AUSTIN, TX (January 3, 2007) - Statistics indicate that adolescent girls are at risk - both physically and emotionally. According to the National Education Association, in the United States alone, 160,000 children miss school each day due to fear of being tormented by their classmates. By age thirteen, 53% of girls are unhappy with their bodies; by age eighteen, 78% are dissatisfied with their bodies and one in five girls will have a serious eating disorder by their early 20s (Deak, 2002).

GENaustin, the Girls Empowerment Network of Austin, invites parents and others who work with teen girls to a special workshop series to explore these issues and come away with tools to be a resource to girls in grades 4-12 as they navigate adolescence. Workshops will be held from 6:30-8:00pm and space will be limited to 20 participants. Registration is $35/person and is available at www.genaustin.org.

The Series will be composed of the following sessions:

• Monday, January 30th on Relational Aggression at Fulmore Middle School
• Wednesday, February 28th on Body Image at Dougherty Arts Center
• Thursday, April 26th on Relational Aggression (repeat of January session) at Dougherty Arts Center

GENaustin's Executive Director, Julia Cuba states, that, "Many parents and educators call GENaustin for help because their teen girls' academic performance and relationships are suffering from the effects of bullying and poor body image. Our girl-specific workshops teach techniques for parents and educators to help their teens navigate a stage of development where self esteem is delicate, and easily impacted by a tough school environment."