The Girls Supportive Guidance Group at Little Elm High School has been a major success so far. With near perfect attendance, consistent group participation, and mutual respect between all the girls, this group has really taken off. Each student in the group struggle with self-esteem, healthy relationships, family conflict, or other personal issues. Linzy Evans, Communities In Schools Site Coordinator, identified each of these girls as students who needed additional support in a group setting to address these issues.
One of the biggest strengths of this group is the relationships the students have with each other. Many of the girls had developed friendships before attending group, which eliminated one of the biggest barriers to group success (relationship building). Because of this, the group has been able to jump right in to curriculum and activities.
So far, we have discussed our group contract and agreements, identified personal values, and discussed the challenges of finding our identity and battling stereotypes. Most recently, we did an “iceberg activity” in which we drew an iceberg and put a “water line” near the tip of the iceberg. Above the line is 10% of the iceberg and below the line is 90%. I asked the girls to brain storm our own qualities or characteristics that are above the line (making them visible) and those that are below the line (making them difficult to see). This activity enabled the girls to discuss what they hide from others and helped them understand that we all have things in our life that others don’t see. This is just an example of the activities and discussions that we have had together. Overall, the group has made positive progress, and I am excited to see how we continue to grow.
