Girl Power program hopes to make a difference in the future of young girls
By Callie Lyons
September 29, 2008
Not everyone grows up realizing they don’t deserve to be abused. But a new program in Athens County aims to teach girls to recognize healthy relationships in hopes that they will avoid risky ones.
Girl Power is a local program based on a national curriculum. School social worker Kerri Shaw initiated the group in Trimble Schools in March 2006. Girls from elementary and middle school meet weekly to engage in positive activities centered on health and wellness, service learning, drug and alcohol prevention, and self defense.
Shaw said that nearly everything they do is girl-driven, aimed at building self-esteem and providing the participants with a vision for their future.
“The Glouster area is economically undernourished and we see a lot of risky behaviors,” Shaw said. “We try to give the girls ammunition to combat that as much as possible.”
Part of that mission involves teaching girls to build healthy relationships – and forging safe, positive relationships with adults. Shaw engages the girls in role-playing to help them sort out the differences between healthy dialogue and unhealthy dialogue, jealous friends and open friends.
It can make all the difference in a girl’s future, according to Shaw.
“When you are preventing one thing, hopefully you’re preventing a lot of things,” she explained.
Girl Power conversations and activities take place in a comfortable, relaxed and fun atmosphere. In one recent example, the girls were taken to dinner at a nice restaurant where they were taught basic etiquette such as how to use a cloth napkin.
They are planting the seeds of social confidence – perhaps the best deterrent against abuse.
“Building self esteem does wonders for girls’ relationships,” Shaw said.
She sees the evidence in the students who have been with the program since its inception. There is a 90 percent retention rate and the girls who participate have better school attendance, get better grades, and exhibit an improved attitude about school. Often their parents are engaged in the program, too. And the girls who participate in Girl Power are more likely to take on other extra-curricular activities.
“They are visible in the school,” Shaw said. “They are comfortable in their own skin.”
Kate McGuckin, executive director of My Sister’s Place, said it’s important for these social skills to be taught because not everyone is raised with all of the information.
“If you grow up in a home where violence is present, that might be the norm for you,” McGuckin explained.
This year, Girl Power is seeking funds to partner with My Sister’s Place for informational sessions and a public-awareness campaign.
If funded, MSP staff members are planning a series of courses for Girl Power on dating violence and healthy relationships, and the girls will devote a portion of their annual lock-in to designing posters and risk-assessment cards for distribution throughout the county.
The posters and cards will spell out some warning signs to be aware of in a relationship.
Girl Power is also available through the Family Information Center in Nelsonville, and a similar program is launching at Federal Hocking Schools.
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