Community Health - Circle of Friends
Looking For A Fun Night For Girls Only? Join Circle of Friends?
Twice a month adult and young women meet to hang out, laugh, have fun, make friends and talk. The program is called Circle of Friends. The whole point is to do something fun and special for girls ages 11-18. What kind of stuff will we be doing?
- Meeting new people
- Playing games
- Making art projects
- Doing aerobics & other sports
- Snacking
- Learning about ourselves and about the world
- Talking…about friends, family, school, boys, dating, love, abstinence, drugs, alcohol, dreams & goals, health & fitness, values, movies, music, pressure, stress, choices…about Life.
What is Circle of Friends? Circle of Friends is an on-site mentoring program for young women ages 11-18. Adolescent and adult women come together twice a month for two hours to participate in a group mentoring program intended to build self-esteem, self-discipline, communication skills, resistance skills, and health habits. As with all mentor programs, the most important component is establishing friendships between caring adults and young people. We hope to establish a ratio of 1 woman to every 3 girls.
Who Participates in this Program? The girls are between the ages of 11-18; those in high school are Mentors-in-Training (see description below). The girls are referred to the program by schools, churches, service agencies, the courts, parents, or other family members. Experts are now warning us that virtually all American children are at-risk simply because they are growing up in a toxic environment. Rights and wrongs are blurred. Decision-making has become an art form! And while some children are more at-risk than others, every child could use a mentor.
Adult women assume the role of mentor and friend for girls participating in the program. Mentors must be 18 years of age and have been out of high school for at least 1 year. We are seeking mentors from different backgrounds, races and ages. We welcome women with experience with adolescents, but no such experience is necessary. Mentors must be women committed to the program and the girls; they must be willing to listen and share their experience and insight. They must be trustworthy and they must care! Mentors need to undergo a standard background check and reference check for the protection of the girls.
A sub-program, called the Mentor-In-Training (M.I.T.) program serves the high school girls with additional meetings, separate discussions and leadership opportunities. College visits and ACT/SAT prep are offered to get the girls thinking about post-secondary education or training, and to view education and skills development beyond high school as important and accessible to them. M.I.T.s are given responsibilities and leadership opportunities at regular meetings, as well as an opportunity to plan and lead a meeting.
Additionally, the M.I.T. program works through the Rites of Passage Program by Ron Johnson. The purpose of the Rites of Passage program is to prepare adolescents for their roles and responsibilities as adults. There are ten competency areas identified by the Rites of Passage program: personal (one’s ability to take care of oneself and overcome hardship), physical (one’s ability to take care of one’s body and physical needs), mental (one’s ability to gain knowledge, develop one’s mind and take care of one’s mental health), spiritual (one’s beliefs, values and principals), emotional (one’s ability to identify and manage one’s emotions), social (one’s ability to navigate social systems and to interact effectively in personal and professional settings), historical (one’s knowledge and understanding of one’s own personal, cultural and community history), cultural (one’s knowledge and understanding of one’s cultural identity as well as similarities or differences between other cultures), economic (one’s ability to earn, save, invest and spend a dollar with emphasis on job skills and money management), and political (one’s understanding of and participation in the processes that govern him/her.)
Where Will the Meetings be Held? The Circle of Friends mentoring program has two sites, one in Willard and one in Norwalk. The Willard meetings are held at The Hope Center, 14 W. Maple St., Willard, OH 44890. The Norwalk meetings are held at The Huron County Department of Job & Family Services Building, located at 185 Shady Lane Dr., Entrance A, Norwalk, OH 44857.
Hope to See You There For more information or to join this Circle of Friends, please call Angie or Jenny at the Huron County General Health District 668-1652, ext. 258 or (long distance callers within Huron County) 1-888-694-2443. You can also email us at: circleoffriendsohio@yahoo.com Circle of Friends is a program of the Huron County General Health District, 180 Milan Avenue, Suite 8, Norwalk, Ohio.
This program is funded by a grant.
