Girl Talk

Our third Power of 10 Group is young women, 16-18 years of age. This group consists of 14 girls that range in diversity, experience, education (high school and college), and family life.

Initially, trying to get these girls to talk was somewhat like pulling teeth. However, as I’m sure you can guess, once a couple of people decided to participate, as girls tend to do, the flood gates opened, and they were quite open about the issues and problems they face. Interestingly, they were also quite vocal about what problems they do NOT face – which sure fooled us!

The myriad of what teenage girls face today is vastly different from the experiences most of the committee experienced years before – everything from anxiety/depression, grades/expectations, difficult family situations to the forever common – money, peer pressure, boys and self-esteem. And this is just to name a few!

We began the discussion by trying to draw out what some goals of these girls were and then moved the discussion to what barriers may hinder the reaching of those goals. Eventually we moved to what the Power of 10 project could do to address those barriers. The central focus appeared to be the need to have someone to talk to about 'stuff.'

What became obvious to the committee was that this group was voicing the need to be listened to, without judgment or prejudice. The teenage world does not provide a comfortable venue to 'just talk' – be it about everyday life or about really difficult situations that girls are experiencing.

But the ultimate question remains – "what to do with this $10,000?" What will reach the most girls and best address the most issues? Not an easy task when you have 14 girls, who by now have formed bonds and have no problem sharing their opinions! The Power of 10 can not be a 'Best Friend Forever' (or BFF as the girls would say) – but it may provide an outlet for open discussion, where girls feel trustful, accepted, respected, understood, and above all – heard.

Submitted by: Victoria Beltran, Women's Fund Communications Committee

Strong Moms, Strong Communities

Our second Power of 10 group, Working Moms, brought everything to the table—from the challenges of achieving professional growth and finding personal time, to dealing with parental guilt. Dozens of innovative ideas were tossed around to help alleviate the day-to-day pressures on today's working mothers.

Could we create a mom-to-mom bartering site?

Could we offer sick-child care?

Could we add an extra hour to the day?

At first it seemed like a daunting task, but soon a single "theme" began to surface.

Our group discovered that many working mothers today lack a sense of community. They may be seperated from their extended families, or unable to find a support network of their peers. They often feel isolated or alone, and don't always have the time or energy to seek out the resources they need. They need a place to connect with other moms, discuss parenting issues, and find support. They need a community of people who understand what they're going through.

In November, the group awarded $10,000 to the Oshkosh Community YMCA to create an entirely new program for mothers in our community. The 'Strong Moms' program will debut in January 2009, and cover issues ranging from healthy meal planning, stress management, kids and technology, age-appropriate discipline and more.

Mothers interested in the 'Strong Moms' program can contact YMCA staffer Shauna Coleman at (920) 230-8449 x106 or shaunacoleman@oshkoshymca.org.

Submitted by: Samantha Zinth, Women's Fund staff