LAUNCHED: 2014
LOCATION: online – thekokostory.com
AIM: to respond to the challenges that face young women
HOW CAN KOKO SUPPORT YOU?
1. We’ve created the website with you in mind. In the coming months and years, koko will begin to create films to tackle some of the most difficult subjects that teenage girls are facing. We’d encourage you to use these films as conversation starters; helping to outline an issue, looking at the facts and suggesting some advice.
2. The girls you spend time with are undoubtedly going to have questions and worries (we all do!). We want you to feel free to direct the girls to the page on koko called ‘keep in touch’ where they can send in the questions that they have. As a team we spend time writing replies and posting them back onto koko. We do this not only to support the girls, but also to be an added support to you, giving you a place to point them to when times are tough for them.
3. If you become aware of a topic that we haven’t covered or something you’d like us to focus on, then please contact us on the ‘keep in touch’ page.
MEG’S STORY:
At the beginning of 2010 I met a girl who rolled up her sleeves and showed me deep scarring on her arms. I asked her a question: ‘In that moment when you were harming yourself, what could I have done to support you?’ Her answer to this question stirred the koko team to action and resonates across the work we do. These were her words: ‘I just wanted someone to show they cared.’
We created koko because we care about the lives of teenage girls. The more we began to immerse ourselves in their world, the more we realised just how under attack this generation of girls really is. We quickly learned that young women are being bombarded with negative and destructive media, hugely detrimental to their health and wellbeing. We read that girls as young as seven have anorexia. We found out how easy it is to stumble across pornography online. We were heartbroken to find out that suicide is the second biggest cause of death worldwide among 15-19 year-olds. We spent time at a sexual health clinic learning about the increase in cases of sexually transmitted infections and we learnt how simple it is to access pro-anorexia websites. It’s safe to say, we were completely overwhelmed but determined to be a support to young women.
Koko stands for ‘keep on keeping on’ and is a website that has been developed in response to the issues that teenage girls face worldwide. Koko creates short films tackling subjects such as identity, gossip, bullying, self-harm, sex, anorexia, depression and bereavement. The initiative aims to help young women explore life together – inspiring, challenging and encouraging them.
Everything on the site, whether a blog, vlog, image or film, is created with teenage girls in mind. The questions and worries sent into koko inform which films and articles are produced. We’ve had a great response so far which has been massively encouraging:
‘Thank you so much for helping me, it made me cry to know how much someone cares for me, you’re an inspiration to me.’
‘Thank you for uploading this video. It has actually helped me think about who I really am.’
The koko team has a passion: to see teenage girls reach their potential, to know their worth and to aim high, throwing off the pressure of society and negativity of the media. We want to go where the Church hasn’t been, a fresh expression of God’s love, a catalyst for change in the hearts and minds of our generation of girls.
Please pray for us as we dream big and push forwards in reaching these girls. Our biggest challenge is funding. We rely on donations and grants but we’d welcome any extra financial assistance, as there are many more films in the pipeline that we want to produce.
Please tell every teenage girl you know about koko. We truly believe that as we build this online community and create a safe place to explore life, we will see many, many lives transformed.
