Dear Webinar Attendee,
Thank you for your interest in supporting adolescent girls and joining me for
Bouncing Forward: Promoting Resiliency & Strengths in Adolescent Girls. This
supplemental handout includes step-by-step instructions of the exercises discussed in
the webinar and additional resources.
If you have any questions regarding the program, feel free to contact me at
[email protected].
The following products are available by visiting www.susanfee.com:
Circle of F.R.I.E.N.D.S. Facilitator Guide (book)
Includes 65 small group activities, Friendship Bull’s-Eye, Capable & Confident CD,
CD-ROM of handouts
Dealing with Mean Girls: A Parent’s Guide to Teaching Girls How to Survive
Difficult Friendships (booklet)
Tips booklet for parents of daughters
Capable & Confident! Raising Empowered Girls (CD)
60-minute audio CD for parents of daughters
21 Days to Becoming a Better Parent (PDF Journal)
Journaling exercises for parents of boys or girls to build parenting skills
BFF! (Except When We’re Not) A Parent’s Guide to Helping Girls Develop
Healthy Friendships (MP3 and workbook)
60-minute MP3 download plus workbook for parents of daughters
BFF! (Except When We’re Not) Helping Girls Develop Healthy Friendships
(DVD)
60-minute recording of live presentation
Inside the Emotional Lives of Girls (DVD)
60-minute recording of live presentation
Self-worth Exercise: Jar of Pennies
Purpose: Build awareness of self-worth and choices that can erode it.
Time: 10-15 minutes
Materials: Glass jar filled with 100 pennies, one new $1.00 bill
Description: Hold up $1.00 bill and ask girl how much it’s worth? (She may feel
you’re tricking her. Confirm that it’s not a trick question – answer is $1.00)
State “What if I did this to it?” Proceed to crumple bill, stomp on it, and call it names.
Hold up the crumpled bill and ask, “Now how much is it worth?” The answer is still
$1.00. Validate that it may look pretty beat up on the outside and probably doesn’t
“feel” good, but that still doesn’t change its value and never will.
Turn to the jar of pennies and state: “Now let’s say this jar holds your self-worth –
it’s everything you value about yourself. There are 100 pennies here, what does that
add up to?” (Girl answers $1.00). Confirm, “That’s right.”
Continue, “Nothing on the outside can diminish your self-worth, but you can
CHOOSE to give it away in little pieces.” Begin to take out pennies and toss them on
the ground as you state relevant ways such as, “You can give up your hobbies or
friends to make someone else happy, you can stay silent because others don’t like
your opinions, you can….” Ask girl – “What are some ways you may have given
little pieces of your self away?” Encourage her to take pennies out to represent the
loss. Then ask, what choices she could make to preserve/build her self-worth?
Strengths Exercise: Body of Evidence
Purpose: Reinforce internal strengths and descriptions.
Time: 30-45 minutes.
Materials: Roll of butcher paper, pencils, scissors, old magazines, markers,
personal pictures, glue or tape.
Description: Cut off a piece of butcher paper for each girl that’s long enough to trace
the outline of her body. Have each girl fill the outline of her body with personal
pictures, magazine cutouts, quotes, cards, and written words that reveal her skills,
abilities, natural talents, and interests. This can be a continuing project as there is a lot
of space to fill.
Encourage each girl to hang up her collage in a special place, such as the back of her
bedroom door, so that she can see a daily reminder of who she is on the inside.
Discussion.Questions:
How can creating a visual reminder of your inside qualities be helpful?
If you have a tough day at school, what can you do to remember your inside
qualities?
Do your friends support the person in your poster, or do they want you to be someone
else?
Have you ever been tempted to change all of your inside qualities to match someone
else’s? What happened?
Circle of F.R.I.E.N.D.S. Facilitator’s Guide Copyright © 2009 Susan Fee.
www.susanfee.com.
Strengths Exercise: Stone of Strengths Necklace
Purpose: Reinforce internal strengths and descriptions.
Time: 30-45 minutes (over two sessions).
Materials: Small flat stone for each girl, colored wire (22-gauge), scissors, needlenose pliers, colored leather cord, poster paints, brushes, spray-on varnish, pencil,
newspaper, and wet wipes for cleanup.
Description: Each girl will paint a stone to represent her strengths. The stone is a
reminder that strengths are solid and consistent. They do not change and never leave
you. However, we can hide them, which we do if we choose to change for someone
else.
Place stones on newspaper and paint only one side. Once they are completed, spray
with varnish and allow to dry. (Some complete this very quickly, so they may want
more than one stone to paint.)
Once dry, place the stone at the center of a 15-inch piece of wire and wrap the wire
around the stone a few times to secure it. Twist the ends, and then wrap the twist
around a pencil to form a loop. Use the pliers to close the loop and cut off any excess
wire. To finish, thread a necklace-length piece of leather cord through the loop and
knot the ends. Give each girl a chance to explain the meaning of her stone.
Discussion.Questions:
What are some ways others try to get us to change who we are on the inside?
What are some situations where it might be hard to remember our strengths?
Have you ever given up a strength or decided not to show it because of someone else?
What happened?
Circle of F.R.I.E.N.D.S. Facilitator’s Guide Copyright © 2009 Susan Fee.
www.susanfee.com.