GLOW Program at SJCC empowers girls aged 10 to 14 The Soloway JCC is doing its part to empower young girls and help build self confidence and self esteem with a powerful new program designed for 10-14 year olds. GLOW –Girls Leading Others Wisely – brings girls together over the course of eight weeks to communicate, sans technology, and open-up in a non-judgmental environment. Each session focuses on a different theme, including discovering your authentic self, decision making and peer relationships. GLOW also teaches girls about healthy lifestyle habits including cooking, skin care and etiquette and introduces them to different forms of fitness which makes it a natural fit for the Soloway JCC says Health & Wellness Director, Carla Gencher. “The Soloway JCC Health and Wellness Department is all about living a healthy life. Starting girls on a positive path at a young age will set them up for a healthy and successful future,” says Carla. Every 90 minute session begins with a 45 minute circle, led by a qualified educator. The girls are split into two groups (10-12 year olds and 13-14 year olds) and will have a chance to check in and discuss, in a non-judgmental, confidential environment, whatever is on their minds. This is also an opportunity for theme based activities and problem solving. Next the girls have a healthy snack followed by a group exercise class. Soloway JCC female fitness professionals will lead the ladies in a number of exciting exercise classes that will get them moving, and smiling, such as Zumba, Hip Hop, Bootcamp, SpinFit, Stability Ball, Bosu Ball, Yoga and Pilates. “If we teach healthy habits at a young age and show them the benefits of exercise, it will become a way of life for them. I started exercising in high school and I continue to enjoy the benefits,” says Carla. The Soloway JCC class, which runs January 19 to March 8, marks the programs’ first foray outside of Calgary where it was created five years ago by educator Kim Tackaberry. “GLOW isn’t just about the social or the physical, it’s about the whole girl,” explains Kim. “Girls today are dealing with so many changes, communication is all about texting and email, and it’s nice to sit and converse and have time to connect.” According to Kim some of the positive feedback she has received over the years from the parents of and GLOW graduates themselves is that they feel better about themselves and their bodies, they don’t seem as intimidated by other girls as they did before and they take more of a lead in voicing their own opinions and thoughts. In an effort to measure growth GLOW uses the LAWSEQ Self Esteem checklist, (a questionnaire used for measuring self confidence) on the first and final class of each session. Kim says that in a recently wrapped-up class of 9-12 year olds all but one displayed improvement in their scores, and the one who didn’t improve did say that while she still felt lonely at school, she did feel that she belonged at Glow. For more information on Glow at the Soloway JCC contact Carla Gencher (613) 798-9818 ext. 278, cgencher@jccottawa . To learn more about Glow visit glowprograms
Posted on: Mon, 30 Sep 2013 18:48:12 +0000
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