As a victim of bullying, Valerie Weisler noticed a fellow student suffering and reached out to him with a powerful message of compassion: “You matter.” When the student let Valerie know how much her words meant to him, it inspired her create The Validation Project. Today, Valerie shows others how to recognize their own worth and use it to change the world through social justice initiatives.
The Validation Project is an international organization that works with more than 6,000 teenagers in 105 countries, providing them with the resources and guidance they need to develop confidence and gain self-worth. As part of the program, participants partner with mentors from nonprofits and corporations to tackle social justice assignments. Once they complete the mentorship program, participants channel their passion into volunteer work. The Validation Project now leads 6,000 teenagers in skill-based social justice work and the organization’s 'kindness curriculum' has replaced government-led anti-bullying courses in nearly 1,000 schools.
Being a Women of Worth means showing my generation that they are worth it – even if there are people out there who would make them feel differently – and providing them with the resources to solve issues of social justice around the world.