Marin Teen Girl Conference! Free to Be Me 2022
Session 1:
Body Image and Media
Dive into the messages you've received from various media about bodies and relationships, and have the opportunity to work together to form alternative messages you'd like to see. Presented by Shalom Bayit
Career Possibilities: How Do I Get There From Here?
A panel of women share their experiences in a range of careers. Learn what these jobs are really like and how to get started in these fields or the one of your choice. This is an opportunity to discuss the strengths of women in the workplace, what advantages they bring, and challenges they face. Each woman will offer her advice and insights on why now is best time for young women to soar in their careers! Presented by a panel of dynamic women in unique career paths.
Let's Talk Cannabis and Tobacco!
Navigating youth substance. A safe space to discuss and ask questions about alcohol, vaping and cannibas. Presented by Marin Prevention Network (MPN)
Self Defense
Teaching important self defense skills to young women in order to promote proper self defense in dangerous instances. Presented by Liliana Gonzalez from Community Violence Solutions
The F word- What is Feminism and why do we still need it?
Feminism, what is it and why do we still need it? This workshop explores definitions of feminism and allows attendees to define what it means for themselves. During the workshop we will watch video clips about gender roles and how the media defines what it means to be a woman in 2022. We will also discuss in small groups what we think women can be, rather than what they should be, and why this is important even today. Presented by Jessica Chapman
Mental Health
A discussion about mental health and how to advocate for yourself and others. Presented by Marin County Health and Human Services
Session 2
LGBTQ+ Caucus
A forum to discuss the advancement of youth LGBTQ+ rights. Presented by The Spahr Center (TSC)
Harm Reduction Made Real
Whether you know it or not, you already practice Harm Reduction principles in your daily life. Think about why you use a seat belt. In this workshop, we will examine what harm reduction might look like for people who use substances, as well as how you can help with the opioid overdose epidemic. You will also learn about Narcan (spray), a medication that reverses opioid overdose, and how to use this lifesaving tool. Presented by The Spahr Center (TSC)
Healthy Relationships
Through a PowerPoint presentation and activities, girls and young women learn about dating abuse, recognizing the warning signs and different types of unhealthy relationships, how to help peers, and more. Marin Against Youth Abuse (MAYA) & Center for Domestic Peace (C4DP)
Creating Consent Culture
Explore the definition and ins and outs of consent, as well as what it means to build a true consent culture. Presented by Shalom Bayit
Resisting the Setup
We will focus on the disconnect between feeling like a “strong young woman” in some ways and then losing that feeling when it comes to advocating for yourself in both friendships and relationships. We will introduce the idea of what we call, “The Set Up” and who young women are setup to define themselves, communicate, and behave in ways that do not serve them when it matters most. Participants will leave this workshop not feeling “talked at” but rather invited to show up in a different way in their lives after engaging with these ideas. Come ready to be heard, not lectured to. Presented by Prajna Consulting
Safer Sex for Everyone
“Safer sex” can mean lots of different things to lots of different people and sex is a big decision the first time or anytime. We’ll explore the different ways someone can make sex safer for their heart, mind, and body. This fun and interactive workshop will provide information that can empower us to support ourselves or a friend in making healthy decisions. Presented by Planned Parenthood
Session 3
Disrupting the School to Prison Pipeline
Young women are on the forefront of the movement to end mass incarceration. Youth Transforming Justice (YTJ) has been disrupting the school-to-prison pipeline for over 17 years. YTJ’s Peer Solutions program (formerly called Youth Court) provides a youth driven restorative trauma-informed alternative to school suspensions and juvenile prosecution. YTJ believes that a young person should be given the opportunity to learn from a mistake rather than punished and stigmatized. In this workshop you will learn how YTJ supports young people by co-creating a Restorative Plan that repairs the harm and relationships they have impacted.Presented by Youth Transforming Justice (YTJ)
My Values, My Mission, My Change
In this session, participants will go through a series of activities to determine their core values and create their personal mission statements in order to guide them in their social change movement. Presented by Golden Gate Silicon Valley YWCA
Yoga
Blending precision in alignment with breath and movement for a balanced yoga (asana) experience. Presented by Renee Surcouf
All Hands on Deck! Tackling a Deadly Opioid Crisis in Marin County
We have all seen headlines and stories about opioids, maybe even streamed shows like, “Dope Sick.” But do we know how the recent waves of synthetic opioids like fentanyl (i.e. “counterfeit pills” posing as prescriptions drugs like Xanax or Adderal) impact Marin County residents? And what teen girls can do to stop fatal overdoses? Presented by RXSafe Marin
Sexuality - Beyond the Rainbow
Sexual orientation, gender, biology, and expression- though these areas of a person’s life may influence each other, they are still distinctly different and dynamic- making each person have their own unique sexual identity. Come explore these concepts in a fun and interactive way. We’ll be thinking about ourselves, hearing from our peers, and understanding allyship. Presented by Planned Parenthood
Are You Ready for College?
Our panel of college “experts” discuss factors that can help you prepare for getting to college? What kind of higher education is right for you? Should you start at a community college or go right to a 4 year university? What if your GPA isn’t that great? Are you emotionally ready for the realities of college life? Can You Handle the Workload? Are you the first in your family to go to college? What kind of college will be the right fit – will I know? Is it hard being away from home? Presented by a panel of current College students.
“Girls” refers to gender expansive youth (cis girls, trans girls, non-binary youth, gender non-conforming youth, gender queer youth and any girl-identified youth).