Skye Boucaut

My very first official encounter with yoga was in 2013. I remember the rollercoaster it felt like I was stuck on, where the ride is so exhilarating you don’t want to get off but its making feel parts of your inside you didn’t know existed you want off that ride immediately. I’m glad I stuck it out because the next year I got my first yoga teacher certificate and so the journey began. I met the wonderful Skye at one of the camps I work with and when she told me about her plan to bring empowerment, mindfulness and strengthen the culture of ‘girl power’ I definitely wanted to be part of the experience and yoga’s one of the tools to be used and taught by yours truly there was no way i was passing that opportunity.

The first morning of camp, our school room roared with young girl giggles and nervous chatter. The bare walls and concrete floors lent itself well to the echoes. We began with introductions and our objectives. We came to host a 5 day camp where these girls could come and dream. They could leave their stress outside the classroom door and just be kids for a while. We wanted to have fun but what we really came to do was let these girls know they are not alone in this world. They have gifts to share and hopes to explore. SEED’s young women’s entrepreneur camp is designed to facilitate this hope and instill lasting skills that translate outside of the classroom.

Youth of today are under more pressure than ever with record numbers suffering from anxiety, depression and high levels of stress. At SEED, we believe that all change starts from within and strive to run a camp that not only teaches business skills, but incorporates a holistic view about our approach to life.

Many of our students have experienced trauma in their lives, from the loss of a loved one, sexual assault, illness, and poverty with little or no emotional support.  When we asked who in the room has experienced depression and anxiety recently, nearly all the girls raised their hands.

I was humbled to be part of the SEED Entrepreneur camp in January 2017 as a guest speaker. Sharing my journey about growing up in the townships and starting my own business, Indoni Skincare, was a great experience. I believe that many of the girls there could relate to my story, because of our similar backgrounds growing up in disadvantaged communities as a young woman. I am excited to participate as a mentor in 2018 Entrepreneur Program and I hope to continue to motivate young girls to stay inspired to pursue their dreams of being entrepreneurs.

Here is my story on how I started Indoni Skincare.