GENaustin is Hiring!

We are gearing up for next semester and looking to fill our new positions.  Below is a brief desription of the positions available.

Campus Coordinator
The primary function of this role is to provide on-site supervision for clubGEN participants and facilitators at AISD middle schools. Additionally, Campus Coordinators will coach and empower the high school facilitators as they learn valuable workforce development skills and will be an added support to the peer-led model. Campus Coordinators will also develop and maintain partnerships with middle school administrators throughout AISD on behalf of GENaustin.

clubGEN Outreach Specialist
The primary function of this role is to assist with expansion efforts by recruiting middle school girls to participate in our programs and building relationships in local schools to strengthen clubGEN's support and presence. Outreach Specialist will also be responsible for laying foundation for program expansion to new schools and for developing and running clubGEN activities for middle school girls.

To learn more about these positions please visit our website http://www.genaustin.org/ and click We're Hiring.

Professional Development for clubGEN Facilitators

On November 17, GENaustin partnered with WorkSource Austin (Travis County's publicly-funded workforce board) to provide clubGEN's high school facilitators with professional training and development. The day-long training, which took place on Saturday November 17th, was a more in-depth and comprehensive version of the type of training that the high school girls receive each week from clubGEN's Campus Coordinators.

For the first half of the day, WorkSource Austin taught clubGEN's high school facilitators how to compose a resume, set goals, present themselves in a professional manner, and more. GENaustin's Program Manager, Christine Carlucci, took over the training for the second part of the day. During this session, Christine led an activity in which the girls read a poem by Iranian-American author Esther Kamkar. The poem, entitled Just Because, addresses stereotyping, a palpable issue for many young girls. After reading this poem, the facilitators composed their own versions. The goal of the activity was to provoke self-exploration as well as group bonding and sharing.

The day was marked by an overwhelming sense of how far they each have come since their first training in September. Over and over the girls shared personal revelations and amazing stories about how their work with clubGEN has caused them to grow as leaders and as women.

Due to the overwhelming success of the retreat, GENaustin plans on implementing more workforce development trainings in the future. These trainings will focus on subjects such as money management and receiving college funding.

Volunteer Spotlight: Suzanne Marie Fanger

Since its inception, GENaustin has relied on the support of our community. GENaustin's dedicated volunteers are an irreplaceable component of this system of support; our volunteers help to achieve GENaustin's goal to encourage and empower girls. This month, we would like to highlight one such volunteer: Suzanne Marie Fanger.

A local expert on female relational aggression, Suzanne has on a number of occasions been a speaker for GENaustin's Girl Talk series. She has been the main presenter of Girl Talk's most popular topic: Mean Girls: Survival Strategies for Bullying, Gossip, and Other Hazards of Being a Middle School Girl. This educational talk addresses the issue of bullying behavior amongst girls and provides parents and girls with usable methods to keep friendships strong, honest, and healthy.

Suzanne has become a treasured member of the GENaustin community because of her kind demeanor and unwavering dedication. On a number of occasions, GENaustin has called upon Suzanne to volunteer at the last minute; Suzanne has shown her commitment to GENaustin by coming through in these situations. When asked why she believes so strongly in the goals and mission of GENaustin, Suzanne replied, "It's great being a part of a community that is so supportive of girls. Being around other likeminded individuals is lovely."

clubGEN: Being My Own Friend First

This month, as a part of an activity called Being My Own Friend First, the girls of clubGEN were asked to share one thing that no one else knew about them. The activity is designed to help the girls to build self-esteem; by allowing the girls to open up to each other about their accomplishments in a modest way, they gain confidence with regard to their talents and successes.

At the Kealing Middle School club, Jessica, a seventh grader, shared a secret with the other girls, explaining, "One thing that nobody knows about me is that I play the violin." Gasps and remarks such as, "You do?" and "No way!" followed Jessica's revealing moment. The girls then congratulated Jessica on her special talent, exclaiming, "Being able to play violin! That's so cool!" Jessica smiled with pride as the activity continued.

Apprentice Austin: Professional Women Encourage GENaustin's High School Facilitators

As a part of GENaustin's continuing effort to provide girls with positive opportunities for the future, ten of clubGEN's high school facilitators were able to attend Apprentice Austin this past November 13th. Apprentice Austin, hosted by the University of Texas' McCombs School of Business, offered girls a chance to speak to a diverse group of women in the MBA (Master of Business Administration) program.

The event gave the girls a glimpse into the life of a professional woman. In addition to participating in hands-on activities that were based on true business school curricula, the girls asked questions of the MBA women. The women then offered advice and inspiration, encouraging the girls to work tirelessly to achieve their dreams.

This event is a part of GENaustin's goal to expose girls to a variety of career and life possibilities by expanding the circle of women who act as mentors and role models for girls.