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Intergenerational Workshops for
Women and Girls
Doll Building Workshops
Dolls are a very concrete way to express self-image and identity. As a child, Carl Jung kept a male doll, representing himself, up in an attic; dolls are used in a curanderismo healing technique called Soul Retrieval. In the old tale of Vasilisa, it is the doll in her pocket (made by her mother, who has died) that protects her from the tricks and schemes of the dangerous Baba Yaga. In Costa Rica, as in other places, dolls were buried with children to comfort and protect them on their journey.
The relinquishment of childhood that must take place at puberty was symbolized by the ancient Maya through the breaking of ceramic dolls at the feet of the Goddess Ixchel on Isla Mujeres, the island of women.
Dolls can also be a safe place to express feelings about the changes of puberty. The dolls that we build have butts, bellies, and breasts! The dolls reflect the girls and women who build them - and these simple dolls are so loved.
  
The POWERPoint Presentations: (power IS the point!)
With the exception of "Menarche: Moving Girls from Depression to Empowerment", (recommended for adults), these presentations are appropriate for any 'woman' over the age of 11. While designed for teen girls primarily, adult women also find them revelatory!
The Astounding History of Feminine Hygiene
Did you know? The Tampax tampon was invented by a Denver dentist for his ballerina wife. When he couldn't get corporate interest in it, he sold it to an ambitious German immigrant who manufactured them out of her home in Denver! You'll be truly amazed by some of the crazy contraptions that have been invented to help us manage our 'hygienic needs' - and by the advertising that accompanied these products. Alternately hilarious and thought-provoking, this presentation on the evolution of 'sanitary technology' includes surprising facts on tampon safety and the baffling return of Toxic Shock syndrome. How safe is YOUR tampon?
The Secret of Menstrual Synchrony
Martha McClintock rocked medical science with her experiment in a women's dormitory - but there's more to synchrony than pheromones. We tend to discount the ancient moon/menstrual connection as superstition, witchcraft, or old wives' tales. As you may have suspected: there is a scientific explanation and a physiological basis for this connection. Using simple principles of nature (the physical properties of light), women - and girls - can still train their cycles to synchronize, using Nature's ancient, elegant tool for managing the cycle. Safe, non-toxic, and sugar-free!
Why Women Invented the Calendar
The anthropological records, the etymological records, and the mythological records all concur: women invented the calendar. But why? Learn the urgent survival need that compelled women to begin tracking the movements of the heavens - which, according to Alexander Marshack in The Roots of Civilization, 'laid the foundations for discovery of the calendar, astronomy, mathematics, and writing...' Did you ever doubt that those old wives knew a thing or two?
The Secret Code
Did you know? A menstrual woman can stop a hailstorm just by removing her clothing (too bad we've forgotten how to do this)! We are still affected today by the extraordinary taboos surrounding the menstrual cycle. In this true/false game, we'll see how these taboos originated, and who they were meant to protect. Winners get the chocolate! Includes euphemisms (code words) - that women around the world have invented to secretly announce the arrival of their period to each other. Very funny!!
Beauty is As Beauty Does
Did you know? Women who get breast implants are more prone to commit suicide than those who do not. Girls now are subject to the 'Reverse Burka' effect - our cultural imprisonment that demands they expose every body part that begins with a 'B'. In a culture where female value is measured by appearance, we must go to extreme lengths even to be noticed. This presentation looks at beauty practices from different times and cultures to show how arbitrary these standards are. When beauty endangers our health, it just isn't worth it! A great presentation for teens.
Menarche: Moving Girls from Depression to Empowerment
(this presentation is recommended only for professionals)
Why do adolescent girls suffer from depression at a rate twice that of boys? This session explores the role that menarche (and the ignore-ance of it) plays in teen depression; the dangers of depression in adolescence; what menarche means to girls, and strategies for supporting their psychic wholeness.
Doll-building is alternated with the Powerpoint presentations. The combined interactive and kinetic activities encourage girls to resist definition by others, and to recognize their sexuality - beginning with its first manifestation, the menstrual cycle - as sacred. Doll-building workshops require a minimum of 5 two hour sessions or 4 three-hour sessions.
By discovering the spiritual value of the cycle from the indigenous viewpoint, we assign a positive purpose to the menstrual experience, and honor the path of all women.
Strong self-esteem provides a protective factor that will reinforce the benefits of any additional sexual health education, and Rubicon Moon workshops are a great way to get the generations talking together!
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