Last Girl Talk Meeting of Spring 2015 (With Photos)

Happy almost summer!
Yesterday was our last Girl Talk meeting of the year. Rather than employing another lesson with small group discussions for our wrap up, I opted for a few random but fun group activities. First on our agenda was a craft that I adapted from Pinterest: the girls decorated vintage mason jars with stickers and permanent markers, then wrote compliments for each of their peers on colored strips of paper. As a result, each girl left our meeting with a jar filled with fourteen vibrant tokens of positivity. I was thrilled that all of the girls expressed excitement when I explained this activity. All of the girls (middle school and high school) who have participated in Girl Talk vary in terms of social groups, interests, and age. Yet every girl has truly exemplified inclusivity, warmheartedness, and enthusiasm.

After our first activity, I introduced another use for mason jars (a favorite of my own): green smoothies! This week–along with the candy that I typically I supply– I prepared an icy, green treat for the girls. The smoothie that I made for them was super simple and sweet but nutritious. For the girls who want to make the same smoothie at home, it contained:
-avocado
-spinach
-100% mango juice
-pineapple
-frozen banana
-ice
I also created a make-your-own-smoothie handout for the girls with instructions for making their own yummy summer treats that pack in loads of energy, vitamins, minerals, protein, and fiber!

To wrap up the meeting, I handed out a reflection sheet to provide the girls with an opportunity to share their thoughts on Girl Talk. I look forward to using their recommendations to improve the program next year. My ultimate goal for Girl Talk is that it becomes a welcoming, warm, fun, interactive, and helpful group for all BMS girls.

Aside from the wonderful Blake ladies, I would like to thank:
-Kelly Campbell and Nat Vaughn for being extremely supportive of Girl Talk and helpful in spreading the word about it.
-My mom, Jennifer Marshall, for overseeing the program and assisting me in weekly preparation.
-Our dedicated high school mentors: Carly Ellison (grade 11), Hannah Nixon (11), Katherine Barrette (10), Natalie Chin (10), Lauren Ferrier (10), Jocelyn Fields (10), Annie Phipps (10), Jasmin Chan (9), Charlotte Duffy (9), and Kristen Reardon (9).


I cannot wait for next year! I will share more information regarding dates and times for the 2015-2016 school year in August. Have a lovely summer!
<3 Paiton


Photos from our last meeting:

Group photo! (top row: Anna, Lana, Paiton, Madison, Alexis, Charlotte, Ariana, Joana, Jenna... middle row: Ginny, Eliana, Carly, Jocelyn, Lauren... bottom row: Noelle, Gabby, Ally, Rebecca, Claire, and Maggie)

Silly Faces :p

Ginny and Claire decorate mason jars

Bridget smiles for the camera (while Ally and Rebecca share a giggle)

Freshman Charlotte Duffy chats with Alexis

Lana, Gabby, Noelle, Anna, and Eliana smile

Madison and Joana enjoy some ice cream 

Selfie :)

Madison enjoying a green smoothie sample

Another selfie!

Sophomores Lauren Ferrier and Jocelyn Fields look on as the girls write their reflections

Junior Carly Ellison pours (and spills) some green goodness!

Last Girl Talk Meeting of the Year

Join us for the last Girl Talk meeting of the year tomorrow, June 10th at 2:15 in room 207! We will be doing a craft, enjoying one of my favorite healthy snacks, and reflecting on the year. Check my blog tomorrow to read more about our last meeting!

"Going Green"

       In light of our previous focus of on self-reflection and personal values, I opted for a more concrete topic for Wednesday's Girl Talk meeting. The topic was "going green"! Environmental preservation is a vital but often overlooked topic, perhaps because it can be difficult to practice conservation of natural resources where they appear boundless. We have clean water at the touch of a faucet, cool air at the click of a button, endless appliances the require electricity, cars in need of gasoline, and loads of trash that disappear from our lives when we visit the transfer station. But in reality, the absentminded ease with which we utilize the resources of the earth is taking a toll.

At our meeting, the girls exhibited hugely diverse levels of knowledge regarding environmental preservation. Some of the girls were very aware of environmental issues and strategies for combating those issues. Others were confused by the concept of "going green". I was very happy to see that this varied dynamic allowed the middle school girls to learn from one another! The high school mentors lead discussions on the basics of the water cycle and protecting watersheds; air pollution, ozone, and global warming; reusing, recycling, reducing, composting, and landfills; renewable and non-renwable energy sources (oil, natural gas, carbon, and nuclear energy); etc. Once all of the girls had a better understanding of environmental issues, we read through a list of ways that kids can go green. After we read through the list, all of the middle school and high school girls selected five ways that they were going to adopt a more environmentally-friendly lifestyle.

Following our discussion, the girls planted some flowers outside the middle school. The flowers were kindly donated by Lovell's!

I look forward to wrapping up the year at our final meeting on Wednesday, June 10th!
<3 Paiton

P.S. Two of the ways to go green that I personally circled were learning how to compost and making my own household cleaners! If this interests you, check out these links:
Composting
Cleaners

Tomorrow's Meeting 05/27/15

Tomorrow will be our second to last Girl Talk meeting of the year! The topic will be "Going Green". We will be discussing tips for being environmentally friendly before planting some flowers outside Blake. Thanks to Medfield's Lovell's for donating flowers. New members are always welcome :).

"Materialism"

At yesterdays Girl Talk meeting, the topic of discussion was materialism. I was pleased to see that several of the girls brought friends with them. New members are always welcome :)! 

I asked the girls if they would prefer to meet with the same high school mentors or rotate each meeting. The vote was virtually unanimous for the latter, so we split up into small groups with new mentors.

In small groups, the mentors read through a quiz with questions such as:

"Are you unsatisfied with what you own because there is always something else that you want?"

"Does your self-confidence depend upon having the lastest styles and technology?"

"Do you make judgements about other people based on what brands they wear and how much money they have?"

These questions prompted discussion about materialism between the high school and middle school girls. I encouraged the mentors to be honest about themselves and to admit their own shortcomings in order to make the girls feel comfortable having earnest discussions. In my own small group, the girls articulated that they often feel pressure to keep up with trends and wear the "right" brands in order to fit in. I incorporated last meeting's discussion on our personal values by asking the girls if they thought that those values or their possessions defined them to a greater degree. Their responses were insightful. Many of the girls told me that they thought that their values should define them but that they often feel like others perceive them in terms of what they own. We talked about ways to incorporate our individual values into our daily life and to hold them above material possessions. Throughout our talks, I reminded the girls that material possessions are not inherently bad, and that they should enjoy them, as long as they don't let their possessions define them!

After our small group discussions on materialism, I shared a piece of advice that I once received from a mentor of my own: "There is no use in feeling guilty about the blessings that you have received. Instead, you should appreciate those blessings and use them to bless others." Compared to many people, children raised in Medfield grow up with privileges that other children will never know. I have frequently thought about how lucky I am to have been granted access to an excellent education, a home, a supportive community, etc. Since my own middle school days, I have strived to take advantage of my blessings and help others! In order to provide the girls with an opportunity to do this, we sorted socks and underwear for Cradles to Crayons, a nonprofit dedicated to supplying children in low-income or homeless situations with free, essential items. The girls were enthusiastic about this and a pleasure to spend time with! I am looking forward to our next meeting on Wednesday, May 27th! 

:) Paiton

"Who Am I?"

This past Wednesday (April 29th 2015) at Girl Talk, I introduced the new high school mentors to the middle school girls! The high school girls who have volunteered to spend their time at Girl Talk are all just as passionate and excited about helping younger girls as I am. The fifteen mentors that I have recruited so far  range from freshmen to juniors.

The lesson plan on Wednesday was called "Who Am I?". After introducing the topic, we split up into small groups to discuss the values, morals, and interests that define us. We also touched on the values and morals that we hope to achieve, what prevents us from doing so, and how we can get there. To wrap it all up, we drew web diagrams of all of the new information that we learned about ourselves.

An important aspect of Girl Talk lessons is the participation of the mentors. I encouraged all of the high school girls to think about what defines them prior to the meeting. Their commitment to doing so was reflected in the great response that we received from the middle school girls! Many of the girls felt comfortable to open up and share their feelings and beliefs. Girl Talk is off to a great start!

The next meeting will be Wednesday, May 13th from 2:15-3:15 in room 206 at Blake Middle School. 

<3 Paiton 

First Girl Talk Meeting

The first girl talk meeting went well! Today I introduced the program to the girls and we played some get-to-know-you games. The girls were sent home with "About Me" packets (you can find the link in my last post). With 25+ middle school girls, I now plan to move on to recruiting high school mentors! Our next meeting will be 04/29/15. Have a good vacation everyone!