 Do you have a daughter?
Would you like to support her through the changes she faces growing up? From child to adolescent... and from adolescent to adult... Would you like to be supported through this time of change in your relationship with her? Do you want to make this tumultuous and risky time as smooth and safe as you possibly can? Rites of Passage programs are a powerful way for you to support your daughter, and yourself, through this transition... I've spent the last 6 months researching girls' Rites of Passage programs in Australia and around the world... So wherever you are, whatever age your daughter currently is, and whatever challenges you are currently facing... hopefully one of these programs will suit your needs...
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 What would you do if I told you that:
~ you haven’t earned all your achievements? ~ compared to others in society you’ve actually got it easy? ~ your struggles and challenges were insignificant? Well, I’m not going to tell you that your struggles and challenges are insignificant – because the times we’re living in are difficult for everyone. And I know that you’ve worked hard for what you’ve earned and life hasn’t always been easy for you. But, we live in an oppressive biased society, and some people have it easier than others. White people, for example. I remember first learning about “white privilege” and definitely resisting this idea. I worked hard at school, through university, and in my professional life. Really hard. I definitely have earned the right to feel proud of my academic and professional successes. However, I am still willing to recognise that being white has made things way easier for me than if I’d been born black. But what I want to talk about today is male privilege. And this one’s more obvious to me since I don’t have it.  Do you worry about your daughter’s safety? What about your son’s?
Do you worry that your daughter will be pressured into doing something sexually that she’s not quite ready for? What about your son? In Australia 51% of women say they feel safe walking alone at night…. compared to 71% of men… 25% of women are sexually assaulted in their lifetimes… People don’t like these statistics… Should we look away… stop talking about it… We definitely need to focus on the positive… what we want to create and the future that’s possible… And I don’t recommend dwelling on the bad… statistics are statistics… not predictions set in stone… But looking away… no thank you… that’s not transcendence… that’s denial…  Are you worried about what your daughter shares on social media?
This week I had three Year 9 boys looking at porn on their phone during class. Not the type of porn where the women had consented. No. This was through a website which shares photos of high school girls. These images have not been voluntarily given. They have been found on computers, taken while girls are in showers etc., or given willingly by girls to their friends or boyfriends for personal use – not realising they would end up all over the net. Some girls’ faces are even photo-shopped on to other images. That’s because “hunting” and then obtaining an image of a certain girl is seen as a “win”. Wins can then be traded between the men on the site. It’s happening in schools all over Australia, and the police say they are powerless to take down the site. |