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Neighborhood report

Old Seminole Heights: Girls find open doors, open minds at center

Young women stay busy and weather adolescent angst at a safe haven staffed by adults who talk their language.

By LESLIE PAREDES
Published June 3, 2005

They've got anything a teenage girl could ever need.

Pamphlets that enlighten them on the 10 best reasons to use birth control.

Classes that teach them how to make tacos and spaghetti and meatballs.

Counselors who take time to talk and answer all their questions.

The Centre for Girls on Sligh Avenue has been a home away from home for many girls ages 10 to 18 since opening in 2001. Now that school is out, administrators are offering extended hours and new summer programs to provide safe and healthy fun for area girls.

The center was born of the Centre for Women in Hyde Park as a sanctuary during the transition from girlhood to adulthood.

"At school, some of the kids make fun of me, but no one makes fun of me here," said Kaeley Murray, 10, who has been a regular at the center for about a month.

The center began after the Department of Juvenile Justice asked the Centre for Women to create a program that would help prevent risky behavior among young girls, said Stephanie Johns, director of girls services.

"At first, we saw ourselves as a place where the girls could spend time, instead of being home alone," Johns explained. "Later, it just became a place where kids did find acceptance, especially for the ones who are outcast among peer groups at church and school. We wanted to be able to deal with the angst of adolescence."

They also wanted it to be free, so that girls from all economic backgrounds would be able to attend all year long.

"We're not babysitters or a day care. We're a drop-in center, and all the people the girls interact with here are professionals," said Jennifer Jackson, the center's lead counselor. "I don't know of any other program that is even remotely similar."

The center's professionals talk to the girls about changes in their bodies and their emotions, conversations that can often be difficult.

"We want the girls to be completely comfortable with us so that they can ask anything they want to know," Jackson said. "They're so hungry for information that when they ask me if something is true or that they heard this or that about sex, I just say, "Thank God you asked an adult who knows.' "

The center focuses on education, but the girls' favorite activities are the "Chef Girlardee" class, the "Que Pasa" class and other courses.

To'nia-Vaugn Clayton, 13, likes the "Glamour Girls" pampering class. "We do our feet and our nails and get our facials," she said.

For Lyza Berena, 11, the center gives her a chance to get out of the house and make new friends. "My brother wanted me to come here because he said I was just going to get stupid watching TV and eating cornflakes all day," she said.

During the summer, the center takes on even more ambitious programs. Last year, a group of girls worked with Pat Miller, an art professor at the University of South Florida, to create a mural in one of the common areas. The girls came up with the design - jungle animals amid lush greenery - and helped sketch and paint the mural.

This summer, the center is focusing on physical activities, bringing in the national double-dutch team and a step dance teacher.

As the center moves toward its fifth anniversary, Jackson hopes more parents will get involved with their daughters. Monthly parent nights give parents a chance to bond with their daughters over dinner and talk with counselors.

"We help them understand that period of adolescence, where girls are just nasty and dramatic," Johns said. "We let them know it's normal. This is a place where we're supporting the girls' independence and the parents' peace of mind."

- Leslie Paredes can be reached at 226-3339 or lparedes@sptimes.com

The Centre for Girls, 105 W Sligh Ave., is open during the summer from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday. A parent or guardian must complete a registration form at the center allowing the child to return any time. For information, call 231-3404.

[Last modified June 2, 2005, 08:00:13]