WHAT IS A GIRLS' CIRCLE?

A Girls Circle is a structured group program designed specifically for girls and young women. It provides a safe and supportive space for them to gather and engage in meaningful discussions, activities, and skill-building exercises. The primary purpose of a Girls Circle is to promote emotional well-being, personal growth, self-esteem, and positive relationships among participants.

Typically led by trained facilitators or mentors, Girls Circles focus on various topics relevant to girls’ lives, such as self-confidence, self-expression, healthy relationships, body image, communication skills, goal-setting, and navigating challenges. The circles encourage open dialogue, active listening, and mutual support among participants.

Through Girls Circles, girls have the opportunity to share their experiences, learn from one another, develop critical thinking skills, and build resilience. The circles foster a sense of belonging, promote empowerment, and create a supportive community where girls can explore their identities, express themselves authentically, and develop important life skills.

Girls’ circles are mini versions of Red Tent meetings. Red Tent meetings are gatherings inspired by the concept of the “Red Tent,” which originated from Anita Diamant’s novel “The Red Tent” and refers to a sacred space for women to gather and support one another. In these meetings, women come together in a designated space, often symbolically represented by a red-colored tent or fabric, to share, connect, and engage in various activities. Red Tent meetings provide a supportive environment where women can openly discuss their experiences, emotions, challenges, and celebrate their femininity. These gatherings may involve storytelling, sharing of personal journeys, discussions on women’s health and well-being, spiritual practices, rituals, and nurturing connections between participants. The purpose of Red Tent meetings is to foster sisterhood, empower women, and create a safe space for self-expression and personal growth.

The Circles

In our eight session girls’ circles, the intention is for each girl to embark on a transformative journey where she:

• Learns how to embrace her value with unwavering confidence.
• Attunes to her inner compass, connecting with her authentic and truest self.
• Cultivates meaningful friendships and embodies the qualities of being a supportive friend.
• Expresses her truth boldly, both in the face of authority and among peers.
• Develops a deep understanding of, reverence for, and nurturing care towards her evolving body.
• Acquires the skills and wisdom essential for an empowering path towards womanhood.
• Acquires the tools to navigate and embrace her physical, social, emotional, and spiritual well-being.
• Uncovers her innate confidence, perceptiveness, assertiveness, strength, integrity, and taps into the profound wisdom residing within her body.

MENTOR'S TRAINING

JOURNEY OF A YOUNG WOMAN

Hi, My name is Juliet and I completed my training with Katharine Krueger at The Coming of Age Community, Journey of a Young Woman. You can read more on their website (click button below). To read more about me and my work as a therapist please click here for my full website. 

The guiding principles of JOYW are:

๑ compassion
๑ awareness
๑ reverence for the interdependent web of life.

Alongside those, JOYW upholds universal values – such as integrity, respect, and freedom – that are gifts from cross-cultural wisdom and religious traditions including Buddhism, Christianity, earth-honoring spirituality and shamanism.

JOYW draws from modern sources such as Linda Knodle’s Coming of Age curriculum, Tamara Slayton’s I Find My Star curriculum, Marshall Rosenberg’s Non-Violent Communication, Joanna Macy’s eco-feminism, and Rudolph Steiner’s and Maria Montessori’s views on child development and education.

Every girl and every adult student is encouraged to translate what they hear into language that fits with their own beliefs, and to feel free to explore those in circle. Girls of many faiths and no faith have found meaning and a sense of belongingness in the girls’ circles.

Other key principles that arise from the main guiding principles are:

Diverse, inclusive representation.  JOYW welcomes heartfully people of ALL racial and ethnic identities, economic and social classes, gender identities, sexual orientations, nationalities/immigration status, languages, education, religions/spirituality, ages, sizes, physical and mental health status, and dis/abilities. JOYW aim to prioritize the voices of black and brown people and all people experiencing oppression. The staff, fee structure, and teaching content support inclusivity, diversity and equity and diversity.  JOYW work hard to expand their efforts. JOYW encourage their trainees and graduates to do likewise as mentors and community members.

Intersectionality.  JOYW stand together against oppression in all its forms.  Although the mentor training focus on girl’s mentorship, JOYW teach about offering gender-expansive, all-genders, and boys’ mentorship. JOYW deeply believe that young people of all genders need and deserve affirmation and support from birth forward. Students, grads and staff explore issues such as white privilege, raising and mentoring anti-racist children, mentoring gender-expansively, working with kids on the spectrum, and cultural appropriation.

Sex, Body, and Menstrual Positivity.  The time for shame, silence, stigma and exclusion is over. JOYW promote understanding, celebration, and reverence for all bodies in all their amazing facets.

Calendar

Our Upcoming Eight Session Circle

October 2023 – July 2024

Age 8 – 11 10:30 – 13:00  Age 12 – 14 13:30 – 16:00

 Four monthly installments of £37.50

13

October

First circle topic: Welcome

Rational Aim: Meet each other. Understand the rhythm of the meetings.

Experiential Aim: Feel comfortable and safe in the group.

Activity: Introduce the circle, share something about yourself, meditation. Share chocolate dipped strawberries. Make brigid dolls

03

November

Second circle topic: Communication

Rational Aim: Effective communication, non-violent communication.

Experiential Aim:  Natural communication that is considered rather than reactionary. Feel confident to express needs after assessing internal feelings.

Activity: Play the ‘Stepping into Connection’ game with the feelings and needs cards. Make communication jars.

01

December

Third circle topic: Social Intelligence

Rational Aim: Appreciation of how our actions can hurt others and the power to walk away instead of staying in a toxic environment / trying to change others.

Experiential Aim: Awareness of mean behavior, towards others AND towards ourselves.

Activity: Journal making & discussion on meanness / bullying

02

February

Fourth circle topic: Assertivness

Rational Aim: Apply learning from previous two circles.

Experiential Aim: Confidence, self esteem and feeling empowered.

Activity: Skits (Demonstrate unacceptable behavior, expression of feelings and needs through NVC and conscious decisions). Firebuilding and marshmallows.

01

March

Fifth circle topic: Puberty and Brief Exploration of Menstruation

Rational Aim: Understand puberty and the physiology of menstruation.

Experiential Aim: Leave fear behind and welcome feelings of positivity, sacredness, matriarchy / fraternity.

Activity: Womb Art (8-11) & Cycle Chart (12 – 14).

03

May

Sixth circle topic: Menstrual Products

Rational Aim: Understand the different available products, their benefits and disadvantages (for themself and the planet).

Experiential Aim: Feel empowered to make their own choice about what they use and know how to get that product.

Activity: Examples of different products (inc. packaging and ingredients). Reading from The Red Tent by Anita Diamont. Make Cloth Pads (12 – 14)

07

June

Seventh circle topic: Connection

Rational Aim: Connecting with your “sisters”.

Experiential Aim: For everyone to feel supported.

Activity: Make a moon basket to pass on to someone else in the circle (12 – 14). (8 -11 tbc)

05

July

Eigth circle topic: Final circle, celebration and potluck feast.

Rational Aim: Celebration!

Experiential Aim: Share their circle with families and close people.

Activity: Potluck feast. Fireside circle with stories and singing (someone bring a guitar). Some song suggestions. Toasting marshmallows and hot chocolate.

Girls

CAMPFIRE

AGE

CAMPFIRE

AGE

Get In Touch

Location: 12 Brooklands Road Farnham GU9 9BP

I am holding the circle at my house because we have the perfect firepit setting. The circle is specifically drop off however parents are free to hang around inside the house. I will provide drinks and you can enjoy your own circle.

Telephone: 07775753781

Email: hypnotherapy@juliethollingsworth.com

Cost: Four monthly instalments of £37.50