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Centre for Girls turns 1
By RYAN MEEHAN TAMPA -- Tampa's Centre for Women was established 24 years ago to promote self-sufficiency and good decision-making. On Tuesday, the program's brainchild, the Centre for Girls, celebrated its first birthday. The girls-only facility is designed to give at-risk childrena place to "drop in" for counseling, homework help or stress relief. Valerie Tidwell, director of community relations and development for the Centre for Women, said a report issued seven years ago by the state Department of Juvenile Justice sparked the facility's creation. It showed that programs used to deter boys and girls from committing crimes were less successful with girls, Tidwell said. The result: More girls between the ages of 10 and 18 were getting into trouble with the law. So in 1995, the Centre for Women, located in Hyde Park, began implementing programs for girls. It soon set its sights on acquiring a building. After obtaining state funds, a land donation from the city of Tampa and numerous other grants that covered expenses ranging from paint to legal services, the center opened its doors last May. The center now offers 10 Internet-ready computers and a full kitchen. It offers programs dealing with stress, money management, Internet safety, drug education and a cooking class creatively named "Chef'girl'ardee." Stephanie Johns, director of girls services for the Centre for Women, said girls between 10 and 18 can visit the center and receive counseling three times. After the third visit, they are required to provide a parental permission slip and sign a confidentiality agreement. There are no boys at the center, which is just fine with Priscilla Farina, an 11-year-old student at Seminole Heights Elementary School. "It's a good thing. They can't pick on you and stuff," she said. Keeping boys out of the picture in at least one aspect of girls' lives is therapeutic, Johns said. "Without boys around, they are free from their insecurities," she said. "They're not worried about, 'How do I look in this?' and 'Do I look fat?' " The program costs about $350,000 a year, a bill largely subsidized by three donors: the Eckerd Family Foundation, the Children's Bureau of Hillsborough County and the Anti-Drug Alliance's Federal Byrne Crime Prevention Fund. Johns said studies show that girls are most likely to commit a crime right after they get out of school, between 3 p.m. and 6 p.m. That helped shaped the center's hours: Monday and Tuesday, 2 p.m. to 8 p.m.; Wednesday-Friday, 2 p.m. to 6 p.m.; and Saturday, 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. All services at the center are free. For more information call (813) 251-8437.
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From the Times Ernest Hooper |
