Current Programs

Please note for the 2009 - 2010 year, Ophelia's Voice is not running regular workshops or programs with girls. Our focus in 2009 - 2010 is cultivating the Girls Speakers Bureau and supporting past participants with the progress of their community action projects. In addition, we will continue to advocate for issues that affect girls and women and increase the accessibility of resources for girls through our resource library donation to the Strathcona County Library. If new girls are interested in getting involved in the Speaker's Bureau or the leadership network of girls and women mentors, contact info@opheliasvoice.org.

Past Programs

For the 2008 - 2009 year, we launched a year-long program for teenage girls in the Sherwood Park/Edmonton area aged 12 - 15 (please note this age guideline is very flexible, so please contact us further to discuss). The program is on a "membership" basis, so participants have access to all special events, activities, and workshops that run on an ongoing basis and can choose which sessions to attend based on their interest and schedule. The workshops are delivered by youth facilitators and driven by the participants themselves. All activities and sessions are supervised by qualified adult women mentors with experience in working in youth and girls' issues. Topics that potentially made be addressed include: sexuality and puberty, the media, body image and self esteem, physical and mental health, individuality, dating, peer pressure, bullying, relationships, and much more! The ongoing program will include fitness activities (everything from yoga to hip-hop), art projects, community volunteer projects, guest speakers, and discussions.

Girls who participated in the Ophelia's Voice program:

• Had all access to every workshop, activity, and event from September 2008 - June 2009
• Could book appointments with youth facilitators or adult mentors outside of program hours to talk about issues or ask further questions (note this is on a mentorship, and not a counselling, basis)
• Were eligible for seed funding grants to initiate their own projects and travel opportunities to conferences
• Could have assistance with transportation to and from program activities (bus tickets, etc).
• Had direction over the workshops and activities throughout the year, and can even volunteer to co-facilitate!

Download our program brochure here for more information.

Leadership Focus

Our focus for the 2008 - 2009 program is leadership. Throughout the year we'll be discussing different community and social justice issues (such as feminism, the environment, poverty, and human rights) and how we can make an impact in our community. Throughout the year we'll get involved in different volunteer projects with causes that the participants choose, and we'll also begin building the skills to launch our own small-scale projects! Girls in teams can choose an issue in the community that's important to them, and we'll offer mentors, support, and seed funding to make the projects a reality!

In October 2006, Ophelia's Voice launched our first pilot project - a 10-week session with a group of 8 participants aged 10 - 13. The session started with a one-day orientation/retreat at the Strathcona Wilderness Centre, followed by 10 weeks of sessions at the Strathcona County Library addressing topics such as body image, media awareness, relationships, and sexuality. The pilot project received significant media attention, and several of the girls assisted in a leadership role with Recreation Parks and Culture's "Go Girls" fitness event at Millennium Place. The session culminated with the creation of a scrapbook, and several of the participants went on to continue as program assistants/mentors to the girls in the second session.

Our second pilot project started in January 2007, with a core group of 13 girls. We explored similar topics and invited several guest speakers. We also explored some art projects with our resident art therapist to better grapple with some of the issues we were discussing. The second session culminated in April 2007.

In January 2008 we started a project with the United Nations Association of Canada "Healthy Children Healthy Communities" initiative. We provided recommendations to our municipality about what was needed to improve the social factors that affect young people's health through a presentation to our Mayor and Council. We also brought 4 girls to the National Roundtable on Healthy Community Development in Ottawa in March 2008 to interact amongst policymakers and national organizations. We delivered the keynote presentation, served on a panel about youth engagement, and presented youth-created canvasses depicting Canadian young people's health at the roundtable banquet! At the conclusion of the project we were asked to submit a statement to the Senate Subcommittee on Population Health for their review.