GEN's Voice

Issue 22
April 2003

In This Issue:

GENaustin’s web site now features current programs on the home page. Go to www.GENaustin.org anytime to see what events are coming up. Here’s what’s going on in April:

“I Think I Can, I Think I Can.” Donna Van Fleet, a retired IBM executive and chairwoman of the GENaustin board of directors, will lead girls and their supporters through a series of action-packed exercises aimed at helping girls develop the confidence to stand up for their convictions—especially in the face of doubts, opposition and contrary messages they might receive from the world around them. Whether you want to ask your parents for a privilege, defend your position in a class debate, or get your friends to take something more seriously, learn how to express yourself with confidence. Tuesday, April 1, 6:30 – 8 p.m., Lamar Middle School library. For girls and parents.

“Hot Flashes and Personality Clashes.” The teen years are the most difficult in many families…but do they have to be? Parents’ negative expectations for adolescent behavior can actually create a self-fulfilling prophecy that leads to difficult family relationships. Could it be that our anxieties as adults reach a zenith in midlife—about the same time our children are becoming teens? Donna Rose, LPC, explores the idea that the “midlife crisis,” more than teenage behavior, is the source of many parent-child conflicts in the teen years. Parents can help their families by understanding this phenomenon and responding in healthy ways. Tuesday, April 8, noon – 1 p.m., 3M Corporation, 6801 Riverplace Blvd. (Please RSVP for specific directions to 984-5990.) For adults.

These are difficult times for our schoolchildren. The violence that pervades our society spills over onto the classroom and playground every day and challenges children like never before. GENaustin has taken a bold step to illuminate the issue of school violence by bringing a nationally recognized leader, Rosalind Wiseman to address the issue of school violence on April 10, 2003. Rosalind Wiseman is president of the Empower Program in Washington, D.C. an organization working with youth and teachers to end the culture of violence among our children. Ms. Wiseman recently authored the book, Queen Bees and Wannabes: Helping Your Daughter Survive Cliques, Gossip, Boyfriends, and Other Realities of Adolescence and has been featured on nationally televised shows like "Oprah" and "Nightline," as well as publications such as New York Times Magazine. The event begins at 7pm and will be at the Red Lion Hotel (290 E. & IH35 North). A donation of $15 is requested. PTA members and all school district employees can attend for free. Refreshments and appetizers will be provided. RSVP to the GENaustin office at 414-0472 or [email protected].

Take Our Daughters to Work Day (April 24th) has given countless young girls the opportunity to learn about professions of interest by shadowing their parents at work. Sometimes it’s just not possible to get out of school to spend a day at work with mom or dad—so GENaustin is Taking Work to Our Daughters! At four special presentations during the week of Take Our Daughters to Work Day, girls can learn from young professional women in a variety of interesting careers. What aspects of their jobs do they find most enjoyable? What choices did they make as teens and pre-teens that influenced where they are now? What advice can they give to girls following in their footsteps? Join GENaustin for these fun and inspiring panel presentations at schools in the Austin area. Sponsored by the Michael and Susan Dell Foundation. For girls.

Tuesday, April 22, 6:30 – 8 p.m., Chisholm Trail Middle School library

Wednesday, April 23, lunchtime, Fulmore Middle School (Call the GENaustin office at 414-0472 for exact time and location)

Wednesday, April 23, 3 – 4:45 p.m., Kealing Middle School

Thursday, April 24, lunchtime, Covington Middle School

We have several volunteer opportunities with our clubGEN program. clubGEN is an after-school program for middle school girls lead by specially selected high school juniors and seniors. The club provides a safe place for girls to talk about the things they are experiencing in their middle school years. They focus on issues such as empowerment, making healthy choices, self-esteem, and improving relationships with friends and relatives.

Currently we’re looking for ClubGEN Curriculum Committee members. Members will:

• Create new curriculum; for example creating a lesson (by doing research or making it up) on body image or self-expression or deciding future career
• Edit existing curriculum
• Get price quotes from printers/binders, etc.
• Mail/call sources (i.e., authors, publishers) to ask for permission to copyright their content

We will need clubGEN Community Sponsors to begin work in August. Community Sponsors will:

• Be trained by GENaustin staff and assigned to one clubGEN (one middle school and one high school)
• Attend clubGEN planning meetings and club meetings if school sponsors cannot attend
• Conduct a monitoring visit of the club to check in with the girls
• Gather data from the clubs
• Conduct a once a year meeting to renew or recruit a new school sponsor for the upcoming year
• Oversee/coordinate twice yearly speaker series events at your clubGEN
• Be an active member of the clubGEN Committee (meets monthly)

If you’re interested in either of these opportunities, please contact Kim Soechting, (512) 422-2828, [email protected].

oriGENal voice is a group of teen girls in Austin dedicated to telling other teenagers the truth about Big Tobacco in order to help them stay tobacco-free and healthy. The group of nearly 20 girls, from middle schools and high schools all over Austin, meets monthly to discuss plans for an anti tobacco campaign.

The girls state their opinions about smoking loud and clear: “We don't think smoking is sexy. It doesn't make us cool or pretty. The true buzz on smoking is that it produces yellow teeth, wrinkles, bad breath, and bad health. Who wants to be a human ash tray? There's nothing cool about death and disease.” The groups’ mission is to encourage their peers to not give in to an industry that makes billions of dollars from selling deadly products to youth. Every year, tobacco-related disease kills more than 178,000 women, making it the largest preventable cause of death among women in the U.S.

With support from the Texas Cancer Council, the American Cancer Society, and GENaustin, the group has set out to tell hundreds of other girls, their family members, teachers, and community leaders, that living their lives tobacco-free is absolutely priceless.

On April 2 - Kick Butts Day - oriGENal voice will be conducting two events. The first event will take place at Lamar Middle School, where girls will pledge to be tobacco-free by signing their names and imprinting their hands onto a canvas. Later that day, oriGENal voice plans to meet with Austin Mayor Gus Garcia to present additional pledge walls from other schools and girls groups around Austin. They will ask him to declare a city proclamation in honor of oriGENal voice and Austin girls speaking out against Big Tobacco. The group will also voice support for a cigarette tax increase and clean air in public places throughout our community.

To be successful, the girls need your help. They have the canvases, paints, and time ... all they need is the GIRLS to sign! You can help by calling Tabitha Karcher at 495-7169 to schedule a time where they can come to your school, clubGEN meeting, or classroom with this exciting opportunity!

On March 15th, GENaustin Board Member Celia Israel was honored by the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce as the Hispanic Business Woman of the Year. The event was held at the Hyatt Regency with about 500 in attendance.

Celia is the founder and owner of Mission Resources, a consulting firm based in Austin, Texas. Mission Resources is a legislative and government affairs consulting firm representing a wide array of clients including the Association of Electric Companies of Texas and Unisys Corporation. She began volunteering for GENaustin on the Resource Development Committee four years ago and two years into it, she joined the GENaustin Board of Directors.

“Celia is an action-oriented and creative agent for change,” said Donna Van Fleet, President of the GENaustin Board. “I think that she is a wonderful role model.”

Each nominated candidate was reviewed by the selection committee on leadership, special skills, notable contributions, experience, community service, volunteerism to the chamber, and overall achievements. In addition to her work with Mission Resources, Celia also received this award on behalf of her volunteer work with organizations like Austin Women’s Political Caucus; City of Austin, Police Department Citizen Review Panel, Capital Area Food Bank, Greater Austin Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, University YWCA, and of course, GENaustin.

GENaustin's programs are made possible through the generous support of 3M, Alice Kleberg Reynolds Meyer Foundation, Austin Independent School District, Austin Ventures, the Michael and Susan Dell Foundation, the Dell Foundation, the Hogg Foundation for Mental Health, the Silverton Foundation, Milkshake Media, Shoes for Austin, and the Webber Family Foundation.

Now you can support GENaustin and its important programs simply by shopping online. Just go to GENaustin, Get Involved, Shop and follow the links to more than 400 stores, including Barnes & Noble, Land's End, Ann Taylor, Linens-n-Things, Neiman Marcus, L.L. Bean, Dell, Amazon.com, JC Penney, Old Navy, Gap and many more! Also, mention GENaustin when you shop at Giada, a unique boutique and gift shop just west of downtown, and 2% of your sale will go directly to GENaustin. GENaustin is excited to be a part of Giada's Community Investment Program. Giada is located at 704 West Sixth Street, a block west of Katz' Deli, 457-8881.

Inspired by the book Reviving Ophelia: Saving the Selves of Adolescent Girls, GENaustin, a non-profit, 501(c)3 organization, was formed in 1996.

GENaustin is a non-profit organization based in Austin, TX, and was founded in 1996. GENaustin is made up of volunteers committed to helping girls grow into healthy, confident women who feel valued for what's inside, and not outside, themselves. Our mission is to help adolescent girls develop and maintain healthy self-esteem through the education of the girls, their parents, their teachers and others who touch their lives.

For more information, please visit our Web site at www.genaustin.org. Our mailing address is P.O. Box 3122, Austin TX, 78764. You may call us at (512) 414-0472 or email us at [email protected].

To receive our newsletter via email each month, send an email to newsletter@genaustin.org. Please include your full name and the email address where you like the newsletter to be sent.

This site was last updated on 04/04/2005.

Copyright © GENaustin, Inc. 2001. All rights reserved. GEN, GENaustin, and GENaustin logos used and displayed herein are registered and unregistered trademarks of GENaustin, Inc. All other trademarks, service marks and logos used herein are the property of their respective owners. Email us at office@genaustin.org.