This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at NYU chapter.

Klementyna is an NYC/London-based singer, songwriter and rising entrepreneur, originally from Warsaw, Poland. Having attended NYU, The New School, and now graduating in May 2021 from King’s College London, Klementyna has been developing her passions for music, technology and entrepreneurship.

Inspired by fellow young women’s experiences and her personal reflections about social media, Klementyna founded FEMILY, a platform for womxn to promote authenticity and diversity by sharing their stories.

Developing her various interests, she also co-founded LiveRoom Media, a live-stream and networking platform for the music industry, in April. Currently based in London, Klementyna is working on both ventures, as well as new music to be released in 2021.

Photo by Klementyna

I recently conducted an interview with Klementyna to talk all things FEMILY and get insight into her creative process! All of her responses are directly quoted below.

What is FEMILY?

“FEMILY is a platform dedicated to empowering womxn. Our mission is to create a supportive and inclusive community, promoting diversity, authenticity, talent and inspiration by sharing stories from womxn all across the world and organizing educational programs for all young womxn to participate in freely. We aim to expand the definition of “success” on social media, and promote appreciation for daily accomplishments, whether professional or personal.

“As an aspiring musical artist and entrepreneur, I spend much of my time working on social media, which have been the cause of some of my most serious self-esteem issues and doubts. As useful and entertaining as they appear, social media like Instagram, highlight only the appealing aspects of one’s life, creating the distorted reality that even those aware of it become affected by. After thoroughly observing social media platforms such as TikTok and Instagram, as well as talking to fellow females using various social media platforms, I noticed the impact social media particularly have on young women, some of whom are unable to cope with the increasing pressures from social media concerning their appearance, lifestyle, goals or occupations.

“As I found out, it’s almost impossible to separate oneself from the “appealing” visual content that we are all flooded by everyday, and that we all subconsciously get used to aspire to, especially when a big part of our generation’s social life happens online. I therefore started FEMILY with the intention of creating a diverse network of strong & confident young women, who will inspire and support others to define their own “success” – accomplish various goals, share their stories/reflections, promote authenticity and inclusivity.

“FEMILY was founded in April 2020, amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. I consider this time insanely challenging yet crucial. I noticed how important human connection especially during this time was. Despite personal obstacles related to the pandemic, as well as the overall state of the world, I have managed to connect with hundreds of inspiring young women who have since spoken about their experiences and were featured by FEMILY. Some of them even participated in our panel series (fem)powered by FEMILY, which aims to educate and inspire future generations of women by featuring young female professionals sharing their experience in their industries!”

Photo by Klementyna

What kinds of events does FEMILY organize?

“Since April 2020, we have featured nearly 100 young women on our socials, organized 2 successful panels featuring black female activists, writers, musicians and music industry professionals, as part of the (fem)powered by FEMILY series. We have also co-hosted a live-streamed, charity concert, The Listening Room, in collaboration with Color Of Music Collective, Amplify Her Voice, featuring the performances from Shreya Preeti, J. Graves, and BAILEN, for the Arts Administrators Of Color. Last but not least, we have co-organized Future Tech Festival, an online, global conference, featuring leaders from the emerging tech industries, as well as the up-and-coming music talent. We are currently working on new projects and events, the soonest of which happens in late October and is a conversation with the female activist, engineer and entrepreneur, founder of F.C.M.A., Kyra-Lee Harry.”

Reflect on the most rewarding/fulfilling moment of yours over the past few months creating and managing FEMILY

“One of the most rewarding moments is seeing women that we collaborate with that didn’t know each other before, but end up becoming close and supportive friends to each other. One of the primary goals of FEMILY is to create a supportive and dependable network of women across the world and professional industries. Seeing this happening already despite us starting just 6 months ago is something that empowers me to work even harder. The other valuable experience is seeing young women, some of whom didn’t have a chance to speak up or sometimes even think about what they do that makes them proud, share their stories, and inspire others!”

What are some future goals you have for the platform?

“Our short-term goal is to continue to feature more women, as well as organize more events aiming to educate, inspire and empower young women. In the long run, I want FEMILY to eventually become a Foundation supporting and empowering young women leaders and entrepreneurs, as well as educating, and providing mentorship and scholarship programs to women of all ages, origins and economic backgrounds.”

Are there any upcoming events/initiatives FEMILY has planned?

“We have an IG Live titled ‘Female Founders Under 25’ coming up on Friday 10/23 at 12:30pm EST with Kyra-Lee Harry, the Founder of F.C.M.A. (Future Change Makers Academy), an online platform dedicated to helping youth find their own unique voice by teaching topics that are not taught in the classroom. We are also teaming up with imagiLabs on our first coding festivals dedicated to educating high school-aged girls. More details soon!”