Today we’d like to introduce you to Stephanie Hazle Lyle.
Hi Stephanie, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I have always been drawn to people and stories of survival. At the University of the West Indies, I studied Media and Communication specializing in Social Marketing, with the aim of pursuing a career in behavior change and social impact. Added to that, I have a vast background in the performing arts as a professional singer and actress. So you could pretty much define me as a Creative who is passionate about nation-building and serving the most vulnerable. Over the years, I have amassed experience working in the fields of marketing and communication, youth development and community engagement; with five years and counting of running a non-profit organization that provides access to resources to bridge the needs of girls who have been or who are at risk of victimization. Through my organization, I have impacted hundreds of girls across Jamaica in partnership with like-minded professionals, governmental and non-governmental organizations, private sector entities, schools and churches.
Initiatives I’ve led have reached audiences across other territories including the USA, Canada, Australia, Germany, Brazil and within the Caribbean region through mechanisms such as a podcast, I hosted in 2020 (the When I Was a Girl podcast) and short film projects. The latest impact project was executed in December 2021 and came in the form of a short docu-drama entitled Kindle: Story of a Woman on Fire which featured the story of a woman from rural Jamaica who, along with her two children, survived a brutal act of domestic violence where her ex-partner lit the house on fire while they were inside, in an episode of outrageous fury. The production was one of the selected films funded by Spotlight Initiative (UNICEF Jamaica) and the Jamaica Film and Theatre Association (JAFTA) in order to raise awareness of gender-based violence. The project has been successful, gaining national and international recognition since the launch of the films and they continue to be featured on local television channels in Jamaica.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
I have been blessed to be able to draw on the support of a growing network of colleagues and partners, however the journey has been far from smooth. We have faced challenges in terms of financial resources to conduct some of our initiatives, especially for our target audience within remote, rural communities. We have been aiming to do more work in these communities but it is a costly endeavour, as well as partnerships in these areas are harder to come by due to there being a limited amount of services available. Additionally, the nature of the work in this space can be emotionally and physically draining as we serve the role of being first responders at times when girls and women have been sexually or otherwise victimized. We, therefore, depend on balanced division of labour within our team and we require skilled volunteers to manage these kinds of situations, who are selfless and possess a level of care and empathy to serve the needs of our target audience – such human resources are hard to come by.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I wasn’t aware when I was younger, but looking back, I can say that the arts has always been a shelter for me and a place where I could process my emotions and express myself freely. Along with the impact of being a follower of Christ, the arts have framed my life entirely, taking me from being a child of low self-esteem from a broken home to a woman who is an expressive, confident advocate for girls and women at risk. I started singing with the choir of my prep (elementary) school when I was about seven years old. From there, I had the privilege of receiving voice training and I became a member of the Jamaica Musical Theatre Company which birthed my love for theatre. I honed my talents in singing, acting and dancing for over 10 years, often times landing lead female roles in adaptations of well-known musicals including Beauty and the Beast, Aida of Nubia and Fame. During adulthood, I transitioned into commercial theatre doing local plays, loved by Jamaicans at home and abroad. I have been acting professionally for the past 12 years and have been able to take advantage of opportunities not just in theatre but also in film and television. I have been part of casts of television programmes, the most popular being one called “Ring Games” as well as I have been featured in several commercials over the years.
My debut in film came when some friends who are filmmakers and I partnered to create our own short film to shed light on the atrocity of sex trafficking in Jamaica. Our story was inspired by real events and we called the film UNBOUND (See trailer here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_mbxgjPsVn8&t=1s) as the story focuses on themes including justice, hope, forgiveness and restoration. The use of the word ‘unbound’ speaks to freedom in all forms: physical, mental, emotional and spiritual. The launch of this film was coordinated with the launch of my non-profit organization, Girls First International, after which the production team successfully engaged partnerships with governmental and non-governmental organizations to further the reach of the film by conducting training workshops, using the film as a tool. One such programme was one we called “The Beyond Unbound Workshop” which was done in partnership with Fight For Peace, Jamaica. The film was shown to audiences primarily made up of teens in inner-city communities followed by a brief discussion, testimonies from Survivors were shared, educational sessions were led by partnering entities, and self-defense training was conducted.
I have been a speaker at events as far as Bangkok, Thailand to speak on the issue of Violence Against Girls and Women (VAWG) while promoting the power of the arts as a means of raising awareness and a source of ‘Innovative Therapy” to help victims to process and heal from trauma. My latest venture in this regard was another partnership in 2021 through which I earned the title of filmmaker as one of the Producers and Directors of the short film Kindle: Story of a Woman on Fire (See film here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wKxqEBthiQQ&t=66s) The subject of the film, Delmarine Morris-Williams, has been a beloved partner of Girls First on several initiatives and so all persons involved were grateful to have had the opportunity to present a part of her story to an international audience through this film project, which was funded by Spotlight Initiative (UNICEF Jamaica).
What’s next?
I intend to continue to use the arts as a vehicle to tell more stories of survival and to equip populations with resources to aid in their restoration and protection.
I am currently in the process of writing a biography-style book and collection of poems which will centre on how to navigate broken-heartedness through a functional (real) relationship with Jesus Christ. While the primary target audience is girls and women, the content will be for anyone interested. This will be a project of Girls First to be included as an outreach initiative to reach international audiences (much like our podcast, When I Was a Girl). Other initiatives which we are seeking partnership on, include training programmes and efforts to raise awareness around VAWG, specifically in very remote rural communities in Jamaica and other territories where there are high incidences of the same. We seek to train and equip what we call “Girls First Rural Ambassadors” and ultimately establish councils in these communities, who will lead their own initiatives supported by Girls First and its partners.
Additionally, I have plans of producing work that reflect Jamaican experiences on a whole, ideally through a comedy series for international viewing. I have my sights set on platforms such as Netflix. I also aim to continue to grow my acting and singing crafts and pursue more work in film and theatre. I intend to produce contemporary, jazz-style Christian music in the near future.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.wearegirlsfirst.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/girlsfirstja/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GirlsFirst/
- Other: wearegirlsfirst.com/podcast
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