Salvaging Sisterhood
Salvaging Sisterhood has met 2 times since I lasted posted information for parents. We have actually split the group in to 2 groups, because so much sharing was going on, not everyone was getting a chance to “fess-up”. Now with 7 girls in each group we are able to have more focused, intimate dialogue. Lots of fessing up going on. The information I have this week for parents is on “How to Help” :
May 11, 2010: 4th Session
Dear Parents/Guardians,
Please follow the link to 6 Journaling Scenarios from Salvaging Sisterhood. At our session last week I asked the girls to access these scenarios on the school website and choose one of them to be the topic of their assigned journal entry for this week. Writing, song lyrics, poems, drawings etc are all acceptable forms for journaling. All of the scenarios would be great conversation starters for parents on the topic of how girls can be mean to each other. This opportunity will help girls explore how their words may affect others, and how they are affected by negative comments. It can also help them to discover more assertive ways of dealing with situations and to learn to think more before they speak.
Please note that Salvaging Sisterhood will be cancelled for this week due to the Science Afternoon on Thursday. We will meet again the following Thursday, May 20th.
April 30, 2010: 3rd Session
We had our 3rd session of Salvaging Sisterhood yesterday. During our time together we focused on what the girls look for in a true friend and we also did a quiz entitled “Am I a Good Friend?”. These activities will help the girls gain some awareness about relationship qualities and skills, along with doing some self-reflection.
parents and guardians can gain valuable insight in this Parenting Handout on “Understanding Girl Bullying”. Please follow this link and have a look. This information is a great way to gain understanding and support your daughter with this tricky friendship aggression.
April : 22, 2010: Salvaging Sisterhood has started @ RW!
The group is titled Salvaging Sisterhood and is designed to raise awareness, develop empathy, teach healthy conflict, explore feelings, and promote a positive change in female relationship. This program also addresses the “relational aggression” that is frequently used by girls in their friendships. All grade 6 girls at Roy Wilcox are taking part in this initial group. Salvaging Sisterhood will meet for forty-five minutes, once a week, for eight weeks.
“Relational Aggression”: Bulling behaviors generally focus on damaging an individual’s social connections within the peer group; any act that actively excludes a person from making or maintaining friendships or being integrated into the peer group.
Examples: spreading rumors, exclusion, social isolation, gossiping, eye rolling, purposefully pitting friends against one another, using sarcasm at another’s expense, reveling secrets of friends, and embellishing rumors. RA is more common in girls than boys.
RA can lead to anxiety, substance abuse, school refusal, gang involvement, family problems, depression, eating disorders, and poor self-esteem.
Purpose of Salvaging Sisterhood:
l Teach girls to communicate efficiently
l Raise awareness
l Develop empathy
l Teach healthy conflict
l Explore feelings
l Promote a positive change in female relationships
In our 1st session last Thursday, the girls all received a Salvaging Sisterhood Journal. This is a place that the girls will have to explore or “fess up” on the various topics we cover over the next 8 weeks. This week I asked them to write about what they did at Salvaging Sisterhood session and to “fess” to one problem/issue they see in amongst their friends at school. This may be a good conversation starter at home. I have also asked for them to start contributing items to the “Fessing Up!” bulletin board that will soon be displayed in the hallway. This is a way to share all that we are learning about salvaging sisterhood with everyone else at school. Submissions can take on various creative forms ie) photos, articles, song lyrics, drawings, poems etc… Check with your girl and see what items she may have in mind, another way to start conversation about these issues at home. Please see “How to Communicate More Effectively” and “Parenting Tips from The Ophelia Project” for inspiration on how to start and/or maintain good communication with your daughter.
Websites of interest for parents/caregivers:
The Ophelia Project www.opheliaproject.org
BC Council for Families www.BCCF.ca