empowering girls to take the lead
What is Ophelia's Voice?
Who We Are
Ophelia's Voice is a nonprofit organization based out of Sherwood Park, Alberta, with a focus on empowering girls and young women to use their leadership potential to affect social change in their community through self-initiated social justice projects. The organization is led by youth, for youth, and was started by the 16-year-old founder, Joanne Cave, with assistance from her graduate student mentors at the University of Alberta. Ophelia's Voice is in its third year of operation.
The name Ophelia's Voice was inspired by Mary Pipher's book Reviving Ophelia: Saving The Selves of Adolescent Girls (1994), which describes the significant challenges girls face navigating adolescence in an age of hypersexuality, pervasive media messages, and an exceedingly narrow definition of beauty. Ophelia's Voice emphasizes that teenage girls don't need "saving" if they are equipped with a supportive network of other girls, the opportunities to reach their leadership potential, and the resources and mentorships to make positive choices. Ophelia's Voice is directed by girls, and focuses on prevention and the strengths girls already possess! We know that girls are capable of changing the world.
Ophelia's Voice is involved with POWER Camp National as one of their associate members. We also maintain partnerships with other community organizations and represent girls on a provincial and national level!
Latest News
Our Fall 2008 newsletter is now available for download!
Can I join Ophelia's Voice during the year, even though you're done recruitment?
In short, yes. Our program is designed for girls to participate for the duration of the year so we establish a comfort level among the group, but we will allow girls to join throughout the year if they are interested. Our program fee for the year is $200.00, so for each month missed we will make a $20.00 reduction. In the second half of the year, our big focus will be on helping girls plan their own community action projects, so it is challenging to orient new girls into the program when we are taking on independent projects. It'll be a on case-by-case basis, so contact us. If you missed our recruiting at the end of August, just fill out the registration package and send it our way.
We have launched our new 2008 - 2009 program with a great group of girls! Watch the blog, calendar, and the Latest News section for updates on the cool projects, activities, and workshops we are planning!
Ophelia's Voice has just launched our new blog, available here that will be frequently updated with our organization's news, program information, as well as resources for girls and other organizations! Check it out!
We also recently finished our project with the Healthy Children Healthy Communities project of the United Nations Association of Canada. Some highlights include presentations by our participants to the Mayor and County Council about our recommendations for improving young people's health, our attendance at the National Roundtable on Healthy Community Development in Ottawa March 17 - 19, 2008, and a request for us to submit a statement to the Senate Subcommittee on Population Health about the importance of youth engagement in health issues. At the National Roundtable representatives of Ophelia's Voice presented the keynote, sat on a youth engagement panel, and presented youth-created canvasses at a banquet of policymakers! Our Senate statement can be viewed here.
Ophelia's Voice is pleased to announce some new funding sources! Thank you to Strathcona County Council, Government of Alberta Children's Services, Family Violence and Bullying Prevention, and County Clothes-Line Foundation!
