Winter 2004

Week	Date	Topic	Meeting Theme
One	Jan 10	Welcome Back!	Welcome Back!; Check-ins, games, goodies. Topics and activities below selected by GP Group members.
Two	Jan 17	Dealing with Mean People	Like it or not, some of the people we interact with out there are not nice! Sometimes we can just avoid them altogether and sometimes we can't. We will explore some things we can do when we are faced with people who are mean, especially making sure that we are not part of the problem, too. What works? What doesn't? When do we need help? And how to tell the difference?
Three	Jan 24	Cheating	When is "getting help from a friend with school work" not that, but cheating? Why is cheating so universally despised yet equally so widespread? Do kids cheat more than adults? Do boys cheat more, or do girls? When someone cheats, why is it such a big deal? And who are the losers, and "winners" in cheating? Does it bug you when kids cheat off of you? This is a topic that everyone knows something about!
Four	Jan 31	*Photo Shoot!*	GP Photo Shoot! Let's have some fun. As most know, One of Kevin's hobbies is photography, so come as you are, or pack an outfit, or whacky dress up clothes from home and bring them to group. We'll borrow some special lighting from DCTV and set up a studio with backdrops, etc. Bring your camera too if you want. All photos that Kevin takes will be available on disk and on our photo site so girls can copy, print, etc.
Five	Feb 7	Being Smart	Why is being labeled "a brainiac" seem like a bad thing? How come girls seem to suffer more for being smart and doing well in class than boys? And what's with kids who fail one test after another and get into all kinds of trouble and yet are considered the "popular kids" around school? We'll look at the why's and myths of all this, and get so much smarter in the process. So there!
Special	Feb 9	Girl Power Sleepover!	Hey, that's right, Like last year! Girl Power Group Sleepover, Friday, Feb 7, at 7:00 PM until the next morning at 10 AM! See "Important Details" for location, etc. (Evening Discussion topic to be decided by girls.) Important Details
Six	Feb 14	Kinds of Love	What better day than Valentines Day to do a fly-by on the varieties and kinds of love that exist out there! Everyone (thankfully) has had some experience of love, from birth on up, from mom, dad, grampy, best friends, and ol' what's his name! Love gives "jest" and meaning to life, without it, we suffer, but what is love, anyway? Some people say that love is like a ladder that has many steps. Let's see, Let's share.... and, because it is Valentine's Day, something special will happen, too. (No further clues!)
No Meeting	Feb 21	Vacation No Meeting	School Vacation Week. GP does not meet!
Seven	Feb 28	Lesbians	In the past, GP has discussed gay and lesbian issues and the whole topic of gay lifestyles in general. But still, some in group still seek to have a better understanding of the "how's" and "why's" of lesbian lifestyles in particular. Using printed resources in the Youth Advocate's office, we'll use this literature to get discussion rolling.
Eight	March 7	Extended Program Today!	Thanks to Mr. Petty, we have the Middle School Gym reserved just for GP members all afternoon! We'll begin as usual in Kevin's office, then head over for 3 PM and stay until 5:30 playing games, sharing music, discussion and more . Additional details coming.
Nine	March 14	LASER GATE!Early Release Day!	Early Release Day. To Kevin’s office at 11:45, share pizza lunch and THEN OFF TO LASER GATE! Important Details
Ten	March 21	Jealousy	We'll talk about the jealousies that happen between people who are in relationships, but we will also discuss the plain old every day variety of being jealous of what others have and we do not and how it makes us feel, etc.
Eleven	March 28	Goth/Emo	Our topic today is about styles, images and their related identities. There are many styles, scenes and lifestyles that teens today may identify with. We'll explore what some of these are, what they mean or don't mean, and perhaps better understand why we identify with what we do, etc. For a definition of the term "emo," go here.
Twelve	April 4	"Perverts"	This is the term that girls selected. While more polite terms exist for this word, and certainly cruder terms, too, everyone thinks that they know what it means. Today we'll make sure that everyone is aware of what constitutes perverted (sexual) behavior, how to recognize it and most especially how to stay safe and to seek help when confronted by this inappropriate behavior by others.
Thirteen	April 11	Early Release Day! Topic: TBA	Early Release Day. To Kevin’s office at 11:45, bring $$ for pizza take-out. Girls will decide what we do.
No Meeting	April 18	Vacation No Meeting	School Vacation Week. GP does not meet!
Fourteen	April 25	Secrets	What's in a secret? Why do we keep them? Do secrets really stay "secret?" Why or why not? What's the difference between a secret and telling someone something in confidence? When is a secret okay to keep and when NOT? Something else will unfold at this meeting this week too, but we're not saying, because it's a secret! (Honest...you'll see!)
Fifteen	May 2	Cliques	"Who me? I'm not in a clique, I just like hanging with a certain group of my friends, that's all!" Hello? When is a group of people not a clique, but just a bunch of close friends that you happen to hang with? What are the signs? And most of all, how do girls deal with being on the "outside"of a clique looking in.
Sixteen	May 9	Early Release Day! Topic: TBA	Early Release Day. To Kevin’s office at 11:45, bring $$ for pizza take-out. Girls will decide what we do. Weather permitting, we're considering outdoor games, etc. We'll see.
Seventeen	May 16	Topic TBA	Sometimes it's good to leave some topics open to either fill as we get closer or to leave it as an "open topics" day!
Eighteen	May 23	Change	Change sometimes is uncomfortable and even scary, but it also can bring new opportunities and joy. We'll talk about changes we are fearful about and changes we can't wait to have happen.
Nineteen	May 30	Last Meeting	Last GP meeting for the year. We'll review our year together, hold a "transition ceremony" for rising 8th graders and have a bit of a party, too!

Week

Date

Topic

Meeting Theme

One

Jan 10

Welcome Back!

Jan 17

Jan 24

Cheating

Jan 31

Feb 7

Feb 14

Kinds of Love

Lesbians

March 7

Thanks to Mr. Petty, we have the Middle School Gym reserved just for GP members all afternoon! We'll begin as usual in Kevin's office, then head over for 3 PM and stay until 5:30 playing games, sharing music, discussion and more . Additional details coming.

March 14

March 21

Welcome
Back!