2011/2012 School Year: Make A Difference

Lauren Meek — Mon, 19 Sep 2011 00:56:10 +0000

Hi Girls,

Last year I just wasn’t able to post on here like I have in past years, so this year we’ll get back on track. Since it is the beginning of a new school year it’s always important to have some goal in mind. Many of you may say that you want to try to get an ‘A’ in a class, or study more, some of you may say that this is the year you will go out for a certain sport or club. I say that this is the year you MAKE A DIFFERENCE!

How can you make a difference? Well, as a GEMS girl you know that the only way bullying/teasing/trashing/hurting people will stop is if you take a stand. Scientists have done lots of research on this. Do you know what they found out? Bullies need an AUDIENCE. They need people to laugh with them and approve of what they are doing. So, if they don’t have an audience, they don’t have a reason to bully someone. So take a stand. Walk away. Don’t laugh. Don’t participate. Grab the victim and turn your backs. Get your friends to change the topic.

There are so many different ways for you to make a difference Even it seems like something very small like just walking away, or really hard like having to get an adult involved in a situation you can do it.

Keep staying strong and post your comments and feedback on our FACEBOOK page.

It’s Not Too Late! Buy GEMS for the 2010-2011 School Year.

Lauren Meek — Sun, 22 Aug 2010 15:20:44 +0000

Attention! It’s not too late to purchase GEMS for the 2010-2011 school year. If your school or organization is in need of a program that reaches young adolescent girls, this is it.

The GEMS program now sells for only $500 and includes the lesson plans, handouts, retreat ideas, permission slips, etc. that you will need to start this proactive approach to dealing with relational aggression in your school! We’ve redone our format to make it more user friendly. Now all the lesson plans for the three years of GEMS are together with an easily accessible Appendix in the end including ALL your reproducible handouts.

Call us at 216-486-2381 or email us at info@gemsonline.org for more information!

Bullying In Our Own Backyard

Lauren Meek — Sun, 22 Aug 2010 15:08:37 +0000

Hello all. I was just reading in the paper the other day about Mentor High School and the suicides that have occurred there. Parents, Teachers, Administrators - we need to wake up and take action. When are we going to realize that words can kill? Kids being picked on or made fun of NEED help and so do the kids who are doing the picking on!

Schools who have anti-bullying programs I applaud you, however, do they include forms of relational aggression? In other words, it’s easy to give consequences for physical bullying, but what about the less overt stuff? Are your teachers and other staff members trained to deal with situations that occur on a daily basis in the classroom, lunchroom, playground, bus, club meetings, and sports practices that involve kids being excluded, made fun of, texted about, or anything else that is easy to do under the radar? Do you have resources available for kids who feel that they have no one to turn to when their entire class is spreading a rumor about them? When are we as adults going to realize that this is NOT just kids being kids?

If your school does not already have some type of proactive anti-bullying program in place fight to get one. The scars left by a punch will heal, but those left by vindictive words will last a lifetime. We need to recognize that our kids need tools to help them navigate through these kinds of situations. The aggressors, the victims, and the bystanders all need help. Please check out some of our links on our professional help page or do some research on your own. Either way, we can no longer stand by idly and allow our children to take their own lives because they feel that they have no other alternative!

GEMS Retreat 2010

Lauren Meek — Mon, 17 May 2010 00:36:37 +0000

Well, this year’s retreat was amazing! We had 35 awesome girls who participated and 6 adults and 4 former GEMS to help us out. Some highlights from this year include Officer Shauna McCann from the South Euclid police department teaching all of us how to be safe and strong women. She taught us some great self-defense moves and offered up good advice for tough situations. Also, while the girls were making each other friendship bracelets, 2 of our former GEMS led them in several great discussions about relational aggression and what is going on in our school. The candle pass ceremony was my favorite part of the night. It is always a touching experience for me to hear our GEMS girls open up to the entire group and thank their friends for being there for them as well as offer apologies to those they have hurt in the past.

I think the most important thing for all of us to remember about the entire experience is that for one night and part of a day all of us came together to be a part of something bigger than ourselves. We teamed up and had fun with people who may not be our best friends, but who know what it means to be a GEMS girl. And for that, I am always honored to be a small part of this GEMS experience!

Good luck to you, Therese as you move on to high school! We were so happy to have you at the retreat with us.

New Price for GEMS!!!

Lauren Meek — Fri, 07 May 2010 13:39:41 +0000

You’ve spoken and we’ve listened. The GEMS Girls Educated and Motivated to Succeed program is now available for purchase for only $500!! This includes all 3 GEMS years with lesson plans, handouts and more. Plus the entire Retreat package - enough activities to run 3 successful years of retreats. In addition, Nancy and I are now available to come to your school or organization to educate teachers, parents, or students about relational aggression.

As always, please remember that the GEMS program was designed to help our girls navigate through relational aggression and other social issues of adolescence. ALWAYS listen to your girls (and boys) and take what they are saying seriously. We are the trusted adults in their lives. If they choose to come to us with a problem, then it is our duty to validate their feelings and ensure that they are safe.