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OUR PROGRAMS ARE DESIGNED TO GROW STRONG, CONFIDENT GIRLS
We strive to cultivate Grit, Connection and Expanded Possibilitiesin the next generation of women by inviting them to:
stretch themselves take positive risks step out of their comfort zones
raise their voices get their hands dirty express diverse viewpoints
become allies build a healthy, supportive community together
Through decades of experience, Vermont Works for Women has developed a research-based approach to working with girls and young women that allows them to grow and learn in a safe, caring program environment. We ask you to model and uphold the (sometimes) counter-cultural guidelines included here. Some may require a shift in your thinking, but after all it’s about stretching ourselves together!
Foster a safe, supportive, non-judgmental environment• Welcome diverse viewpoints
• Emphasize non-competitive activities
• Redirect overly-competitive behaviors
• Ask participants to articulate the support they need
• Encourage participation at individually appropriate levels (Challenge by Choice)
• Offer alternative ways for participants to join in when reluctant
• Be fair and available to all (avoid favorites)
• Affirm a spirit of learning where it’s okay to try new things (and to fail too)
• Demonstrate constructive responses to failure
Model positive self-esteem• Show appreciation for your own efforts, skills
and abilities
• Be kind and respectful towards oneself
• Model positive self-talk
• Express appropriate humility
• Avoid self-deprecating humor
• Be judicious when sharing personal information; keep the focus on the girls’ experience
• Ask for the support and care you need (from other adults) when stressed
for more info:rosiesgirls.org [email protected], ext. 152 800.639.1472
Support healthy body image• Avoid references to physical appearance,
both positive and negative
• Emphasize substantive not superficial qualities in all persons
• Redirect participants engaged in talk about clothes, hair and physical appearance
• Talk about food/eating relative to preparation, enjoyment and energy for our bodies
• Refrain from talk about dieting, calories and topics relating food to body size
Teach participants to be allies for one another• Insist upon attentive, respectful listening
among participants
• Encourage the group to stay present; refrain from talking about people who aren’t there
• Ensure that participants avoid gossip, whispering or exclusive conversations
• Interrupt and address all instances of peer aggression
• Mix and remix participant groupings to promote getting to know new people and making new friendships
• Take the time to acknowledge kind, inclusive behaviors/gestures by participants
Utilize inclusive language• Refer to adult women as women, not as girls
• Create an atmosphere that includes and normalizes diverse sexual orientations (LGBTQ), gender expressions and identities
• Avoid assumptions that all women/girls are interested in men/boys
• Be aware that the freedom to openly discuss one’s romantic relationships can be exclusionary to LGBTQ folks who do not always feel comfortable or safe doing the same
• Model gender-neutral language (not guys or girls, but instead folks, y’all, welders, campers, etc.)
• Be sensitive to diverse kinds of families (not mom and dad, but instead parent/guardian or grownup)
• Interrupt and address any discriminatory or derogatory language (racist, classist, sexist, heterosexist, ableist, etc.), utilizing non-shaming interventions
• Avoid assumptions about participants’ past experiences and future goals
• Keep in mind the possibility that not all participants will grow up to be women
• Instead of promoting “girl power,” focus on language that empowers everyone to be true to who they are
• Use language that puts personhood before labels (not offenders, but women with criminal records; not disabled person, but person with a disability)
• Use all participants’ chosen names and preferred gender pronouns
• Remember, there is much more to people than what is immediately visible
for more info:vtworksforwomen.org [email protected] 105 North Main St., Suite 211, Barre, VT 05641 802.622.0400 800.639.1472