Working Group on Girls Report

To League Members and Friends:

Today's changing society makes it very tough for girls. Girls are struggling with media manipulation, uncertain moral standards, self-loathing arising from impossible standards of physical beauty, heavy peer pressure, and a host of sobering academic and career dilemmas.

If you care about the young girls in our community, and have a few hours every other week to contribute to the positive growth of girls in Schenectady, you may want to consider becoming a 'Muse' with the Girls' Circle program of the Schenectady County Working Group on Girls.

• If you think you might enjoy being part of a group of community women who have found satisfaction in watching 'our' girls transform from being the center of attention to learning how to listen and empathize with others.

• If you enjoy girls and can listen well, are open-minded, flexible, and want to have a positive impact in the lives of girls in our community.

• If you would like to help our young girls discover their own voices, talents and strengths, you might enjoy becoming a Muse.

You may have read about our Girls Day Out and the community service awards we won this year. The Muse Program and Girls Circles, following Girls Day Out, are ways for you to contribute.

For the past three years, women from the community have volunteered to participate in 8-10 hours of training in the fall and then co-lead a group of 6-10 girls in the girls' middle school for 10 sessions (about every other week) from December through early May. Curriculum is provided. Training begins in October.

If you would like to learn more about this opportunity to be a positive influence in the lives of our girls locally, email Joanne Tobiessen at jtobiessen@hotmail.com with `Muse' in the subject line. Thank you!

A quote from one of our muses........ "Mentoring + like forgiveness + is often a selfish act. It can benefit the giver more than the receiver."

The website for the Working Group on Girls is: http://sites.google.com/site/schenectadycountyworkinggroupo/