Girls Rule the World: A Women's Retreat Rooted in Healing, Faith, and Community

We Think 4 A Change
Jun 16
2 min read

A Celebration of Culture and Resilience

The weekend’s theme—“Positively Beautiful: Girls Rule the World”—came alive in the details. Women arrived in vibrant cultural attire, each color and textile telling a personal story. Family dishes filled tables and connected generations, as participants shared recipes that carried the flavors of home. This simple act of gathering around food became a powerful expression of identity and community.

This wasn’t just a retreat. It was an intentional space to be seen and honored.

Centering Healing and Faith

Day two began with a grounding prayer from Dr. Sande Bailey Gwinn, setting the tone for a day of renewal. From there, facilitators—including Kendra Wills, Brooke Wills, Dawn Richardson, Naimah O’Neal, and Ciella and Tizita—led deeply personal workshops. Sessions on vision boarding, journaling, inner healing, and spoken affirmations invited women to reflect on their worth and reclaim their narratives.

Each facilitator brought not just tools, but lived wisdom. Each woman in the room brought courage.

Making Space for Truth

With guidance from social work intern Crystal Smith, the retreat held sacred space for open dialogue—many women sharing stories they had never spoken aloud. Conversations covered loss, shame, faith, and forgiveness. In these moments, something remarkable happened: shame began to loosen its grip. Strength, once buried under survival, re-emerged.

One woman summed up what many felt:

“I forgot what it felt like to be poured into. Now I feel full again.”

What This Retreat Tells Us About Community Healing

At its core, the Girls Rule the World retreat reflects what We Think 4 A Change stands for: faith in action, healing through love, and hope for the journey ahead. It shows what’s possible when we build spaces where Black and Brown women affected by HIV can rest, speak, laugh, and be restored.

A Community Effort

We offer deep gratitude to Kesha Laguins, Faye Marshall, Gladys Hutchins, Mozella Lawrence, and Anita Crews for their support. It takes a community to create a retreat rooted in trust—and this team made it happen.

Why This Matters

Women—especially Black women—continue to be disproportionately impacted by HIV in the U.S. Yet too often, their voices are left out of the conversation. This retreat is a model of what trauma-informed, culturally grounded support can look like.

And it’s a reminder: when women are given the space to heal, they rise.

FAQ

Retreat Attendees with their vision boards at the end of the weekend.

Who was the retreat for?

The retreat welcomed women living with or impacted by HIV, including those in recovery, caregivers, and survivors of trauma.

What made this HIV women’s retreat unique?

It centered cultural expression, offered trauma-informed workshops, and held space for emotional healing and shared storytelling.

Will there be future retreats?

Yes. We Think 4 A Change is committed to offering regular healing spaces like this for women affected by HIV. Stay connected through our website and mailing list.

How can I support future retreats?

You can donate, volunteer, or sponsor a session. Contact info@wethink4achange.org for more ways to get involved.