In honor of Women’s History Month, Meghan Markle and Prince Harry challenge people to enact “real acts of compassion,” which they took firsthand.
The couple listed suggestions of acts of compassion on the Archewell Foundation website. Leading by example, the duo also took on one of the challenges by helping a teenage girl with virtual learning.
Through L.A. Works and the ‘I Have a Dream’ Foundation, Meghan and Harry were placed with a teenage mentee.
The young girl recognized the couple right away.
“She had this moment of surprise and surprise when she got on the phone with the Duke and Duchess,” L.A. Works Executive Director Deborah Brutchey tells PEOPLE. “She knew them; she knew a lot-she had been following Meghan’s story quite a bit, so she was very excited that she had the opportunity to speak with them.”
Brutchey says that the teen girl was “moved” by Meghan and Harry’s “compassion, humility, and wisdom.”
Brutchey refers to the experience for the girl as “significant.” She explains that only after a few minutes the couple “undid some of the damage that had been previously caused by a former teacher’s doubt.”
“It was just amazing how they were able to connect,” says Brutchey. “and how their compassion, in just a short conversation, really made an impact and is going to forever inspire her.”
The teenagers talk with the former royals went beyond just school work.
“The conversation that they had was really about how do you overcome challenges in your life?” explains Butchey. “And how do you stay true to your values? Things that are so relatable to young girls but also so public in what the Duke and Duchess have gone through.”
During their chat, the couple noticed sunflowers in the girl’s room. After their call, they sent her sunflowers and a personalized note.
“Having the Duke and Duchess share their compassion and wisdom with a young girl from the I Have a Dream Foundation helped spark a new confidence in her,” says Brutchey. “And reminds all of us that it only takes a few minutes to change a person’s life forever.”