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The Connection
The e-newsletter of the Girls Coalition of Southwestern Pennsylvania
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Dear ,
Welcome to our newest Girls Coalition member, the C.A.R.E. Institute! Click here for a full listing of our members and here to join the Girls Coalition!
Membership
to the Girls Coalition is for one year. You will receive a call from
our Membership Committee and reminder email when your membership
renewal is due. If you have questions about renewal, please contact
Stephanie at sfedrobyrom@girlscoalitionswpa.org.
In this issue... |
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Girls Coalition Events and Announcements
 Girls Coalition Quarterly Programming, Last in the Series:
Helping Girls Make Healthy ChoicesPlease join us for our
final quarterly session of 2009. The Girls Coalition is inviting you to
participate in a presentation and conversation featuring Alexandra
Armstrong from Tobacco Free Allegheny, Karen Reddick who will discuss HIV/AIDS, and
Lorraine Starsky on diabetes and obesity.
The program will feature a panel presentation and discussion about the
health of girls including access to resources
that promote wellness and good nutrition and demonstrating the harmful
effects of exposure to tobacco products. Panel members will answer
questions while participants creatively network ways to influence girls
to make positive lifestyle choices.
Attendees are encouraged to bring agency and program information as well as business cards to share with the group. Date: Tuesday, December 8th
Time: 9:00am - 11:00am
Location: Pittsburgh Action Against Rape
81 S 19th Street (on the Southside)
Pittsburgh, PA 15203Click here for directions and parking information.
Cost: $15
Look for registration information in a separate email!
2nd Annual Girls Coalition Conference: Call for Volunteers!
Did you attend - and adore - last year's Conference? Then consider helping plan the this year's event! The Conference Planning Committee
needs volunteers interested in helping prepare for speakers,
programming and more. This is a short-term volunteer commitment lasting
from January through March. If you are interested, or would just like
to learn more about this opportunity, contact us today at info@girlscoalitionswpa.org! Congratulations to our own 40 Under 40!PITTSBURGH magazine and PUMP sponsor the 40 Under 40 program with the
goal of recognizing 40 people under the age of 40 who are committed to
shaping our region and making it a better place for everyone which is exactly what our two winners are doing! We are proud to announce that Kristy Trautmann, Co-Chair of the Girls Coalition and Program Officer at FISA Foundation and Melissa Swauger, Steering Committee member of the Girls Coalition and Assistant Professor in the Department of Sociology at Indiana University of Pennsylvania, are two of the 2009 40 Under 40 winners! |
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Member Events and Announcements
Upcoming Events
What: Middle
School Prospective Parent Visit Day - For parents of prospective
students for grades
5 - 8. Meet with the Division Director, observe
classes, talk with faculty and take a campus tour.
What: Upper
School Prospective Parent Visit Day - For parents of prospective
students for grades
9 - 12. Meet with the Division Director, observe
classes, talk with faculty and take a campus tour.
When: Tuesday,
Nov.10, 9:00 am
Where: The
Ellis School, 6425 Fifth Avenue in Shadyside
RSVP: Admissions@TheEllisSchool.org
What: Pre-K
Coffee and Conversation and Milk & Cookies - Open House for
parents and their daughters interested in Pre-Kindergarten
When: Tuesday,
Nov. 17, 9:00 am
Where: The
Ellis School, 6425 Fifth Avenue in Shadyside
RSVP: Admissions@TheEllisSchool.org
What: Kindergarten
Coffee and Conversation and Milk & Cookies - Open House for
parents and their daughters interested in Pre-Kindergarten
When: Thursday,
Nov. 19, 9:00 am
Where: The
Ellis School, 6425 Fifth Avenue in Shadyside
RSVP: Admissions@TheEllisSchool.org
What: PreK
- 12 Admissions Open House - visit The Ellis School to learn
more about our curricular and co-curricular programs
When: Thursday,
Dec. 3, 9:00 am
Where: The
Ellis School, 6425 Fifth Avenue in Shadyside
RSVP: Admissions@TheEllisSchool.org
 The
North Hills
Youth Ministry
Counseling Center
will now be known as Anchorpoint Counseling Ministry. This name was developed to
give a more accurate description of who we serve and in which
communities. The symbol of an "Anchor" signifies
steadfastness and hope. We are inspired by this spiritual symbol as it clearly
reflects our faith-based services. We have a new name and a new look but
remain committed to our mission of "building hope and understanding
through faith-based counseling and support services for youth, adults, couples and families in our communities."
Coffee Tea & Teens: Discussion Group for Parents of Teens
Presented by Anchorpoint Counseling Ministry
Once a month from 10:00 am to noon
Call for a schedule: 412.366.1300
Hot Topics: Programs for Parents
Avoiding
Overindulgence: When giving, doing, and allowing too much hurts your children
and teens (k-12)
Program
led by Joan Wolf-Schenker of Anchorpoint Counseling Ministry
Sunday,
November 8th, 6:00-7:30 pm
Hosted by
Hope Lutheran
Church in the Fellowship Room
8070 Rowan Road in
Cranberry
www.hopelutherancranberry.org
To
register, call 724.776.3141 (adults only, please!) Graduate Pittsburgh Summit
Creating a Community-wide Strategy
to Combat the Drop-out Crisis
More than one million American high school students drop out every
year. That's one student every 26 seconds and nearly
7,000 young people every school day.
As part of the national Dropout Prevention
campaign, on Thursday, November 12,
2009, Mayor Ravenstahl is hosting the Graduate Pittsburgh Summit: Creating a
Community-wide Strategy to Combat the Drop-out Crisis at the YWCA Greater Pittsburgh in an effort to develop a localized action plan to increase graduation rates
and improve college readiness in our community.
For participant or exhibitor information, contact Sabrina Saunders, Youth Policy Manager, 412.255.2258/2637. New Voices Pittsburgh: Film Screening
This November, join New Voices Pittsburgh and the Kelly-Strayhorn Theater as we present a four-part film series, My People: A Film Series in Color highlighting the lives and experiences of young/queer people of color. The last day, Tuesday, November 24, 7PM, will focus on advocacy and activism in Pittsburgh with a screening of Dreams Deferred: The Sakia Gunn Film Project.
Following the 2003 murder of Sakia Gunn, a 15-year-old self-identified
lesbian in Newark, New Jersey, this documentary exposes issues of gender
identity, homophobia and racism. Dreams of Hope will open and a panel discussion
with La'Tasha D. Mayes, Director of New Voices Pittsburgh, will close
the evening. If interested in the special matinee screening for youth
and for more details, contact Joseph Hall at joseph@kelly-strayhorn.org or 412.363.3000.
Parenting Positively
Effective parenting skills that will
benefit you and your family
Location: Outreach
Wednesday, 7pm to 9pm
January 20 through February 10
$75/person and $125.00/couple
Optional refresher to follow |
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"Cool" Stuff and Opportunities for Girls
Sister-to-Sister Summit
The Washington
branches of the American Association of University of Women and Business, Professional
Women and Outreach Teen & Family Services present Washingt on County's
10th Annual Sister-to-Sister Summit.
7pm November 29 -
3pm November 30,
2009
Church of the Covenant, Washington, Pennsylvania
Free to all
Grades 7 -8
Grades 11 -12 group facilitators
For more information, email Holly Sethman at holly.sethman@chartiers-houstonsd.com
Help Girls Get Ideas for Social Activism/Social Change!Check out dosomething.org! Do Something believes teens have the power to make a difference. Their aim is to inspire, support and celebrate a generation of doers: people who
see the need to do something, believe in their ability to get it done and then
take action. DoSomething.org provides the tools and resources for teens to
convert their ideas and energy into positive action and to make them part of a generation of
doers.
Five
guidelines Do Something lives by:
1.
Believe in teenagers.
Teenagers can lead today. We don't require adults.
2.
Trust teenagers. We
provide reliable, easy to access information and activation strategies, but
teens decide for themselves what to do.
3.
Celebrate teenagers. We
think all measurable contributions from teens are valuable.
4.
Respect teenagers. We
understand that teenagers have diverse abilities and constraints.
5.
Value teenagers. Our
programs and products are free. We're not after
teens' money; we want their passion, time and creativity.
"Girls are mean," or "All girls care about is boys."
These are common sentiments teachers of top private schools recently told us they hear about tween girls. At iTwixie.com we are seeing no support for this.
At iTwixie.com, we help communities around the world to engage and inspire tween girls about what's most important to them,  such as caring for pets; caring for their changing bodies; ideas for becoming stronger, smarter and more effective in sports; and news about worldwide discoveries. iTwixie girls blog about writing projects, cooking and their day-to-day life in a positive way. On iTwixie, tween girls bond with each other, help improve the world and share how they care about their families and each other. Are you surprised? We're not. Just contact us at rebecca@itwixie.com and we'll welcome to discuss with you our vision, mission and plans for iTwixie.com. Join the iTwixie revolution! "Gaining Equity through Mathematics"Th e Girls, Math & Science Partnership is excited to announce that the U.S.
Department of Education will award the Pittsburgh Public Schools nearly
$800,000 to promote gender equity in math. The "Gaining Equity through
Mathematics (GEM)" partnership  betwee n GMSP, the
Pittsburgh Public Schools, and Smart Futures was selected as one of just 13 proposals across the country
to be funded by DOE to better engage girls in STEM; it was even highlighted by Secretary
of Education Arne Duncan in his announcement
of this federal initiative. The GEM project represents the first formal
programmatic relationship between PPS and GMSP and advances a key goal outlined
in GMSP's 2008 Progress Report: to enhance the discourse around gender equity in formal
education. |
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Resources
Check Out the Girls Coalition Web Site for the Latest Resources Related to Girls!
We
have recently updated the Resources section on the Girls Coalition's Web site to include Research Reports & News, Resource Directory,
Reading List and Links. We hope that these resources will provide
additional insight into girls' needs, highlight innovative programming
and facilitate connection with agencies serving girls in your community
and the region. In the Research Reports & News secttion, resources are
grouped according to themes such as civic engagement
and advocacy, education, and girls' lives while in the Resource
Directory you will find a listing of Girls Coalition member agencies
including their organizational profile, programming areas, population
served and contact information. The Reading List and Links offer
additional resources on issues relevant to girls and girl-serving
agencies. To learn more, see http://www.girlscoalitionswpa.org/resources.html
Girls in the Juvenile Justice System
On October 20, 2009,
the U.S. House Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism and Homeland
Security held a hearing, "Girls in the Juvenile Justice System: Strategies
to Help Girls Achieve Their Full Potential." National leaders working with
girls in the juvenile system provided expert testimony offering insight that
could help address this issue. For a summary of this hearing, please click here.
Bullying Prevention
The September 2009 edition of the PA
CASSP Newsletter is now available online. The theme of this edition
is "Bullying Prevention," following up on the new legislation that
was effective July 1, 2009 requiring all Pennsylvania
schools to have bullying prevention policies in place. The newsletter is
available here or on the Department of Public Welfare web site at www.dpw.state.pa.us.
Click on Publications, Forms and Reports, then Newsletters and Bulletins, then
CASSP Newsletters.
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Profiles
Amazing Girl Chloe
Chloe is a nine year old girl who is currently involved with
Girls on the Run of Magee-Womens Hospital. She has been accustomed
to running up to 8 miles at a time. Chloe's aunt has also  been a
runner for many years. Chloe's aunt was
recently diagnosed with ovarian cancer. Due to her diagnosis, Chloe's
aunt was unable to run in this year's 15K race, a race that she has
always run and was planning to run with Chloe. Chloe as described by her parents and Girls on the Run, is a selfless, giving and mature girl who decided
that it was important to run the race on behalf of her aunt. On the back
of Chloe's custom long sleeve racing shirt read, "This one's
for you, Aunt Michelle" and on the front, "I'm running
for my Aunt Michelle." Chloe's parents stated that she and
her aunt have always had a bond. That bond was strengthened when Chloe
toed the starting line of the 15K race and finished 95th among
142 finishers. Chloe's determination and support of her aunt shows
her to be a truly Amazing Girl!
Call for Amazing Girl Nominations
The Girls Coalition of Southwestern Pennsylvania is always accepting nominations for "Amazing Girls" to be featured in our newsletter. The purpose of this feature is to hear about
girls who may be "truly amazing" but have not yet been recognized. Please share your recommendations, and we can all see how she shines! Send us an email about an Amazing Girl you think we should profile.
Member Profile: Girls on the Run of Magee-Womens Hospital
GIRLS ON THE RUN OF MAGEE-WOMENS
HOSPITAL CELEBRATES 10TH
ANNIVERSARY
"Learn, Dream, Live,
Run"
By: Heather Abernethy
On July 7, 1993, Molly Barker had an epiphany while out
on a run to start a program that helps girls stay out of the "Girl Box."
Barker's vision for girls in Pittsburgh
and around the world is to have a world where all girls and women can reco gnize
and achieve their greatest potential. Three years later she founded the Girls
on the Run® (GOTR) program in August of 1996 in Charlotte, North Carolina. "This
means that every girl who would like to participate in Girls on the Run® can do so, regardless of where
she lives in the world or her level of income," Barker said. During the summer
of 1999, Lauren Henzler of Pittsburgh read an
article about Barker's program in Runners
World magazine, and knew she had to get involved by starting a chapter for Pittsburgh because her
beliefs in the program meshed well with her active lifestyle.
This fall, Girls on the Run of Magee-Womens Hospital is one of three
chapters that will celebrate their 10th Anniversary. The program is now in 157
cities across North America and Barker believes Pittsburgh's growth has been nothing but
phenomenal. The program started with 12 girls at
the program's first site at the Jewish Community Center in Squirrel Hill to
today's session of 30 Girls on the Run® sites, 6 Girls on Track® sites and both actively enrolling nearly 600 girls.
Girls on the Run® is a nonprofit organization that uses a 24-lesson
curriculum designed to promote good choices for a lifetime of self respect and
healthy living. Girls on the Run of Magee-Womens Hospital is hosted by Magee-Womens Hospital of UPMC and
serves seven counties in Western Pennsylvania.
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SAVE THE DATE for the 2010 2nd Annual Girls Coalition Conference on March 24, 2010! Look for more details in upcoming Girls Coalition newsletters. If you have any suggestions or comments about
the newsletter and how we can make it more readable and useful, please send them to info@girlscoalitionswpa.org. We would love to hear from you. Sincerely,
Girls Coalition Southwestern Pennsylvania
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