These workshops allow parents and daughters to laugh and learn about themselves in a safe environment. Every family establishes best practices in emotional intelligence, healthy communication and productive conflict resolution skills. Each workshop is 90 minutes long, once a week, for four consecutive weeks.

Who: Girls in grades four and five and a parent

Program:
Week One: Assertive Self-Expression
Week Two: Emotional Intelligence at Home

Week Three: Owning Our Mistakes
Week Four: Road Map for Conflict

Price: $180 includes tuition for both parent and child for the four-week series, includes snack. 
Scholarship assistance available; please inquire.

Locations and Dates:

To be determined

These workshops are open to the public. Registration is first come, first serve.

Click here to be notified when future programs are available.
 

Teachers

Lindsey Dedow
Lindsey recently moved back to Colorado from Florida, where she spent the past 12 years working with college students as an advisor and counselor, most recently at the University of Florida.  Lindsey was born in England and moved to the US when she was 8.  She grew up in Florida, graduating Magna Cum Laude from the University of Florida where she established the campus volunteer program and wrote her undergraduate thesis about a mentoring program she started with middle school students.  Lindsey earned her doctorate in psychology from the University of Denver and is excited to be back in Colorado again.

Johanna Walker
Johanna Walker is writer, performing artist and teacher living in Boulder Colorado where she received her MFA in Contemporary Performance from Naropa University. She has performed solo and ensemble theater and dance works in studios, bathrooms, subway stations, rest areas, intersections and on stages all around the US. She has led writing, dance and performance-making groups for incarcerated women, senior adults, and children. Currently Johanna teaches two self-produced community classes--Grrrls Speak: writing and performing for adolescent girls, and Fearless Solos: making solo performance for adults. She also dances around in a 7 foot tall Big Green Rabbit suit (for the PBS TV show The Big Green Rabbit) and works as a role-player for Colorado police departments, teaching police officers crisis intervention skills for people with mental illnesses.

Julia Loonin, Assistant Director
Julia Loonin is the Assistant Director of Girls Leadership Institute. Julia moved to California from Boston, Massachusetts where she was the Assistant Women’s Basketball Coach at Wellesley College. Before coming to GLI, Julia was a program assistant for Tenacity Inc., a youth development organization whose mission is to build resiliency and life-skills in inner city youth. Julia grew up in New York City and graduated from Bowdoin College. A former basketball player at Bowdoin, Julia’s team graduated with a winning record of 112-9. During her four years, the team won 4 NESCAC championships and made 4 NCAA elite 8 appearances. She was elected tri-captain and graduated ranked 5th for all time leading 3pt scorer.  Upon graduation Julia received the President Award and was a Sarah and James Bowdoin scholar.

Testimonials

What Do Girls Say About GLI Parent-Daughter Workshops?

"I would definitely recommend this workshop. It is really fun and a life changing experience." — 4th grade

"Because of this workshop I will now be able to talk to my friends about a problem that I have with them." — 6th grade

“I want to go back again!  I learned new things that I didn't know before about girls.” — 4th grade

“I liked it because I got to hear what girls had to say.  It helped me improve my friendships with girls.” — 5th grade

“I think that there should be more weeks of the workshop. It is so much fun.” — 4th grade

What Do Parents Say About GLI Parent-Daughter Workshops?

"I felt the experience helped my daughter learn that it is ok to express your feelings and stick up for yourself in a respectful way. It also helped with our communications with one another. They do a good job of helping girls to understand that everyone has feelings and often times it's what's happening around us or at home that makes it hard to always behave the way we would like." - 4/5 Workshop Parent at Crest View Elementary

“This is an essential workshop for parents and daughters.” — Parent

“I now have the building blocks and a foundation of communication for both my daughter and I and her and her friends. Very valuable!” — Parent

“I can't find the words to adequately describe my gratitude to you for the Mother/Daughter Retreat. Your workshop is a gift to the mothers and daughters who attend.  The skills we learned from you are invaluable and will be the key to defusing contentious moments in the future. — Parent

"The workshop was the perfect blend of important concepts and hands-on work, mixed with humor and fun. Your feedback after our last dialogues were presented was so valuable. It was honest, precise and insightful. The exercise was the perfect way to crystallize all of the work we had done over the weekend.” — Parent

FAQ

How do I describe this program to my daughter:
We would describe it this way, “This is a fun program that I want to do with you. Once a week we get to hang out together, have fun and learn new skills to help us improve our relationships – with each other, and our friends.”

I can only come to the first three workshops. Should I still sign up?
The four-part series is cumulative. Each class builds on the last; the last class brings it all together. If you know ahead of time that you can’t make all four, it is better to sign up for a different workshop.

Can my spouse and I switch off who attends?
We understand if you need to switch off, but it is best if one parent attends all four workshops. All of the skills (and the games!) build on the previous week.

Can I bring both my daughters?
Yes, we almost always have at least one family with more than one daughter. The cost for two daughters is 1.5 times the normal fee.

I would love to bring food for the group. Can I?
At GLI we always say, “food good.” We welcome snacks, but please do not bring any foods containing nut products.

What kind of girl should take this workshop?
Everyone can work on improved communication and healthier relationships. We recommend our program for all girls! If your daughter has special emotional or learning needs, please give our office a call so that we do everything possible to meet her needs. We want to make sure that we can set every girl up to succeed.

My daughter took the workshop in 3rd grade. Should she take it again?
Yes. We strongly recommend you and your daughter participate in these workshops annually. Each year the program goes a bit deeper and hits on more material. None of us learn how to communicate to handle conflict overnight. These skills require lots of practice. The group will be different, and your daughter will be developmentally ready to approach the material in a more abstract and mature mindset.
 

Cancellation Policy

Full tuition refunds are available up to 60 days prior to the start of the program. If you cancel more than 30 days, but less than 60 days prior to the program, we can offer you a 50% tuition refund. No refunds are available within 30 days from the start of a program.