Girls’ Circle & Boys Council

Posted by Maximum Fun on 20th August 2007

This ain’t outtakes from Superbad or anything, but I’d be nothin if I didn’t occaisionally post something in a public-servicier vein.

My fiance’s mother, Beth Hossfeld, has been working with young women from pre-adolescence through adolescence for many years, using a program called Girls’ Circle. She works with girls from 9-18 from all kinds of backgrounds — private schools to juvenile detention facitilities – helping them become stronger and make good choices in their lives. These days, she mostly trains folks how to do it in their schools or other institutions. My fiance was a member of an early Girls’ Circle, and it was enormously helpful to her in her adolesence, and her friends who did it with her still talk about how much it meant to them.

Beth and her colleagues recently launched Boys’ Council, a similar endeavor aimed at young men. Starting in the new year, they’ll be doing similar trainings, helping people who work with young guys teach emotional and life skills.

I know there are a lot of TSOYA listeners who work in education, and I think that these kinds of groups can be enormously effective in helping young people. In fact, I was lucky enough to attend a middle school which used a similar program, and I can personally attest to its value. Adolescence is a really tough time, but kids can learn the skills they need.

Anyway, if you’re in education or if you work with youth, check out the programs. You can get materials from them or bring them in to teach their methods.