Teenage Girls; Exploring Issues Adolescent Girls Face and Strategies to Help Them - by Ginny Olson
Details
Teenage Girls; Exploring Issues Adolescent Girls Face and Strategies to Help Them, Ginny Olson
Zondervan, 2006, ISBN 978-0310266327
Having just read the book cover to cover, would I recommend it to other youth workers? Yes definitely. Why? Because it does exactly what it says on the tin! Teenage Girls is an extensive and thorough exploration of the many issues that teenage girls encounter. Throughout the book you will find that there is a strong influence of American culture, and a slight bias towards youth work in a church context, but I wouldn't dismiss it for those reasons, whatever your context.
I would recommend this book whether you are a male or female youth worker, and whatever your experience in youth work with teenage girls so far. I found that as I read through this book, I was provided with great insight into life as a teenage girl, coming from a range of helpful sources; the girls themselves, scientists, researchers, other youth workers. This book seems to cover many issues such as sexuality, self harm, self image, family issues, and it explores them through many relevant lenses such as; scientific reflections on the biological processes going on in adolescence, societal development, relational development, and cultural norms.
As I've been reading the book I've found it's that the ideas and issues impacted the youth work I've been doing; highlighting areas that are important to discover and putting them on my radar. The book also gives practical suggestions to aid your work that can't help but integrate your practise as you find yourself in conversation with adolescent girls where issues such as identity, relationships or self-image inevitably come up again and again.
You can read this book from cover to cover, which to be honest is quite heavy, but good to get an extensive picture of how to approach youth work with teenage girls. I think it's great to have a good grasp of the reality of the issues it covers, before you find yourself dealing with them in crisis mode. However, I'd also recommend it as a great resource that you could dip in and out of to explore the many issues that the book highlights, as and when you feel it's appropriate to develop your understanding in the many areas covered.
I will definitely be picking up Teenage Guys by Steve Gerali, the male young person's equivalent, in the hope that it provides as much insight and help for my work with developing young men.
Reviewed by Becca Dean, Youth Pastor at Carpenters Community Church, Chorleywood
Short links
http://www.albandys.org.uk/go/teenage_girls_exploring_issues
http://www.albandys.org.uk/go/345