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GEN's Voice
Issue 14
August 2002
In This Issue:
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This is your last chance to win two round trip
tickets on Southwest Airlines. Buy your raffle
tickets by noon August 1st. It’s easy. Just go to:
http://www.active.com/donate/genaustin2002/southwest
Use the link to donate online using your credit
card and for every $5 you donate, you will get one
chance to win two Southwest Airlines roundtrip
tickets; for every $20 donated, you get five chances
to win. The website is secure, fast and easy to use.
At the website you will be able to choose an amount
to donate and receive email confirmation of your
donation. GENaustin will be notified via email as
soon as you make your donation. Make your donation
by noon August 1 to be eligible for the drawing.
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GENaustin’s September Programs |
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The 2002-2003 GENaustin Speaker Series has shaped up
to be the best one yet. Mark your calendar for these
exciting events in September:
“How to Get In to the College of Your Choice” It’s
never too early to start thinking about
college—where to go, what to study, and how to make
a successful application. Robyn Ross, an admission
counselor at St. Edward’s University, will explain
what colleges look for and how girls can lay the
foundations for successful college admission before
they even begin high school. Understand course
selection, extracurricular activities, the SAT/ACT
and financial aid, as well as how college is
different from middle school and high school. For
girls and parents.
Thursday, September 12, noon-1
p.m., Paredes Middle School, 10100 S. Mary Moore
Searight Dr. (south of Slaughter near Manchaca)
“Om: Yoga for Girls” Come get a taste of how yoga
can help your mind, body and spirit. Learn basic
yoga moves and how to incorporate relaxation
techniques into your daily life. Understand your
body in a way completely different from what fashion
magazines tell you, and find out how to let go of
stress at home and at school. Yoga is fun! Wear
comfortable clothing. It’s best to do yoga on an
empty stomach; if you need to eat beforehand, please
eat lightly. Anita Stoll, LMSW-ACP, is a certified
hatha yoga instructor, and Kelly Inselmann, LMSW-ACP,
is a certified kundalini yoga instructor. For girls.
Tuesday, September 17, 6:30-8 p.m., Chisholm Trail
Middle School library, 500 Oakridge Dr. (one mile
west of I-35 and Hwy 620 at Deepwood)
“Girls as Friends, Girls as Foes” by Ellen Sanchez,
M.Ed, SafePlace Co-Director of Community Education.
“Girl fighting” is often a hallmark of middle
school, and some of the most painful times in girls’
lives. Young teen girls may express their aggression
through hurtful words, gossip and other forms of
relational violence that can damage girls
emotionally. An experienced counselor will discuss
why this happens and will help girls and adults
explore coping strategies and solutions. For girls
and parents.
Wednesday, September 18, 11:30 a.m.-1
p.m., Mendez Middle School library, 5106 Village
Square (south of Stassney & South Pleasant Valley)
“Me Behind the Wheel: Finding Your Inner Rock Star
on the Road to Success” Thinking of following your
dreams? Whatever they may be, the road to success
can be a wild ride. Find out what to bring with you,
how to make a road map, even what to do if you get
lost. Best of all, find out how to start packing
your bags now! Austin songwriter/recording artist
Trish Murphy has been a Texas favorite since the
release of her first record in 1997. She tours the
U.S. and Europe and is currently working on her
fourth album. For girls.
Wednesday, September 25,
lunchtime, Fulmore Middle School. (Call the
GENaustin office at 414-0472 for exact time and
location.)
“The Roller Coaster Ride of Middle School Years:
Coping with Stress and Success” School, friends,
hormones, dances, sports, parents, drugs,
popularity, thinness. Yikes! How much pressure can
young teens carry before it begins to affect their
grades, their relationships and their futures? An
Austin therapist will help parents understand and
manage the stresses in their children’s lives that
may not have existed when they were growing up. For
parents.
Thursday, September 26, 6:30-8 p.m.,
Dripping Springs Middle School PTA meeting, middle
school cafeteria. Contact school at 512-858-4902 for
directions.
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We’re currently taking reservations for the
following special events:
“The Best of Friends: Helping Girls Navigate Peer
Relationships” This professional workshop will teach
strategies to build girls’ resilience and create
respectful environments, while looking at girls’
peer issues in relation to academic success and
emotional health. Facilitated by Ellen Sanchez,
M.Ed., SafePlace Co-Director of Community Education,
and Carolyn Brooks, M.Ed., middle-school counselor
and statewide presenter on this topic. CEU credit
available. Co-sponsored by SafePlace. Registration
is $45. Reserve your space by Sept. 13 by calling
the GENaustin office at 414-0472. For professionals.
Saturday, September 21, 9 a.m. – noon. SafePlace.
Mother-Daughter Personal Safety Workshop GENaustin
is proud to co-sponsor a self-defense and safety
skills workshop with Sun Dragon Martial Arts and
EveryWoman’s Self Defense. Mothers and daughters age
11 – 14 are invited to a fun and empowering
afternoon with nationally certified women
instructors. Learn how to set and maintain personal
boundaries, handle bullies without using violence,
and respond appropriately to adult strangers. Be
prepared to handle situations at the mall, the
movies and school with assertiveness and practical
skills. Mothers and daughters will break into
separate groups for instruction on specific topics.
Sunday, October 6, 1 – 4 p.m., Sun Dragon Martial
Arts, 203 E. Riverside Drive. $50 per
mother-daughter couple. Scholarships are available.
Attendance is limited to 30 pairs. Call the
GENaustin office in advance at 414-0472 to reserve
your space and find out details.
“Relationships and Healthy Choices” Parent-Daughter
Workshop Helping girls age 13-15 think through
dating expectations and choices, relationships and
intimacy is the focus of this workshop led by Ellen
Sanchez, SafePlace Co-Director of Community
Education and certified sexuality educator. Girls
and parents will discuss issues separately and
information will be shared through a facilitator in
a non-threatening way. The goal of the workshop is
to keep the doors of communication open between
parents and teens, and to help parents support their
daughters in making healthy, informed choices. $45
per parent-daughter couple. Call the GENaustin
office at 414-0472 to reserve your space and find
out more information. The workshop will be limited
to 12 parent-daughter couples. Sunday, October 20, 1
- 4 p.m., St. Edward’s University Mabee Ballroom |
Nationally
Acclaimed Authors to Speak at GENaustin
Speaker Series Events |
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We’ve really done it this time. We’ve confirmed two
national authors of two of the hottest books about
adolescent girls: Rachel Simmons, Odd Girl Out: The
Hidden Culture of Aggression in Girls; and Rosalind
Wiseman, Queen Bees and Wannabees: Surviving
Cliques, Gossip, Boyfriends and Other Realities of
Adolescence. We’re proud we’re able to bring these
two women to the Austin community and it shows that
our Speaker Series continues to grow and develop
into one of the most comprehensive speaker series
for adolescent girls and parents in the country.
Mark your calendar for these great events:
Wednesday, April 16, 2003 - “Queen Bees and
Wannabees: Surviving Cliques, Gossip, Boyfriends and
Other Realities of Adolescence” Girls often find
that their relationships with their friends begin to
shift in middle school as cliques form and
friendships change. While boys generally express
conflict in physical fights, girls may take out
their frustration and insecurities on other girls in
what psychologists call “relational
aggression”—using relationships to make the targeted
girls feel left out and unwanted. Backstabbing,
gossip and rumors can be more difficult for parents,
teachers and counselors to notice than fistfights,
but they can damage girls just as much on an
emotional level.
GENaustin is proud to present Rosalind Wiseman, the
author of “Queen Bees and Wannabees,” in a special
evening dedicated to helping girls help each other
through the rough times of adolescence. Wiseman runs
the Empower Program, a nonprofit organization
dedicated to helping girls manage relationships in a
positive way, and has been featured on national
television and in the New York Times Magazine.
Please contact the GENaustin office at 414-0472 for
information about this special evening.
Thursday, November 14 - “Odd Girl Out” (in
partnership with the Dell Jewish Community Center)
Rachel Simmons author of "Odd Girl Out", shows that
the secret world of girls' aggression is just as
harmful as the aggression of boys, but it's harder
to recognize. For girls, losing friends or becoming
the object of a clique's derision can be
devastating. Yet most teachers don't have the time
to notice and cope with the problem, and parents
feel frustrated and hopeless in combating it. "Odd
Girl Out" shines the light of understanding on the
secret lives of girls. Rachel Simmons helps us see
where it comes from and offers parents and teachers
ways in which to help our daughters. Jewish
Community Association of Austin, on the Dell Jewish
Community Campus, 7300 Hart Lane. |
Introducing
Honorary Board Member Dr. Pat Forgione |
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Pat Forgione, Ph.D., is superintendent of the Austin
Independent School District in Austin, TX. His
career in education has spanned more than 30 years,
affording him the opportunity to serve children and
communities in a variety of ways. Immediately prior
to coming to Austin, Dr. Forgione served a
three-year Presidential appointment as Commissioner
of the National Center for Education Statistics in
Washington, D.C. Other prominent leadership
positions have included: State Superintendent of
Public Instruction for Delaware, Executive Director
of the National Education Goals Panel, and Director
of the Division of Research, Evaluation and
Assessment for the Connecticut Department of
Education. In addition, he has served as a
university faculty member, research fellow, public
school administrator, and a classroom teacher. Dr.
Forgione has earned numerous honors and appointments
and is recognized both nationally and
internationally for his expertise in research,
evaluation, accountability, and educational reform.
He earned his doctorate of philosophy in
administration and policy from Stanford University
in 1977.
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Spotlight on
Our Newest Board Member: Trish Murphy |
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When GENaustin was selected as the charitable
organization for the 3M Marathon, it resulted in
other benefits beyond the $15,000 grant. At the
event last February, Executive Director Anita
Mennucci had the opportunity to meet
singer/songwriter Trish Murphy. And Trish’s exposure
to GENaustin motivated her to take a position on our
board.
Trish wrote about her involvement in GENaustin in
her newsletter recently. “I had begun to feel
passionate about the opportunity to connect more
effectively with girls reaching a critical point in
their development, hanging in the balance between
either clarity or utter confusion,” she stated.
Murphy is the rare songwriter whose musical
ambitions received strong support at home. Her
father, a struggling musician and songwriter, taught
his three children to sing background harmonies for
him when they were preschoolers. While Murphy was
working her way through college, her dad encouraged
her to get gigs to support herself, rather than
pursue the proverbial something-to-fall-back-on.
After receiving a B.A. in philosophy, Murphy decided
to turn down a job offer and fall back on music as a
full-time career.
Her debut Crooked Mile was released on the
independent label she founded in 1997. With Murphy
overseeing her own distribution, marketing and
Internet site, Crooked Mile sold 10,000 copies and
took her well beyond her adopted hometown of Austin.
After licensing Crooked Mile for foreign
distribution, Murphy toured Europe twice and played
on Dutch national television and radio. She released
Rubies on the Lawn nationally in 1999, and her most
recent CD is Captured. This summer she will return
as a veteran to Lilith Fair, having toured for a
week on last year's bill. She also will return to
Milwaukee's Summerfest and Birmingham's City Stages
and will make her first appearance in Seattle at the
Bumbershoot Festival.
We’re pleased to welcome Trish as a board member.
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clubGEN Goes “On
the Road” at IBM EXITE (Exploring Interests in
Technology and Engineering) Camp |
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Our clubGEN after school program recently went “on
the road" at IBM’s EXITE summer computer camp. IBM
EXITE (Exploring Interests in Technology and
Engineering) camps are designed to generate interest
in math and science amongst young women.
Several of our teen leaders, along with GENaustin’s
Program Director Alexis Carreiro, provided a clubGEN
presentation on confidence. The presentation
featured exercises that helped girls build their
self confidence to pursue their interests in math,
science, engineering and technology. The exercises
helped them identify situations where they may have
experienced discouragement and provided them
techniques to address those situations positively
and confidently.
"GENaustin was honored to be invited to lead the
girls through a series of action-packed exercises
aimed at helping them 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," said
Donna Van Fleet, GENaustin Board President.
Twenty-two seventh and eighth-grade girls from
Central Texas, including Elgin Middle School, Taylor
Middle School, Tippit Middle School, and Kealing
Junior High School, participated in the camp. |
Easy Ways to Help GENaustin |
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When you make a purchase at the following places part of your purchase goes to help fund GENaustin.
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.
One more way you can help is by purchasing one or more raffle tickets. The raffle is for two roundtrip tickets on Southwest Airlines, and the tickets are $5 each or $20 for 5. Call 512/414-0472 to find out how to get your raffle tickets.
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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.
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