A Fun and Safe Social Group for Young Women-December 6-last meeting for 2019
Friday, December 6 will be our last meeting in 2019. We’ve been talking about community. What does it mean? What is my community, versus the community of school or my town? At our last meeting for the year, we’ll wrap up this 6 week series with a little celebration of our group community at our usual location, Bestsellers Books and Cafe in Mason, from 6 to 8 PM. This group is for girls 16 and up, those who have disabilities or other issues, and who want to make new friends in a safe and fun group.
Girls’ Social Group: December 6, sharing traditions and planning for the future
Friday, December 6 will be our last meeting in 2019. We’ve been talking about community. What does it mean? What is my community, versus the community of school or my town?
What have we been talking about over the last 6 weeks?
- Places we think visitors to Lansing would enjoy: Everything at MSU, Impression 5 museum, Noodles and Company, Silver Bells in the City, and more
- Places we only go to if we have to: hospital, shopping, school, Secretary of State
- The sensory experiences of living in a city like Lansing: are the sights, sounds, smells, tastes and touches of Lansing?
- What do you do if there’s an emergency? What does an emergency sound and look and smell like?
- At our most recent meeting on November 15, we talked about churches, mosques, synagogues, and temples. These community institutions provide supports and services of all kinds!
On December 6, we’ll share a snack and talk about holiday traditions we have and traditions in our communities. Girls ages 16 and up are welcome. Join us at Bestsellers Books and Cafe in the town square of Mason. The trees are all lit up and it’ll be a festive meeting!
December 6 will be our last meeting for the year of 2019.
In 2020, we’ll have a six-week session starting end of February or beginning of March. Keep watching this site to find out when.
Girls’ Group Meeting Friday October 25
Yes, it’s that time again. Join us at Bestsellers Books and Cafe in Mason on Friday, October 25, for the second weekly meeting of the Girls’ Social Group. We’re looking for young women who are 16 and over to join us to learn and share about what it means to be a community. If you can’t come tomorrow, join us next week.
Do you know about the Workforce Innovation and Opportunities Act? It’s a law that is producing all kinds of opportunities for young adults, whether they are still in school or are out of school. Contact Michigan Rehabilitation Services or the Bureau of Services for Blind Persons to find out more. WIOA Pre-Employment Transition Services include Click each item below to view details:
- Job exploration counseling
- Work-based learning experiences, which may include in-school or after school opportunities, experiences outside of the traditional school setting, and/or internships
- Counseling on opportunities for enrollment in comprehensive transition or postsecondary educational programs
- Workplace readiness training to develop social skills and independent living
- Instruction in self-advocacy
If we were having coffee right now…
… we might be at Bestsellers Books and Cafe. You might be the parent of one of the girls in the social group meeting in the next room. I’d be talking with you and other parents for a few minutes about your news and resources you might need.
If we were having coffee right now … your daughter might be in the next room, talking with friends she just met, or someone she met the last time our Girls’ Social Group met. And tomorrow, she’d be in school, telling her teacher or classmate about what her friend said last night. Her friend! (Sometimes kids with disabilities only have adult friends.)
If we were having coffee right now … I’d walk away so that I could go join the Girls” Social Group participants in the next room. I’m the facilitator. I really enjoy teens, and my own daughter with disabilities is long past the teen years. Over the years, I gathered a lot of information and, dare I say, wisdom, about ways to make the transition to adulthood easier.
If we were having coffee right now … the girls might be having their own girl-time, while I come back to chat with you. I’d show you what the 
girls talked about … maybe “what is a community” or “how do I join the community of adults as I grow up”. The group would have talked about places in the community where they go with or without parents.
If I were having coffee right now … the day before the girls group happens … I’d be hoping that you will be there tomorrow, October 18 at 6 PM, at Bestsellers in Mason.
Girls’ Group Meeting Again in Mason, MI
The Girls’ Social Group will be meeting again! 
We’ll be meeting for a 6-week long weekly series, starting on Friday, October 18 at Bestsellers Books and Cafe in Mason Michigan. It’s easy to access for wheelchair users, and there’s room for parents to meet, too, if they want to stay to talk. We’ll meet from 6 until just before 8, when the cafe closes. Arrive anytime between 6 and 6:30. That will be an informal gathering time, followed by our official meeting at 6:30. These meetings are for young women age 16 and up. If you have a younger daughter, please indicate your interest in the form below. If we can have at least 2 regular attendees, I will start a group for younger girls.
After our 6-week series, we’ll take a break until February, and then have another series of 6 weeks.
Fall Girls’ Group Series Flyer
Back to School–It’s a different experience every year
Lots of families have their kids in new school settings, or in the same ones as last year, but let’s face it, every year IS different.
Parents can really encourage each other through all kinds of situations. You might be surprised at the Facebook groups related to specific special education or medical diagnoses. I’ve seen one for the blindness-related syndrome ONH/SOD, another for albinism NOAH, another for CHARGE syndrome, and many for autism. Michigan has a group called Michigan Autism/Special Needs for Adults 18+. These are great places to find out who is in your area and what they need. Or go to those groups to ask your questions. Many of these groups are closed, and only members can see the posts. That is for the members’ privacy, not to keep visitors out. Ask to join and then get involved.
