WillowGrove 2019 : Coming of Age
A program for young women in 6th and 7th grades
Through creative arts and practical projects, stories and sharing circles, we teach young women to listen to and trust their intuition as well as how to strengthen their relationships to nature and each other. They learn how to take care of their bodies and their hearts during puberty, menstruation and beyond. Throughout the program, we will listen to our body’s wisdom, shown through our senses and the range of our emotions.
We come together as a circle to feel the trust, focus, contentedness and positive energy that happens when women and girls meet intentionally. All of this cultivates self-esteem, self-confidence and a feeling of being rooted in Mother Earth and lovingly held by something larger than yourself.
This program is inspired by the Journey of Young Women training program, which all the facilitators of WillowGrove have completed.
When: Our meetings will be Saturdays from 9am – noon on the following dates: October 12th, 19th and 26th, November 9th, 16th, and 23rd. A Mom’s circle will be held on September 28th.
Where: This program will be at the home of Normandy Alden at 15 Hill Street in Cooperstown, NY.
How: We will hold informational meetings on Thursday, September 12th at 6:30pm and Monday, September 16th at 6pm at 15 Hill St, Cooperstown.
Cost: The cost of this program is $225 per student plus a $50 materials fee. Scholarships may be available.
Registration deadline is September 21st
To register:
1) please click “Add to cart” below and pay the course fee.
2) follow this link to fill out the registration form
Please contact Maria at margirlic@yahoo.com if you have any questions.
About the Facilitators:
Normandy Alden, Facilitator, is a mother, potter, and co-owner of Cairncrest Farm in West Winfield. She has an MFA in ceramics and teaches part time at Hartwick College. In 2006, 7, and 9 she worked as a crew leader for The Student Conservation Association and led groups of high school students doing trail work in National Parks in Virginia, Maine and Alaska. Among her many hobbies are gardening, sewing, hiking and playing music on her ukulele.
Angelica Palmer, Facilitator, is an artist, accountant and mother living in Cherry Valley. She has performed, taught, led workshops and hosted events interweaving community, activism and performance for many years. She teaches contact improv dance, leads women’s and girl’s circles and teaches Nourish workshops on consent, communication and touch. Angelica has an MA in Experimental Performance and Social Activism from the New College of California and a BS in Statistics and International Development from Cornell U. Her websites are dzeli.com and greencircleny.com.
Maria Llanos Kaltenbach, Parent Liaison for Autumn 2019, mother of 2, has been a community activist and volunteer for over 18 years. Her adventures include going abroad to El Salvador on a medical and dental mission, helping in Honduras with a water purification system for a village of 42 families, and traveling to Texas to help refugees seeking asylum. In her community of Cooperstown, she volunteers with the League of Women Voters, the Glimmerglass Festival Guild, the SSPCA, and the Cooperstown PTA among others. Her goal in life is to raise strong women.