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Club
Ophelia and Camp Ophelia
What do most women recall about middle
or junior high school? Was it the great literary works we were introduced
to? Or the challenge of learning algebra? Or the secrets of the
solar system? For many of us, what we remember most vividly about
this time was the effort of navigating the social hierarchy that
was in place in our schools; the anguish of wondering who our friends
were; and wondering where, and if, we belonged. While boys of this
age are more goal-driven, middle school girls are focused on peer
relationships. The ways that boys and girls tend to bully each other
are, for the most part, quite different. While boys will most often
use physical aggression and verbal put-downs to bully someone outside
of their peer group, middle school girls often target someone from
within their friendship circle. Relational Aggression (RA) is the
use of relationships to hurt another. This subtle form of bullying
uses words, gestures, and non-verbal expressions to tease, ridicule,
or deliberately exclude someone from the group. The use of technology,
including three-way calling, cell phones, and the Internet, has
offered girls another arena to deliver hurtful - and often anonymous
- messages to their peers.
Who is, or was, Ophelia? The
symbol of Ophelia as "an adolescent girl in crisis" was
first introduced by psychologist Mary Pipher in the book Reviving
Ophelia, in which she drew parallels between today's teenage
girls and the doomed heroine in William Shakespeare's Hamlet.
Through her book, Dr. Pipher first raised our awareness of how complicated
the world of adolescent girls is, often leading to cruel and hurtful
behavior and sometimes to physical violence. She emphasized how
important it is to offer teenage girls opportunities to enhance
their "power to connect" with each other and to increase
their capacity to be kind.
Club Ophelia, as well as its counterpart
Camp Ophelia, was developed in 2001 by Dr. Cheryl Dellasega, a certified
nurse-practitioner, counselor, and professor at the Penn State College
of Medicine in Hershey, Pennsylvania. Dr. Dellasega is the author
of several books on female relationships, including: Surviving
Ophelia: Mothers Share their Wisdom on the Tumultuous Teenage Years;
Girl Wars: Twelve Strategies That Will End Female Bullying;
and Mean Girls Grown Up. Aimed at middle school girls (grades
6-8), the club seeks to change girls' attitudes towards relational
aggression by:
- describing relational aggression:
what it is; who is involved; what are the dynamics; and possible
consequences.
- helping them learn positive relationship
skills.
- exploring friendship issues.
- helping them to improve their self-esteem.
High school junior or senior girls
are recruited and trained as mentors for a group of middle school
girls. The mentors receive ongoing training and supervision from
adult staff members on issues such as how to be a role model, communication
skills, and conflict resolution. The club sessions are filled with
art activities, role plays, small group discussions, storytelling,
and journaling.
Family-Child Resources is pleased to
offer Club and Camp Ophelia to middle schools in York and Adams
Counties through funding from the York/Adams Drug and Alcohol Program.
If you are interested
in learning more about Club or Camp Ophelia,
please contact us by e-mail
or call us at (717) 757-1227.
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