February 13, 2006

By: Joanne Cave

It’s no surprise to hear that teenage girls today are plagued with countless issues - self-mutilation, sexuality, violence, lack of confidence and self-esteem, identity, and substance abuse hardly skim the surface. The character Ophelia in the Shakespearean play, Hamlet, is often used as a reference to today’s teen girls. Ophelia had no self-worth and was very docile and dependent on others, and it is often considered that teen girls today reflect this image. As a thirteen year old girl myself, I know what it’s like to have to deal with peer pressure, guys, friends, and parents. I felt it was very important to be able to give girls a space where they could talk about the issues that affected them in an atmosphere led by other youth that was non-judgmental, fun, and creative. This is the reason why I created the discussion group Ophelia’s Voice in my community of Sherwood Park, Alberta. Organizing this grassroots initiative has been a long, challenging, yet amazingly exhilarating process.

I first dreamed up the idea of Ophelia’s Voice after I read the book Reviving Ophelia: Saving The Selves Of Adolescent Girls(Mary Pipher, 1994). This book really opened my eyes to the issues that teen girls today were facing, as well as revealed the issues present in my life, which I had once thought to be sheltered. Suddenly I realized - some of my best friends were cutters, bulimics, or suffered from depression. More often than not, I realized the girls I was close to, and had been best friends with since the second grade, really needed a place where they could learn about these kinds of problems, meet other girls, and gain support. Too often adolescence feels like a battlefield - if only we could win the fight against peers, parents, and low self-esteem, then maybe we could succeed without getting caught on the sidelines.

So I drafted my idea of Ophelia’s Voice and seeked some adult mentors through the University of Alberta. Currently I have two graduate students from the Faculty of Psychology who have been tremendously supportive and helpful with this project. I plan to start piloting the Ophelia’s Voice project in September 2006. Ophelia’s Voice would be a weekly program for teenage girls aged 12 - 14 in Strathcona County, Alberta. Each month we would have weekly sessions facilitated by other teenage girls that rotated around a different monthly theme, or issue to be addressed. Some of the monthly themes include media awareness, sexuality, body image, and violence.

After I developed the idea of Ophelia’s Voice, I wrote the Ophelia’s Voice Resource and Programming Guide, at 249 pages. This publication, and many others, has helped me map out the Ophelia’s Voice project from start to finish. I had gathered resources for each of the monthly themes, support from many other organizations, and lots of great information on facilitation, funding, etc. The Ophelia’s Voice Resource and Programming Guide served as a tremendous starting point for the launch of entire project. In addition, I also started a website and a weblog to keep the Internet community informed on my activities with Ophelia’s Voice.

We are currently seeking a partnership with one of our local youth organizations in Strathcona County. Through a partnership, we would have access to a charitable registration number, facilities, financial accountability, and insurance that we would have otherwise have to had dealt with independently. It is certainly much easier to start the Ophelia’s Voice project under the guidance of a parent organization before we decide to apply for our own non-profit status if our pilot is a success. In addition to seeking a partnership, we are also looking for funding. My adult advisors and I have created a budget for $5000 in funding to help pilot our project - this would cover the use of the venue, curriculum resources, publicity, and general expenses. After we obtain a formal partnership, we will start applying for grants and fundraising to reach our goal.

As a youth organizer, Ophelia’s Voice has been a challenging, yet amazing experience. I have lots of support from the Capture Our Spirit Program at the Information and Volunteer Centre Of Strathcona County, the Strathcona County Youth Council, the POWER Camp National Network, and my e-mail mentor through the organization Dream Now, Dev Aujla. I am overwhelmed by the amount of publicity Ophelia’s Voice has been receiving, as well as the phenomenal support of parents, girls, local organizations, and community members.

My main challenges have been having credibility for this project, finding a venue, and obtaining funding. Often, an organization will be very surprised that I am only thirteen-years-old. Of course, the typical stereotype holds true - without the adult advisors I am working with, I would struggle so much more to obtain the amount of credibility and respect that I am receiving. In a sense, though, it’s very empowering to know that I am getting so much recognition, support, and encouragement as a youth organizer; regardless of my age, I am respected for my ideas and hard work.

My Ophelia’s Voice journey has only just begun, and I am so excited for the future. I am looking forward to when teenage girls in my community are empowered, encouraged to share their unique voices, and taking action and making a difference. In this world of media influence, peer pressure, and countless challenges, it is hard to break out of the mold and embrace your individuality. I hope through Ophelia’s Voice I can strengthen, empower, and rekindle teenage girls to realize their beauty, power, and uniqueness and to share that with the world. Too often our youth are silenced - their unique perspectives going unheard, their intelligence, ideas, and creativity not embraced. Through Ophelia’s Voice, I want to make an impact and to kindle the fire of change and passion in today’s young women.