Vanessa Rogers is a qualified teacher and youth worker with over ten years' experience both at practitioner and management levels. Prior to becoming a nationally acclaimed youth work consultant, Vanessa managed a wide range of services for young people including a large youth centre and targeted detached projects in Hertfordshire, UK. Vanessa's website can be found at www.vanessarogers.co.uk.
Acknowledgements/Contributors. Introduction. 1. Setting up a young women's group. 2. Getting started. 3. Self-esteem and body image. 4. Healthy lifestyles. 5. Positive relationships. 6. Gender and stereotypes. 7. Endings. Useful websites.
The book is a helpful and lively resource for working with young women, pulsing energy and generating thought and discussion for participants. Clearly marked pages indicate permission to copy an use in relation to the group sessions which seek to help young women from 13-19 years old in settings as various as youth groups, clubs, schools and colleges, for PSHE teachers, youth offending teams and for voluntary sector youth leaders... A comprehensive introduction acquaints the reader with the kinds of questions likely to arise around group work with young women. Practical advice for setting up groups, size, age appropriateness, and compatibility, for example... This could be a much-used resource in many different settings because of its recognition of issues involved and its versatility. The energy and optimism underpinning the activities fit the reality of young women with future selves to develop... This book recognises and addresses the energy radiating from young women and provides a wealth of activities to embrace the many areas of life and self with which they are living, encountering, struggling with or coming to terms with. The variety of activities means great potential, great scope for developing all group members' awareness of self, individual needs, traits, highlighting positive attributes and finding support from others, identifying with the difficulties of others, and discovering similarities. This is a lively, stimulating contribution to this area of work, with awareness of the differing levels of literacy and provision for alternative methods such as art work, colours, music, as ways of working effectively... in many cases, nothing is needed, which provides the opportunity to launch straight in without spending money or time on setting up the session, an important element of this book, because when resources are scarce and funding is low, it can make the difference between a group happening and not happening... This book of exercises is stimulating and highly motivating and could be used either as a course format, spreading over a few weeks of work on single issues when working with one person. Because many of the exercises are adaptable and user friendly, this could lead to further learning and development.
