Coalition of Advocates for Equal Access for Girls

1
Gender-Specific Services for Girls (and
Boys)

• Coalition of Advocates for Equal Access for Girls
• Equal Access law (OAR 417.270)
• History of the DHS Policy

2
DHS Policy Gender-Specific Services for Children
and Youth

• Gender-Specific perspectives and practices will
  be integrated, where appropriate, into all parts
  of the Departments service continuum and
  work-culture (services, treatment and public
  relations).
• The Department and its offices will ensure that
  staff become aware of and knowledgeable about the
  importance of gender-specific services for
  clients, delivery systems, and
• Ensure that staff implement gender-specific
  services.

3
Policy Continued

• Incorporate gender-specific perspectives and
  practices (where appropriate) into
• - Administrative Rules, policy and program
  documents
• - Contracts and other agreements
• - Hiring, outreach information
• - Public information where DHS interfaces
  with public
• - DHS staff training will include the topics
  and will
• incorporate into other pertinent training
  curricula
• - Included in diversity and multicultural
  conferences

4
Definition of Gender-Specific/ Responsive
Services

• Comprehensively addresses the needs of a gender
  group (female or male)
• Intentionally allows gender identity and
  development to guide services
• Creates an environment that reflects an
  understanding of the realities of girls and
  boys lives
• Is responsive to the issues and needs of the
  girls and boys being served.

5
The National Center on Addiction and Substance
Abuse (CASA) The Formative Years Pathways to
Substance Abuse among Girls and Young Women Ages
8-22

• Joseph A. Califano, Jr., Center president
  former U.S. Secretary of Health, Education and
  Welfare says in the report, Unisex prevention
  programs largely developed without regard to
  gender, often with males in mind fail to
  influence millions of girls and young women. The
  women of America have paid a fearful price in
  premature death and destroyed lives for our
  failure to craft programs aimed at their unique
  needs.

6
Definitions of differences between females and
males

• Gender definitions are different
• (Nature vs Nurture, Innate/biological vs
  social/learned)
• Research on girls and boys is referring to them
  as social groups (average female compared to the
  average male)
• Not a competition, one gender is not better than
  the other, just different

7
Program Designs/Approaches

• History of basis for program models
• Male model
• Gender neutral
• Female model

8
Gender-Specific Resources

• Guidelines for Effective Gender-Responsive
  Programming for Girls
• provide information on programming for girls 10
  -19 yrs.
• are based on best practices, promising models and
  current research and literature
• take time to implement, interconnected, build on
  each other
• Website link http//www.ocjc.state.or.us/JCP/Gend
  erSpecific.pdf
• Building on Strengths Helping Boys Succeed
• BAM! Boys Advocacy and Mentoring, A Guidebook for
  Leading Preventative Boys Groups
• www.HitonAssociates.net or order at
  hiton_at_speakeasy.net

9
Working with boys

• Cultural pressures/socialization of boys
• -the boy code
• Help boys become emotionally adept (recognize and
  express full range of emotions)
• Building relational capacity (situations for
  caring for others)
• Managing impulsivity (develop self-control)
• Mentors (relationship with men)

10
Working with girls

• Holistic approach (addresses the whole girl
  within the social context of her life)
• Safe Environment (physically and emotionally)
• Relationship-based (understand significance, take
  time to process, build trust)
• Build skills based on strengths (the more girls
  have a sense of control/ competence in multiple
  areas, the stronger their self-esteem will be)
• Mental Health and AD (Trauma and
  self-medication)

11
For every girl who is tired of acting weak when
she is strong, there is a boy tired of
appearing strong when he feels vulnerable.

• For every boy who is burdened with the constant
  expectation of knowing everything, there is a
  girl tired of people not trusting her
  intelligence.
• For every girl tired of being called over
  sensitive, there is a boy who fears to be gentle,
  to weep.
• For every boy for who competition is the only
  way to prove his masculinity, there is a girl who
  is called unfeminine when she competes.
• For every girl who throws out her E-Z bake oven,
  there is a boy who wishes to find one.
• Crimethinc Gender Subversion Kit

12
Contact Information

• Pam Patton
• Coalition of Advocates for Equal Access for Girls
• 1500 NE Irving, Suite 250
• Portland, OR 97232
• [phone]
• pam.patton_at_morrisonkids.org