Christina Collinge
COM 3330/04
February 14, 2011
Final Draft-Assignment #2 Interview Feature Story
In 2002, Haley Kilpatrick started an organization that would change the lives of middle school girls.
Born in 1986, Kilpatrick was an extremely bright kid who got great grades in school and loved interacting with people. However, starting in middle school, Kilpatrick had a hard time with the hormonal changes in her body, pressures and anxieties a young girl goes through. In addition, Kilpatrick had a hard time finding friends and being self-confident while developing into a young woman.
At the age of 15, she started a non-profit organization that created positive weekly student-to-student mentoring programs, led by high school girls, for middle school girls. Her idea was to create a free program that could be used by middle school girls all around the world. This organization is called Girl Talk.
Once the program got going, she knew it was what she was supposed to do with her life. Kilpatrick graduated from high school and attended Kennesaw State University in Kennesaw, Ga., when she graduated in 2007 with a degree in communication and concentration in public relations.
In 2008, Erin Patterson, a KSU student majoring in communication was Kilpatrick’s intern at Girl Talk. When Patterson graduated in 2009, Kilpatrick hired her as Girl Talk’s first full-time employee in the position of chapter and programs coordinator.
I got a chance to sit down with Patterson and talk with her about Girl Talk’s mission, chapters and the importance of Project Inside Out summer camps.
Collinge: What is Girl Talk’s mission and what does it mean to you as your job and how does it affect your everyday life?
Patterson: Girl talk’s mission is to help teenage girls with building self-esteem, develop leadership skills and recognize the value and importance of community service. My job means the world to me. I always wanted to work somewhere that I truly believed in, and now I come to work every day knowing that I am a part of changing girl’s lives. It’s awesome. And does it affect me as a person? Yeah, it does. I change lives while I’m at work, so I really try to continue to do the same thing while I’m away from work.
Collinge: What are the Girl Talk chapters and what do they entail?
Patterson: Each chapter is what Girl Talk is all about. In other words, it’s where the magic happens. Haley started the first chapter at her school, Deerfield Windsor in Albany, Ga. Every chapter meets weekly and the high school girls teach the middle school girls the Girl Talk curriculum which deals with community service, how to talk to your parents, being the best you, etc. The chapters can meet anywhere, and a school in Florida actually has a classroom for Girl Talk where all the middle school girls are required to take part in it. It’s amazing how fast Girl Talk is growing.
Collinge: Can you tell me about your middle school experience? Would you have liked to be a part of Girl Talk when you were in middle school?
Patterson: My middle school experience over all was pretty good. I was a part of the dance team, danced at Atlanta Ballet and had a great group of friends. All in all, I think that if I could have been a part of an organization like Girl Talk, I would have had much better self-esteem and less anxiety about my transition through my teen years. So yes! I would have really enjoyed Girl Talk.
Collinge: Do you want to tell me a little more about the summer camps?
Patterson: Of course. Project Inside Out is a weeklong camp in the summer and it is all about inspiration: getting inspiration through our guest speakers, the older girls, volunteers and the impact sessions. The camps were designed to help middle school girl’s blossom as much as they possibly can in a week’s time. Some girls even come to more than one camp because they just don’t want to leave. The camps really are a great way for the girls to open up and overcome the obstacles they struggle with.
Collinge: What is the importance of having high school girl mentors, especially at the Girl Talk summer camps?
Patterson: All middle school girls look up to the older high school girls. These mentors truly change the young girl’s lives and it is so amazing to watch the middle school girls blossom into young women during one week at Project Inside Out.
Collinge: Where are the camps offered? What do the camps involve?
Patterson: All three camp sessions are in Atlanta but we are hoping to hold summer camps in other states in the near future. Each session includes impact sessions, community service projects, high school girl mentors and key messages from community leaders.
Collinge: What is the most fabulous thing you have seen at a camp session?
Patterson: I’m so glad you asked this. Her name was Amanda. The first day of camp she was so shy, didn’t know anyone and she held her head down at all times. It was so sad. But I tell you what. The last day of camp, she was on the stage giving her testimony about how much she loved Girl Talk and how confident she was about herself. It was so inspirational to see that. Camp is a great place where the girls can all learn and be inspired from one another.
Collinge: What is your future goal for Girl Talk?
Patterson: My goal for Girl Talk is to get more support so that we can have chapters worldwide. We can do so much more with Girl Talk if we had more support, and I know it will happen soon enough.
Collinge: Do you feel like you have a rewarding career?
Patterson: I definitely do.
Girl Talk, with the joint efforts of Kilpatrick, Patterson and the insane amount of volunteers and interns, has now reached 46 states and more than 32,000 girls. It is also the fastest-growing nonprofit organization in the nation. Kilpatrick’s goal is to make sure that all 50 states have a Girl Talk chapter by the end of the 2011 school year.
