with one of the Empower Montana representatives to go and teach their ideas at schools across the state. When you look at the kind of people that are talking about these issues with schools it’s not hard to understand why they are a part of the program.

“I started working at the YWCA Missoula and the GUTS (Girls Using Their Strengths) program and I went to Empower Montana’s summer camp and I got trained to be a trainer and got to hang out with a bunch of other high schoolers and educators, people who work with youth and that was kind of how a got involved,” said Roe Airin with Empower Montana. The group’s representatives get to pick which schools they come to and Roe initially decided to come because, “since I worked with the GUTS group Ms. Chris (Magdelene) is coordinating here and she told me about the walkout and that Empower Montana was asked for training so I asked if I could come, because I’m particularly passionate about sexism and how it affects girls and young women.”

This program isn’t just for people looking to make Montana better, it’s about helping themselves as well. “I am a staff member at Empower Montana and the thing that really threw me, I grew up in a rural community, very similar to this one actually, and I am gay and I was terrified to tell anyone that or be myself in high school so I think just like knowing how I felt as a marginalized person in high school really inspired me to do this work,” said Spencer Check.

Empower Montana was a great experience for the Thompson Falls High School and students said they hope Empower Montana will continue to spread their words of wisdom to the surrounding communities.