Strong Girls, Healthy Relationships: A Conversation on Dating, Friendship & Self-Esteem is JWI’s new healthy relationship program for young teen girls. This dynamic 12-hour, 6-session curriculum engages girls in structured discussions and activities to help them interactively explore empowerment and self-esteem in the context of relationships they build, the way they perceive themselves, and how they envision their futures.

Each session focuses on a different topic:

• Session One: The Language of Relationship helps participants develop the language to talk about relationships.
• Session Two: What Does the Word Relationship Mean to Me? explores how pressures and cultural messages might lead teenage girls to feel confused as to what it is that they want from a dating relationship.
• Session Three: What are Healthy and Unhealthy/Abusive Relationships?  explores the dynamics of relationships using JWI’s film When Push Comes to Shove…It’s No Longer Love®.
• Session Four: The Role of Female Friendships helps teens to recognize the ways in which female friends serve as confidants and support in their lives.
• Session Five: Who Am I and What Do I Bring to a Relationship/Friendship? helps participants articulate who they are and the unique qualities they contribute to a relationship.
• Session Six: What Do I See For My Future? helps girls visualize their futures, and think about how to find the people who support them in achieving their goals.

Each participant receives her own workbook that she uses throughout the course of the sessions, and in which she records thoughts and feeling related to discussions, role-plays, and text studies. Based on the premise that self-esteem stems from self-knowledge, the program guides participants in an exploration of who they are, what they want, and the types of relationships – both friendship and dating – they choose for themselves. Girls gain a vocabulary for talking about relationships while they examine the messages and pressures those relationships bring.

Order this toolkit

Arrange for a JWI professional to come and facilitate this program for you! Contact the programming department at 800.343.2823 or programming@jwi.org.

For older teens and college students: When Push Comes to Shove...It's No Longer Love! Dating Abuse Program

Testimonials

"This is the curriculum that I wish had been implemented when I attended a Jewish day school, participated in youth group, and attended Jewish summer camp."

--Dr. Shira D. Epstein, Curriculum Author

"This curriculum is engaging and innovative. It weaves together activities and discussions about topics that are so relevant to girls today. Both participants and facilitators thoroughly enjoyed themselves throughout the sessions."

--Ronit Sherwin, Executive Director, Nishma: The St. Louis Jewish Women's Project

"We saw real changes in the group dynamics even before we completed the curriculum. It was remarkable to see the 'cliques' of girls dissolve so they formed one united group."

--Melissa Waksman, Camp Ramah Darom

Strong Girls, Healthy Relationships is made possible through generous support from The Hadassah Foundation.