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GEMS/Jewels Presents:
"Discovering You" Workshop
Saturday: February 21st, 2009
Time: 2:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Location: Marietta, GA
Come join us for an afternoon of exploration, creativity and fun as we create vision boards and learn about our dreams/ passions. We will also do goal setting activities and get to know our new and old members!!
For additional information please email Kara at kara_norman@yahoo.com or 404-668-1483 or asimmons@gemsgirl.com call 678-787-0214
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GEMS Founder Nominated for Unsung
Heroine Award!
We are thrilled that our wonderful founder Adriane Simmons was selected out of over 100 women for SOCAF's Breaking The Cycle Luncheon's "Unsung Heroine Award"! This award was created to acknowledge women in the community who work on behalf of children every day with no expectation of thanks or reward.
Adriane was nominated by her sister Dionne Morse and was selected out of over 100 women to be honored during a luncheon on Saturday, February 28th. The winner will be announced during the luncheon. We are so excited for our founder and it truly is an example of her passion and heart to empower girls!!! If you would like to attend please visit Saving Our Families and Children Website! |
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"Love Shouldn't Hurt - Protecting Our Girls Dating Violence"by: Kara Norman
I am shocked and horrified about the allegations that Chris Brown, a famous R&B Singer, was arrested for domestic violence against a female/his girlfriend Rhianna. As a mom, Chris Brown was one of the few singers that I felt had a pretty positive message compared to most of the songs that teens/pre-teens are listening to. So to find out that he is involved with any type of violence against a woman that he cared about is truly disturbing. However I also know that teen violence and dating violence is becoming very common. Here are some statics that I found in researching this topic:
Found on Love Is Respect's Website
The results show that alarming numbers of teens experience and accept abusive behavior in dating relationships. Many teens also feel physically and sexually threatened.
*1 in 5 teens who have been in a serious relationship report being hit, slapped or pushed by a partner.
*1 in 3 girls who have been in a serious relationship say they've been concerned about being physically hurt by their partner.
*1 in 4 teens who have been in a serious relationship say their boyfriend or girlfriend has tried to prevent them from spending time with friends or family; the same number have been pressured to only spend time with their partner.
*1 in 3 girls between the ages of 16 and 18 say sex is expected for people their age if they're in a relationship; half of teen girls who have experienced sexual pressure report they are afraid the relationship would break up if they did not give in.
*Nearly 1 in 4 girls who have been in a relationship (23%) reported going further sexually than they wanted as a result of pressure.
As technologies like cell phones and social networking become a common form of communication, they can also be used to abuse and control
*One in three teens (30 percent) say they are text messaged 10, 20, or 30 times an hour by a partner inquiring where they are, what they're doing, or who they're with.
*68% of teens say boyfriends/girlfriends sharing private or embarrassing pictures/videos on cell phones and computers is a serious problem.
*71% of teens regard boyfriends/girlfriends spreading rumors about them on cell phones and social networking sites as a serious problem.
What has or is allegedly happened to the famous teen idol is happening around the world at alarming rates. We have to take a stand to fight against this and demand respect and know what is truly a healthy relationship. So as we learn more about this tragic situation and the details lets focus on how to prevent things like this from happening!
GEMS/Jewels is planning to do a workshop/seminar on this topic in the months to come. For more information/tips please visit: www.loveisrespect.org
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New Online Social Network: EMgirls!
 Jewels co-founder, Kara Norman was recently asked to lead/moderate a new online social network for girls ages 12-18! EMgirls is all about providing a positive place of connection, interaction, creativity, education, community service, and fun for teen and pre-teen girls that promotes a higher standard of living, purity, and excellence. With unfiltered social networks like myspace and facebook becoming so popluar and like the alarming trends mentioned in the "Love Shouldn't Hurt" EMGirls is designed to be a safe place designed for teen girls to come and be empowered. Kara is thrilled to be leading/moderating this community and would like to invite our GEMS/Jewels parent and girls that are over the age of 12 to visit and become a part of this growing network. For more information visit: www.emwomen.com/group/emgirls
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