Adolescent Social Dynamics — Bullying & Cliques
Breaking the Girls’ Gender Code: Making Choices That Don’t End in Regret
This discussion/workshop empowers young women to inform themselves and self advocate outside the classroom when it matters most. Tools taught are:
- How to navigate the social challenges and transitions involved in female friendships
- How to assert ourselves based on our own values and beliefs. We discuss this self-advocacy in terms of both communication and social behavior.
- How to challenge the code that girls are supposed to avoid conflict and communicate indirectly. We examine common stereotypes and practice defying them as a group.
- Getting the answers we need when making choices so our choices are active rather than reactive. We have frank discussion on the power “regret”, “guilt” and “shame” can play in our decision-making. We discuss the tools and attitude needed to make choices that end in honor and self-respect.
The Set Up: A Girl’s Uphill Battle to Real Power
This workshop focuses on the confusing messages young women face in their search for personal self worth and power. We emphasize how to navigate the social code that influences how we treat ourselves, boys, and each other. In this workshop, girls (12-18) will leave understanding the distinct difference between being seen and/or treated as a subject versus an object and the consequences to us when we don’t.
We design a workshop according to the needs of each specific community. However, communities may choose from the following list of tools and topics.
Messages we get about being female
- Early socialization
- Images from media
- Challenges these ideas present to us
How girls’ are socialized to communicate
- Indirect verses direct communication
- Passive verses assertive communication
- The new age of female bullying (on line/texting) and how it caters to the girl gender code
Defining real “power” and “confidence”. What do they look like?
- List words, list images, examples
- How do you know when someone is confident
- How do the decisions someone makes show how confident she is?
- What does this have to do with personal power and honor?
Perception of self vs. how others see you
- The confusing difference between being a “subject” vs. an “object”
- How do you strive to be authentic but guard the parts of yourself you want to protect?
How do you want to be seen / treated by your community? How do you create that?
- Developing and presenting to others your own sense of identity.
- Educating others how to treat you.
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