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 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 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 Ophelia,
please contact us by e-mail or call us at (717) 757-1227.

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