University of Michigan Center for the Child and the Family

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The Strong Moms Strong Girls program is an innovative community resource committed to providing girls in grades 4-7 with the tools needed to navigate conflict constructively, allowing them to form strong healthy friendships and peer support. SMSG also provides mothers, caretakers, community educators and mentors with the knowledge and tools they need in order to help these young women meet this social challenge. The program is a collaborative effort between the University Center for the Child and Family and the Junior League of Ann Arbor.

Our services include:

Mother-Daughter Workshops

Figuring Out Friendships is a fun, hands-on, interactive workshop for girls in grades 4-7 and their mothers or female caregivers that explores cliques, bullying and media influences while empowering and encouraging young women to form positive alliances with their peers and adults females in their lives. The workshop, facilitated by professionals from UCCF, teaches positive ways to handle and prevent relational aggression.

The workshops are offered once a month on a weekend afternoon. Advance registration is required. Click here for more information on Figuring Out Friendships workshops.

Community Presentations

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

The presentations are free and open to the public. Click here to learn more or to request a presentation for your organization. You can also listen to a past presentation on our Podcast section.

School Consultations

A comprehensive program providing schools with strategies to integrate into their school philosophy, classroom curriculum, discipline strategies and counseling interventions. Includes an in-service training for school personnel, an evening lecture with discussion for parents and an interactive workshop for female students. The minimum level of consultation includes 5 hours of direct service with the mental health professionals from UCCF and the “Relational Aggression for Schools” manual. Click here to learn more.