Penn-Trafford student Celia Sperber is on a mission to boost the confidence of local teenagers.
Sperber, a junior at the Penn Township high school, aims to distribute baskets of self-care items, room decor and accessories to students in Westmoreland and Allegheny counties through an initiative dubbed Project Confidence.
“As someone who has struggled with feeling confident in my mental health throughout my teenage years, I just feel like a lot of other teenagers could benefit from feeling recognized,” she said. “I feel like if when I was struggling, if someone would’ve made me feel seen in this way, it would have helped me.
“It’s not necessarily a remedy, but it’s a little boost of confidence. I’d feel better about myself.”
Sperber is collecting monetary contributions and physical donations. Though the items she is gathering are not considered necessities, she believes they will help meet the needs of teenagers struggling with self-confidence.
“Once I found my sense of self, I felt a lot better,” she said. “I did have therapy and other things, but just finding out who I was and the things that I really like helped me. That’s what I’m trying to provide to other teens who may be struggling.”
Donations can be dropped off at the high school main office, Penn Pals Child Care Center in Penn Township and MPWR Aesthetics in Penn Township and Greensburg. Volunteers also can pick up donations on an as-needed basis, Sperber said.
Brandon Mullen, owner of MPWR Aesthetics, saw a social media post about Project Confidence the day before Sperber reached out to him about participating in the initiative.
“I was like ‘That is really cool,’ ” he said. “It’s so nice to see someone that is young and wanting to be active to help better her peers.”
Mullen asked friends and family to donate to Sperber’s efforts in honor of his upcoming birthday, he said.
“I grew up in the area,” the Hempfield Area graduate said, “and being a gay male was not accepted back then, so I struggled a little bit too. I think that had I had someone to connect to that was like me — in my grade and my age range — that offered some kind of support, that would’ve been nice. I didn’t have that kind of support over 20 years ago when I was in high school.”
Sperber also is seeking between 20 and 30 volunteers to assist in gathering donations, assembling them into baskets and distributing them to students. To become a volunteer, contact Sperber at 27celiasperber@penntrafford.org.
Students can apply for a basket through a link on the Project Confidence Facebook page. About 25 students have applied so far, Sperber said. She aims to give a basket to every student who applies.