The Strong Moms, Strong Girls (SMSG) program provides girls in grades 3-7 with the tools needed to challenge relational aggression or bullying. By teaching girls how to navigate conflict constructively, SMSG aims to help participants form strong, healthy friendships and support systems during these often difficult years.

Through workshops, community outreach, consultation, and other resources, SMSG also aims to support mothers, caregivers, educators and mentors by offering unique resources to help girls during their elementary and middle school years.

Through the support of a four year grant from the Junior League of Ann Arbor, the Strong Moms, Strong Girls program was developed in 2006 by the University of Michigan's University Center for the Child and the Family in order to decrease the incidence of relational aggression by increasing community awareness and developing key resources.

Services include:

Mother-Daughter Workshops

Figuring Out Friendships is a fun, hands-on, interactive workshop for girls in grades 3-7 and their mothers or female caregivers. The workshop explores cliques, bullying and media influences while empowering and encouraging young women to form positive alliances with peers and adult females in their lives. The workshop, facilitated by professionals from UCCF, teaches positive ways to handle and prevent relational aggression.

[No New Workshops Scheduled - this program is not funded this fiscal year.]

Community Presentations

Parents Helping Girls Figure Out Friendships provides an overview of the issues girls face and introduces strategies to deal with relational aggression and bullying for parents and concerned adult community members. Trained volunteers from the Junior League of Ann Arbor deliver this engaging presentation designed by UCCF.

Helps parents understand and respond to issues including:

• Cliques
• Bullying
• Cyber-bullying
• Media Influence

Trained volunteers from the Junior League of Ann Arbor will deliver an engaging presentation designed by the University Center for the Child and Family as convenient for your group or organization in the greater Washtenaw County area. There is no fee for this service within Washtenaw County.

Each presentation, approximately forty-five minutes in length is comprised of a power point presentation. A group question and answer session along with discussion regarding the nature of relational aggression, its causes, and what can be done to counter its damaging effects will conclude the presentation.

An informational packet created specifically for these presentations will be provided to each attendee. The packet contains various resources on how to recognize, circumvent and combat relational aggression as well as provide additional support to parents who are helping their child to deal with this issue.

To schedule your Community Presentation, please call our Strong Moms, Strong Girls hotline at 734-764-3432 or email inquiry@strongmomsstronggirls.com