Girls Speak Out

A facilitator's guide for creating support groups for young women with experience of violence
Woman shouting letters  

Girls Speak Out is the curriculum for a 13-week support group for girls and young women with intersecting experiences of violence, mental health and substance use.

BC Women's has developed a facilitator's guide to allow community-based facilitators to create their own 13-week program​ where girls and young women can find a safe space to connect and share .

Girls Speak Out 13-Week Curriculum Outline

  • WEEK ONE: Creating a Welcoming and Safe Space Together
  • WEEK TWO: Exploring Power in the Media
  • WEEK THREE: Understanding Power and Control in Relationships
  • WEEK FOUR: Introducing the Cycle of Violence
  • WEEK FIVE: Identifying Sources of Power and Protection
  • WEEK SIX: Exploring the Impacts of Violence
  • WEEK SEVEN: Exploring Coping Strategies
  • WEEK EIGHT: Reframing the Problem – Part 1
  • WEEK NINE: Reframing the Problem – Part 2
  • WEEK TEN: Developing Media Literacy
  • WEEK ELEVEN: Finding My Voice
  • WEEK TWELVE: Finding Hope
  • WEEK THIRTEEN: Celebrating the Journey

The Girls Speak Out curriculum was developed and piloted by BC Women’s with the generous financial support of Coast Capital Savings and the RBC Foundation.

The voices of young women who participated in the pilot program are woven throughout the facilitator's guide, offering the reader the opportunity to learn what is said when girls speak out.