Our newsletter is created primarily by and for girls! Below you will find a description of Summer workshops & events, followed by current newsletter contributions from young women. If you are a young woman who would like to submit her ideas and talents, please send us an e-mail or give us a call! We need reporters, commentators, poets and artists to help make it happen! Contact Kyra at 284-4333 or email: kyrakelly@opheliasplace.net!

Our Winter 2009/10 CALENDAR:

Drop-in Hours:

Drop-in hours are now from 3-6 PM, Monday-Thursday. We are now open BY APPOINTMENT only on Fridays. We welcome all girls ages 10-18 to drop in anytime between 3-6 PM Monday- Thursday to relax, read, chat, ask questions, or explore resources. You’ll have access to adult support and referrals, computers, and our libraries.

Girls Rule! Parent/Daughter Fair...coming to LCC on Saturday, March 13th! Click here for more info:http://www.opheliasplace.net/girlsrule/

Winter 2010 Activities

Finding Love Within:

Yoga workshops for 2 different age groups:

Monday, Feb. 15 (no school day):  Cost: Donation only.
10 AM – 12 noon: Ages10-13

1:30 PM– 3:30 PM: Ages 14-18

Tired of the Valentine’s Day pressure to find love outside ourselves? This workshop will include yoga & meditation practices that allow us to celebrate the love & union that exists within us at all times. A deep sense of self-acceptance can enhance all our relationships with others. 10% of donations will go to V-Day efforts to end violence against women. All abilities welcome. Registration deadline: Monday, Feb. 8th.

Other News:

BOOK DONATIONS WANTED... to benefit the Girl's Empowerment Library, brought to you by The Girls As Leaders Team.

Our girls' leadership group is seeking some SPECIFIC Books (listed below) as well as any favorite books you may have that represent women and girls in a powerful, positive light. The Ophelia’s Place Leadership group is excited to be suggesting and collecting new contributions to the Girl's Empowerment Library here at Ophelia's Place! Our leadership team has been hard at work researching and securing donations. Many thanks to Book Universe, the U of O Bookstore and Rodda Paint for already donating books, funds and supplies to support the efforts of the Girls' Leadership Team. Thanks also to Smith Family Bookstore and Tsunami Books for also agreeing to contribute!

WE NEED YOUR SUPPORT to make this happen!

Below is a partial list of top books that the team has recommended. We have since had more added, so please call Kyra at 284-4333 if you are considering donating a book or two so we can let you know if we've already received it. You may also come by for a new and updated complete list. THANK YOU for supporting Ophelia's Place!

How to be a Dragon: Without Burning Your Tongue by Arlene Williams
Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli
Fever 1793 by Laurie Halse Anderson
Riding Freedom by Pam Munoz Ryan
Olive’s Ocean by Kevin Henkes
Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo
Along for the Ride by Sarah Dessen
A Maze Me: Poems for Girls by Naomi Shihab Nye
Gutsy Girls: Young Women Who Dare by Tina Schwager
Um, Like....Om: A Girl Goddesses Guide to Yoga by Evan Cooper
Things I Have to Tell You: Poems and Writings By Teenage Girls
edited by Betsy Franco
Looking for Alaska by John Green
Maximum Ride by James Patterson
Cruddy by Lynda Barry

THANK YOU for supporting Ophelia's Place!

TEENS SPEAK:

Words from Young Women...

Our Spring newsletter contributors are Sadie and Kana

"Making Money, Keeping Money" Class Review
by Sadie Boyers, Teen Volunteer and Group Participant

As a junior in high school I am beginning to look into going to college and am beginning to prepare myself for being on my own. When I heard about the money making class Ophelia’s Place was offering, I knew it would be an important class for me to take. After almost 12 years of school you would think that I would have been more prepared when it comes to dealing with money and savings. I am the complete opposite, clueless. Money is something you deal with everyday of your life, and there are certain things you learn in school that you may never encounter again in the real world, depending on personal interests. The world revolves around money and I want to make sure I am prepared for what is to come way in these next few years.

With this class I am not only learning where and how to save money but how to turn the skills that I have into potential careers. So far we have listed activities that we enjoy and as a group brainstormed ideas on how to use them to make money. From our ideas we made a list of people we knew or simply organizations and businesses in the community who may benefit from our skills. This aspect of the class has opened my eyes to more enjoyable career choices that I may not have thought of by myself.

Some of the requirements for the class are to open up a savings account for yourself and setting long term and short term savings goals. With the group atmosphere it is easier for me to keep the goals that I have set when I know I have a group of other girls there to support me. For the most part all the girls have the same thing in mind, to learn about money and how to save it.

This class is helping to prepare me for a range of situations I will face as an adult such as emergency money, paying bills, having a career that I will enjoy, and saving for retirement. A lot of these situations are things that I do not have to deal with as a teen but I see my parents dealing with daily. Someday that will be me, and being prepared for what I am going to face as an adult will help me to succeed.

Note to readers: Please let us know if you are interested in participating in groups like these in the future!

Young Women Speak:

We are proud to present this thought-provoking essay written by Kana, one of our Girls Advisory Council members. Feel free to e-mail us with your feedback!

Kana is a senior in high school. A year ago, she was verbally assaulted with a racial slur while playing water polo. She wrote this essay, as well as a larger senior thesis, in response to this incident, and as a way to help raise awareness about racism as an important issue today. She hopes that people will recognize the impact of their words, not only as a hurtful medium for racist slurs, but also as a powerful means of confronting offenders.

For years I have struggled with my racial identity. Even before I knew what race was, I was aware that I am different than most. I am conscious that I am one of the few in my class with almond eyes and the ability to speak my ancestral language. I grew up hearing stories of my great-aunt, who was killed when the atomic bomb was dropped over Hiroshima, and my great-grandparents, who were forced into Japanese internment camps during World War II. In school, we learned about individual ethnic groups without recognizing the reality of multiethnicity. My paternal ancestors fought in the American Revolution, but I often feel as though I have to “prove” my natural-born American citizenship. Because my Caucasian heritage is overridden by my Japanese features, I feel that I cannot belong in any particular ethnic group. People look at me and make assumptions about who I am that are neither true nor educated.

Even so, I was completely unprepared when I was verbally assaulted with a profanity-laced racial slur during a water polo match last year. I did not expect the severity of her words, nor my own emotional reaction. People told me to quit crying, to get over it, that it wasn’t that bad. According to them, she was jealous of my playing ability, and I was letting her get to me.

But what did they know? We have all heard the childhood rhyme, “Sticks and stones can break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” And yet, these were words that had hurt. And still hurt. I continue to be upset by the lack of any formal or personal response to this incident. People in authoritative positions minimized the seriousness of this incident and I was excluded from the response process. For all I know, she still has no idea of the implications, power, and pain of her comments.

I have a responsibility to educate myself and others about racism, diversity and multiethnicity. This attack showed me that not much has changed since World War II, when my relatives were interned by the country of their birth. People should not think it is ever acceptable to spew racial slurs. My IB Extended Essay is titled “Responding Effectively to Incidents of Racism in High School Sports.” I wrote it largely in response to my own experience in water polo and to other racist remarks made at recent high school sporting events in Oregon. Unfortunately, I found through my research that many of the false, stereotypical views reflected in these remarks are still widely held and supported by much of our society.

It is critically important that people recognize the reality of racism today. It is not a thing of the past. We must be prepared to act in an effective and timely manner when incidents occur. Continued awareness and education about racism and diversity in schools and the community—even after individual incidents have been dealt with—can hopefully limit future offenses and misunderstandings. Only then can we create a more inclusive and compassionate society.