Girl power!

The afternoon faded into a swirl of dance as nine teenage girls formed a semicircle around Briana Bennett, of Dancing with Expressions, on Aug. 25.

Bennett delicately raised both arms with her palms up to sign “rise up” in American Sign Language, in sync with the Andra Day song “Rise Up,” during the closing ceremonies of the I Am Worthy Leadership Program workshop series. The eight-week program was hosted by Save Our Daughters, Too, a Freeport-based organization dedicated to empowering teenage girls.

Since July 7, teenage girls from Nassau and Suffolk counties have spent their Saturdays at Freeport Methodist Church, learning about self-worth, self-love and self-defense through the series.

Freeporter Jacqueline Harris, 57, founded the program. It was designed, she said, to provide a “safe haven” for teenagers dealing with depression, anxiety, stress and a lack of self-confidence. It enables them to speak openly about their personal struggles and issues at school. Harris created the forum, in part, to help her own daughter, Maya, 17, because she was dealing with bullying at school.

“While therapy is an option, I wanted to find something in our community that would empower my daughter,” Harris said. “But I couldn’t find anything that catered to us — African-Americans.”

Harris said she didn’t think she was the only parent trying to help a teenager dealing with bullying at school, and so she created Save Our Daughters, Too. The organization was her answer, not just for Maya, but for other parents and their daughters dealing with the issues bullying brought into their homes.

“Bullying doesn’t just go away,” Harris said. “Bullying causes depression, affects grades and even [causes] behavioral problems. I dealt with all of that with my daughter.”

Each week, as part of the workshop, the girls learned a new topic that revolved around the theme of self-worth. Speakers included Iodelle Chinnery, author of “Bringing Out the Best You! Daily Inspirational Thoughts of You”; Shaan Davis of Jindo Arts Academy, who taught basic self-defense moves; and Candice Brown-Saunders, who provided makeup tips and tutorials.

“Each week, the girls learned something new,” Harris said. “In the ‘Guard Your Curves’ workshop the girls were able to learn self-defense, which I thought was important for the girls who walk to school and something they should learn, as they need to be aware of their surroundings at all times.”

Alicia Madjido, 11, from Suffolk County, said she loved learning how to improve her posture through a workshop that Freeport chiropractor Dr. Joseph Gambino held. “This was good, and I had fun,” Alicia said. “My mom gives me a hard time about my posture. I always slouch, so I learned how to be better with that.”

Town of Hempstead Senior Councilwoman Dorothy Goosby and State Sen. John Brooks offered the participants citations.

Leaders from the South Freeport Civic Association also attended.

Also joining the teens was Ama Yawson, an attorney and author, and the keynote speaker, Egypt Ufele, 13, founder of the Bully Chasers charity, who is also a fashion designer who started her own plus-size fashion line, Chubiiline, after she was bullied in school.

“This was fantastic,” said Jada-Nichole Hairston, 11, of Central Islip. “I learned that you don’t have to be ashamed of yourself.”

Kim Daniels, a Central Islip mother, drove a few of the girls to Freeport each week. “As a mom of a daughter, I think it’s so important to allow our girls to be exposed to an environment where they can share,” Daniels said. “My daughter had a huge issue with self-esteem.”

Harris said she hopes to expand the program. “I am eager to work with other churches and organizations, who’d want to implement this program,” she said.