Some girls can be mean. Others can feel powerless when someone is mean to them. Still others don’t know what to do when they see one girl being mean to another.
That’s why we offer Club Ophelia as a program for girls in Lower Dauphin schools. We want to teach them how to better relate to each other, be a better friend and provide them with skills to overcome relational aggression whether they’re the aggressor (bully), the victim (target), or the bystander.
We’re very fortunate to have the program’s founder, Dr. Cheryl Dellasega, close by at the Penn State College of Medicine. She’s been a tremendous resource for our girls.
We offer four programs under the umbrella of Club Ophelia:
Club Ophelia, a 10-week after-school program at Lower Dauphin Middle School. Identified girls in grade 6 take part in an arts-based program with trained high school girls serving as role models and mentors.
Junior Club Ophelia, a six-week after-school program offered at each of our elementary schools. Identified girls in grades 4-5 take part in an arts-based program with trained high school girls serving as role models and mentors.
Miss Ophelia, a four-week program for younger girls in grades 2-3, was introduced in the fall of 2010. The program is offered at all Lower Dauphin elementary schools.
Camp Ophelia, a four-day camp in June, offered to incoming 6th grade girls. This day-camp provides invited girls with more opportunities to develop the skills and knowledge to resist relational aggression.
Since 2005, we have served over 1,850 girls in the Club Ophelia Program and provided opportunities for 500 high school mentors. Girls who have completed the program say they understand how to develop healthy relationships with other girls and get along better with other girls because of Club Ophelia.
It’s difficult to focus on studies if you’re encountering relational aggression in some form. And once a student starts to lose that connection to school, she becomes more likely to develop problems as an adolescent.
“I’ve learned just being who you are is good enough and I’ll tell my friends that this is the best program ever.”
Club Ophelia participant
“This is the best program out there for girls! There is no doubt in my mind that Club Ophelia has provided my daughter with the right tools to understand the world around her better and an opportunity to interact with her peers in a positive, safe setting.”
Parent
Funding Opportunities
The cost to operate one session of Club Ophelia is roughly $1,000-4,000 per year depending on which program you are interested in sponsoring. Previous funding partners have included Dr. Cheryl Dellasega, Dauphin County Department of Drug and Alcohol Services, Community Aid and Dauphin County Medical Society Alliance.
For more information about the program, please contact Angela Durantine, Program Director, at 717-350-0428.