What Parents Say
What do parents say about their daughter's and their own experience
with Girls' Circles led by JOYW Mentors?
Emotional literacy skills, assertiveness, and confidence...
My two daughters have participated in Journey of Young Women circles and activities for three years, and have grown in so many ways. They were both intensely shy, and through Katharine's circles they have learned to express themselves -- not only to be confident in social interactions, but now they are better able to advocate for themselves in difficult situations.
Through JOYW they gained emotional literacy skills, assertiveness, and confidence, all things they need in this world! I love that Katharine brings important topics to my daughters, like sexuality, safety, and caring for oneself, that reinforce my values in complementary ways.
~ mom of two 12 year-old girls
She was honored and embraced for being herself - not an accepted "norm"
We as a family are ever so grateful for the work of JOYW. Our daughter looked forward to going and anticipated the next gathering as soon as one gathering was done - as did we her parents (for our Parent Gatherings).
The freedom to be who we needed to be in that moment was refreshing and soul-feeding.
People who had not seen her for a while that asked if we were doing new "techniques" with her as she seemed so much more together - more grounded and centered. Our response was and is: she must be getting what she needs.
We knew that JOYW was a major part of this. She was honored and embraced for being herself - not an accepted "norm." There were no expectations for clothing or demeanor or dietary choices. The only expectation is respect and presence for self and others. That resonated with her and us to our core.
~ parents of a 10 year old girl
... enabled us to be even more intentional as parents ...
From a parenting perspective, the Journey of Young Women student assignment descriptions and the occasional parent assignments have been revealing.
They prompt us to think more clearly about our own values and needs as parents and as individuals, and have enabled us to be even more intentional in the raising of our children.
~ parents of a 9 year old girl
... appropriate handling of tricky social situations ...
The evidence of our daughter's learning appears in her appropriate handling of tricky social situations at school, in her more compassionate handling of sibling challenges, and in noticeably reduced parent-child confrontations.
Her comments about various situations show that she has deepened her thinking about her experiences in general.
She has become accountable to her responsibilities at school and home, even creating her own extra-curricular educational tasks and unassigned home chores, in the interest of meeting her own needs.
She honors family members' needs when she is made aware of them; increasingly she proactively observes other family members' needs and, when appropriate, offers to assist with meeting them.
Her teachers at school have commented on her initiative and compassion for helping other children.
~ mom of an 11 year old girl
... a place of authenticity
As we work to parent from a place of authenticity and our own path of development and awareness, we find that it is challenging to collaborate with others who present from this place as well. JOYW was a gathering place that provided that for us.
We are so grateful to be on this path.
~ Mama of a 9 1/2 year old daughter
Inspired by the self-exploration
Our daughter is inspired by the self-exploration taught in Katharine's classes. During this time of our daughter's awakening we are grateful for the concrete and well defined mentoring offered to her through these classes.
~ Very satisfied parents of a JOYW student
New connections and friendships for all of us
My daughter has spent two years in the Journey of Young Women program. She has grown into her own being as a young woman, practiced spirituality, and begun to discover her own voice.
But even more, she has developed some goo d friends.
A surprise side-benefit is how the Girls' Circle process brought together the girls and their parents, resulting in new connections and friendships for all of us.
Altogether, these two years have been deeply enriched by unique blend of commitment to young women, self-awareness, earth connection, and depth of soul.
~ father of a 13 year old daughter
... practical personal and interpersonal skills ... meaningful action in her life ...
The Journey of Young Women program has grounded our middle-school aged daughter significantly through the teaching of practical personal and interpersonal skills.
In this Girls' Circle, our daughter has been learning to understand and meet her needs using very practical, concrete methods of getting and staying in touch with her own spiritual, emotional and physical self, and she has been learning to translate that into meaningful action in her life.
The circles have enhanced her self-confidence by helping her to specifically identify her family and personal values and by teaching her to think about how to act in accordance with them. Her actions and her increased air of calm and confidence show that she is learning to attend to her feelings and use them as a guide for getting her needs met.
~ parents of a 12 year old girl
Art by Wilfredo Alicdan