Girls' Groups

How to Create a Teen Girls Conference

Girls have a special role in our world. Their enthusiasm,  joy for life, for people, and creativity make them fun to be around. They are also vulnerable to negative cultural messages. Girls get confusing messages to be a good girl yet look very sexy.  Be healthy yet diets can lead to anorexia or bulimia. Being nice can land a girl in the wrong group of friends and being trampled. These are just a few pressures that teen girls find hard to navigate.

Authentic Voices was developed in 1997 to provide teen girls with support, knowledge, and skill. Every year groups of girls use an exercise, "Open Space Technology", to generates the topics for the school year. Facilitators search out local talent who present at the annual conference. We yearly hosted a hundred girls for under $800. In honoring those volunteers, here is the formula for how to arrange a young women's leadership conference.

• Start with 2-6 planners, teachers, school counselors, social workers
• Select a theme. i.e., "The Girl in the Know", "Eco-Girl", "Comfortable in your Skin".
• Brainstorm information you want teens to learn, human trafficking, drugs, alcohol, eating disorders, yoga, dance, art, getting along with people one dislikes, how to get a job, body talk, career exposure
• Decide on attendance number and your budget. Fee per student $5? $8? Date and time. We found it helpful to coordinate with the local school systems. School buses transported girls at 9 am and returned them to school at 2 pm.
• Select a community place.  Often a young women's conference may fit the mission of a community center or historical site. 
• Include on the front of the brochure conference name, date, times, address, phone number, committee members.
• Inside the brochure have info on the presenters and a brief session description, and keynote.
• Back of brochure, the attendee's name, contact info, school, her session choices, parental permission form for attendeence and photos, the deadline by which you need the completed forms returned.
• Allow 10 days between registration deadline and the conference.
• Go to the conference site. Make room assignments.
• Decide on healthy affordable food for lunch and snack.
• Grocery stores may donate food.
• Volunteers may bake brownies.

Once the registrations are returned, slot girls into their selected session. They will need this information on the conference day. Make sure all sessions have an adequate number of participants. Be sure to coordinate thank you gifts for your presenters, and a stipend for the keynote. This is a special time to have fun with the girls, and the presenters.