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 rosiesgirls@vtworksforwomen.org802.622.0400, 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 info@vtworksforwomen.org 105 North Main St., Suite 211, Barre, VT 05641 802.622.0400 800.639.1472