Sometimes girls just need to get together to talk about their day-to-day stresses and overall outlook on life. To help facilitate this, the Santa Maria Police Athletic League (PAL) and Santa Maria Recreation and Parks Department are offering Girls Circle, a confidential program dedicated to improving the lives of girls in seventh through 12th grades.
Girls Circle uses a strength-based, skill-building approach to create a safe and peaceful space for girls to address negative behaviors. It also provides teen girls the tools to improve their relationships and better cope with issues such as self-doubt, low self-esteem, and other behavioral issues. The program encourages and develops strength, courage, confidence, honesty, and good communication skills.
“We were looking for additional programming, not just for girls but teens in general,” Recreation and Parks Department spokesman Dennis Smitherman said.
He said the department was able to run one pilot program before running into some funding issues. After receiving a $6,000 grant from the Orfalea Foundation, the department was able to send an employee, Lisa Baldiviez, to a training seminar.
“Lisa is there to coach the girls and then let them take the lead of the program,” Smitherman said, adding that the program is one of the ways the city is helping address teen issues in the community.
Girls Circle meets every Wednesday for 12 weeks from 4 to 6 p.m. at the Abel Maldonado Community Youth Center, 600 S. McClelland St. Each weekly session will have a different theme with a variety of activities, such as team-building exercises, guest speakers, field trips, and arts and crafts projects.
For more information about the program, call Baldiviez at the Abel Maldonado Community Youth Center: 925-0951, Ext. 252.
This article appears in Nov 17-24, 2011.