BRIK - Kids on the Brink of Adolescence

Workshop information

The 2 1/2 to 3 hour workshop includes a large group presentation, small "breakout" groups and Q and A when the groups return to the larger group. It can also be presented as a small workshop limited to sixteen participants to maximize learning and give everyone enough "airtime." When it is presented at a school or community center the workshop is often followed by a workshop or consultation time for teachers and staff who work with girls. We can tailor the format to make it fit your group.

Facilitator

Georgia Sassen, PhD

I. Academic and Social Issues of Pre- and Early Adolescence

A. In the social realm

Excluding and putting down

Concerns about the "cool crowd"

Focusing on looks, clothes, and money

Eating problems and their social meaning

Aggression and the culture of nastiness

B. In the classroom

Hiding what they know, hesitating to take a stand

Fear of "being too smart" or "saying something dumb"

Acting out being accepted

Subtle sexism and exclusion — when to intervene

II. Practical Strategies Based on the Relational Model

A. Differences between the traditional individualistic model of development and the relational model

B. How the relational model envisions the teacher-student relationship

Connected learning

Mutuality in the classroom

C. Teaching girls to

Speak truth to power

Value a healthy argument

Agree to disagree

Resist media stereotypes about sex and violence

D. Teaching boys to

Bond together around socially useful challenges to the status quo

Have words for feelings

Resist messages about gaining power through violence and exclusion

Act on their need for connection and resist sexual conquest as a substitute

E. Helping young adolescents think about relationships

Friendships

Actual adult relationships they see

The false relationships of movies and MTV

Relationships with mothers and fathers

A Group of Their Own: helping the uncool create a group to belong to

F. Connecting with parents around early-teen issues

Explaining prevention and helping parents seize the "teachable moment"

Helping parents teach kids to resist media messages and explore their own ideas

Using relational approach to parent-teacher conflict

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