MPower Girls has been developed by Stride Foundation to open the door to girls’ relationships and the secret world of girls’ aggression. The program is designed to deal with issues of bullying, cliques and how girls relate to one another. Designed as a train-the-trainer program for teachers, the half-day MPower workshop consists of the following elements:

• Me and my friends (Give friendship to gain friendship)
• Mean what I say (Be real)
• Make up my own mind (Be assertive and stand up for what’s right).

Participants are trained to present a series of sessions.

In response to requests from Victorian schools, MPower Girls explores how girls relate to themselves and each other. The program targets girls in the middle school years (Years 4 – 8).

“…I thought it was fun and I liked learning about girls’ stuff… the dolls had problems like my friends
and I do…”

"I came to your workshop in Adelaide about a week ago and just wanted to email you to tell you how valuable and interesting I found it!! It was one of the most useful courses I have been to and I have been raving about it to other staff!" Gemma, teacher.

Using a narrative therapy approach where life-like dolls are used to provoke discussion, the girls are encouraged to share what it means to be a girl, to discuss what happens in their friendship groups and consider how it affects them as well as others. The girls are then given assistance in developing skills to cope with their own, sometimes subtle aggressions as well as responding to teasing, gossip, exclusion and other situations that are all too familiar to girls’ groups.

The program may be presented as a weekly program over a number of weeks or as a special day of activities for girls.

WHAT STUDENTS SAY ABOUT MPOWER GIRLS

Year 5 girls comments

“…I learnt to stand up for myself and other people. I also learned if you feel bad about something to tell it straight away before it gets worse…”

“…how to tell the truth to my friends – I have learnt how to sort out fights about friendship, how to talk to people…”

“…to stand up for yourself ‘be real – say what you feel’ say what’s on your mind with problems- try and solve them…”

“…how to sort fights out easier. Now I can learn to have more friends. I learned to be brave…”

“…if I say what is the problem in a relationship – it won’t wreck it.”

“…how to cope with problems more easily…”

Year 8 girls comments

“Always be yourself and don’t let anyone make you feel like you cannot express what you are really feeling”

“I got a lot out of today – it made me think about how to treat people. Thank You."

“…learning to tell my friends the truth even if it hurts them…today was good and I learnt about being a girl & being the best person I can.”

“Something that has been useful for me has been thinking about stereotypes and how people are different:"

“Something that has been useful for me is learning how to deal with different situations.”

“Something that has been useful for me has been how I should be more open with my friends.”

“Today I learned to be more caring…”

“…learning about how to treat people.”

More Information:

• Workshop Dates and Registration