Girl's Circle
Program Description
Girl’s Circle contains gender specific topics to target body image, healthy relationships, safe sex, and accepting diversity. This program targets pre-teen and adolescent girls and young women of all races and ethnicities, and LGBTQ youth who identify with female adolescent development 9 to 18 years, regardless of risk level.
During the 50 weeks of this program, participants will cover "Body, Mind, Spirit", "Expressing My Individuality", "Relationships With Peers", "Who I Am", and "Paths to the Future".
Body Image
Ages: 12+
Number of sessions: 10
Examines cultural messages and personal beliefs that influence body image. Themes emphasize
raising awareness, recognizing body signals, menstruation, and exploring underlying causes of poor
body image. Topics cover physical awareness, health, and emotional balance through media
exploration, imagery, art, personal story telling, and more. An excellent prevention program. Body
Image has been a popular activity guide in the Girls Circle® library for many years, and we are
excited to provide you with an updated version including, trauma-informed tips for facilitators when
conducting mindfulness activities, current online citations, apps, websites, books, and video
resources available for facilitators & youth, revised Session 7 activities and more
Friendship
Ages: 9-14
Number of sessions: 8
Groundbreaking guide that addresses exclusion, intolerance, and feuding. Confronts relational
aggression and shores girls up with strong interpersonal skills; knocks down barriers to pride,
confidence, and empathy. Themes include topics such as “Being Included, Being Left Out,” &
“Feuds, Followers & Fairness.” Increases caring and relational competence.
Empowerment and Identity on Social Media
Ages: 11-18
Number of sessions: 10
An essential tool and resource to promote healthy development for youth growing up in today’s
digital world. Providing skills development for media literacy, digital citizenship, and more accurate
information on how to use social media safely and in more of an emotionally healthy manner, this
curriculum harnesses the relational strengths of youth to effectively explore the complex intersecting
topics of technology, body image, cyberbullying, exploitation, and relationships.
Being a Girl
Ages: 11-13
Number of sessions: 8
Introduces girls to the positive experience of a support circle addressing topics such as "Growing Up
Female," "Growth and Self-Care," and "Female Role Models." Activities include collage, affirmations,
and theme-related crafts. Great kit for middle-school girls new to support groups.
Paths to the Future
Ages :12+
Number of sessions: 12
A skills-building support circle for use with at-risk or court- involved girls. Examines thoughts, beliefs,
and actions about friendships, trust, authority figures, mother/daughter relationships, sexuality,
dating violence, HIV, drug abuse, stress and goal setting. Opens up girls to important exploration
regarding their choices and behaviors and examines ways to promote self-care and healthy
decision-making through lively, prepared discussions and activities. Creative activities include
assertiveness role-plays, collage, progressive relaxation, writing, creating "Lifemaps" and more.
Mind, Body, Spirit
Ages: 12-16
Number of sessions: 12
This excellent prevention program addresses alcohol, tobacco, and drug decision-making as well as
healthy sexuality, promoting abstinence and/or reduction to high-risk behaviors by exploring the
realities of risk and the power of self-care. Helps girls examine and evaluate choices through
affirmations, role-play, media influence, journal writing, videos and more. Addresses sexuality
decision-making and definitions of "infatuation, desire, and love" through real teen stories, music
messages, and personal standards activity. Outstanding prevention program that promotes critical
thinking and is much enjoyed by girls!
Who I am
Ages: 14-18
Number of sessions: 8
Works with girls to examine identity, assertiveness skills, and goal setting through role-play,
mandala-making, relationship to music, and more. Themes include "Journaling and Self-Disclosure,"
"Song About Me-Who I Am," "Personal Growth/Assertiveness," and "Life Goals/Personal Goals."
Very well received by high school girls.
Honoring our Diversity
Ages: 11-18
Number of sessions: 12
Recognizes girls’ varied cultural, ethnic, and racial backgrounds emphasizing positive identity and
alliance building. Includes discussions and activities that cover topics such as “Stereotype Busting,“
“Beyond Fear,“ “Cultural Treasures,“ “Culture Clash,“ and includes a community advocacy exercise.
Themes focus on appreciating diversity in girls lives by identifying biases, developing navigational
tools in a multi-cultural society, and promoting understanding and respect within and between
groups. Guide includes a girls'' journal for weekly reflection.
Expressing My Individuality
Ages: 11-15
Number of sessions: 8
Explores topics such as celebrating individuality, diversity, getting along with others, and addresses
goals, conflict styles, feeling good about ourselves, and taking time to relax. Activities include values
exploration, “How Others See Me,” making dream catchers, potting a plant to symbolize personal
growth, and finally culminates with a girls’ compliment circle. A variety of topics and activities for
middle and high school girls!
Wise and Well
Ages: 12-18
Number of sessions: 18
Teen girls are literally bombarded with potential risks to their safety in all areas of their lives -
whether it is living in the technological age of cyberbullying, sexting, and online predators or dealing
with the high prevalence of binge drinking and marijuana use, depression, anxiety, coping with
emotional pain or experiencing hardships at home. Yet adolescent girls are a wealth of wisdom and
their capacities for health and wellness are rooted in the strengths and bonds of healthy
relationships. In this guide, girls and facilitators walk through the myriad of common 21st Century
risks with discussions and activities that inspire eyes wide open, minds sharp and aware, and hearts
willing to step up to leadership for their own health and safety. Activities include navigating the digital
world of cyberspace, social networking, and texting, practicing coping skills, decision making and
"being in charge" in relation to drinking and drug use, and busting the stigma about mental health. In
this guide, girls find that their true desires, power, best intentions, and shared knowledge are robust
resources to stay safe and whole on their path toward womanhood.
Relationship with Peers
Ages: 13-18
Number of sessions: 10
Enhances girls'' awareness of their relationships with themselves and others. Themes include
"Expressing Myself," "Accepting Different Parts of Myself," "Giving Voice to Feelings,” Romantic
Relationships, ” “Girlfights or Girlfriends” and are complimented by activities such as journalling, role-
play, sculpting, and more. Highly engaging for teen girls.
La Mariposa
Ages: 12-18
Number of sessions: 12
La Mariposa: A Personal Empowerment Program for Adolescent Latinas engages girls in twelve
interactive workshop sessions where facilitators teach personal empowerment skills (JARS –
Journaling, Affirmations, Personal Rules and Setting Goals). Girls will learn about the power within
and the ways in which they can lead the direction of their lives, in addition to valuable skills that
assist girls in exploring the impact of the values, norms and beliefs that shape them, especially those
that present barriers. This guide specifically addresses the challenges with assimilating to a dual-
cultural life, and reinforces a sense of pride and connection with Latina culture. All workshops are
facilitated in a relational, strengths-based, trauma informed and culturally competent manner.
Mother-Daughter Circle “The Heart of the Matter”
Ages: 11+
Number of sessions: 8
In this Activity Guide, mothers or female-identifying caregivers and their daughters join together in
combined and age-appropriate groups to strengthen their bonds through shared listening, creative
expression, and skill building. "Heart of the Matter" promotes empathy, communication skills, stress
reduction, setting limits and honoring boundaries, exploring meanings and messages about female
identity, identifying relationship accountability, and experiencing affirmation together and within their
broader female community. Co-facilitation recommended.
My Family, My Self
Ages 12-18
Number of sessions: 8
This essential guide gets at the critical importance of girls’ development within the context of their
family relationships and offers girls the opportunity to safely and respectfully acknowledge and
explore the many gifts and challenges of growing up within the family unit. Girls are invited to share
the influence of their families and cultural values on their own social-emotional development, and
build skills to strengthen their confidence in relationships with relatives and peers. Themes address
family and cultural identity, storytelling, coping styles, the influence of family substance abuse and/or
domestic violence on girls’ lives, family expectations, and girls’ goal setting. Activities such as
creating genograms, stress reducers, lifemaps, defining personal rights and boundaries, setting
goals, and planning for obstacles along the way create a foundation of confidence for girls as they
honor the significance of their family relationships – no matter the status - to foster healthy
interpersonal skills now and in their future.