Available for only one year, Chrissa is the seventh in a series of Girl of the Year contemporary characters whose interests and concerns reflect those of girls today. Like past Girl of the Year topics, the subject of relational aggression was chosen based on thousands of letters and e-mails from girls looking for guidance when faced with bullying at school, on the playing fields, and in their relationships. American Girl experts teamed up with other authorities and organizations such as The Ophelia Project, a nonprofit that serves youth and adults affected by relational aggression, to help teach girls how to handle bullying in a positive way.
In addition to the new Chrissa books, products, and full-length film, American Girl is also introducing a nonfiction advice book, Stand Up for Yourself & Your Friends: Dealing with Bullies and Bossiness and Finding a Better Way, to give girls the confidence and know-how to deal with bullying when it arises. Written by Patti Criswell, clinical social worker and American Girl consultant, Stand Up for Yourself & Your Friends is full of girl-friendly tips and quizzes and provides advice from girls who have dealt first-hand with bullying. Added bonuses include an inspirational pledge that girls can cut out and sign, plus a pull-out mini book with tips for parents.
National "Stop the Bullying" Campaign
To help guide girls—and their parents—through the challenging issues associated with bullying, American Girl has launched the following initiatives:
« Stop the Bullying. Pass It On! Poster Contest: American Girl is encouraging girls to use their creativity to design a poster that demonstrates what they can do to put a stop to bullying. Girls ages 8 and up can participate in the poster contest through February 28. Two grand-prize and 30 first-prize award winners will be selected. Additional details and entry forms are available at americangirl.com.
« Chrissa, 2009 Girl of the Year Web Site: Located at americangirl.com/girloftheyear, the Chrissa Web site features educational content for girls, parents, and educators, plus discussion questions to use in tandem with the Chrissa Stands Strong DVD. The site also features fun crafts and activities related to Chrissa, as well as an inspirational pledge that girls can sign and pass along to friends while seeing an interactive map of all the girls across the country who are standing together to stop bullying.
« Stand Together. Stop the Bullying Curriculum: Developed with support from The Ophelia Project, the in-school curriculum (for grades 3 to 5) is designed to educate students about peer aggression and how to create a safe, supportive school environment. The curriculum will be distributed to approximately 60,000 classrooms, reaching 1.5 million students. A downloadable version of the curriculum is also available at americangirl.com/girloftheyear.
« Stand up for Yourself Day: Friday, May 1 at American Girl Place, 835 N. Michigan Avenue, Chicago, IL 60611, 1-877-247-5223
About Chrissa
Written by award-winning author Mary Casanova, the 2009 Girl of the Year books—Chrissa and Chrissa Stands Strong—introduce readers to ten-year-old Chrissa Maxwell. On her very first day at a new school, Chrissa attempts to make friends but is greeted at first with icy silence from the girls she sits with in Cluster Four. Then, when teasing and pranks turn into serious bullying, Chrissa must find the courage to stand strong and speak out. A section at the back of each book includes letters from real girls who, like Chrissa, have dealt with or witnessed bullying, and gives readers advice on how to handle challenging people in their lives. Each book also includes discussion questions to spark conversations and encourage girls to stand up for themselves and one another.
The 18-inch Chrissa doll—featuring highlighted dark-brown hair and blue eyes—brings the new character to life for girls. And, for the first time, the new Girl of the Year character has two 18-inch friend dolls, Gwen and Sonali, both of whom play prominent roles in the Chrissa books and feature film. Other accessories that reflect Chrissa's unique interests include a warm-up set and swim-team gear, a sundress for the lakeside party she hosts, and pajamas and a craft studio for relaxing and being creative at home. In addition, Dress Like Your Doll® outfits and a closed-network instant-messaging system are also available.
An American Girl: Chrissa Stands Strong DVD and the Chrissa doll, books, and accessories will be available for one year starting through American Girl's consumer catalogue, at americangirl.com, and at American Girl retail locations. For more information call 1-800-845-0005.
10 Big Truths About Bullying
Following are tips from American Girl's new advice book, Stand Up for Yourself & Your Friends that will help parents create a safer, kinder world for their daughters.
Communication is key. Spend the hour or so it takes to read the Stand Up for Yourself & Your Friends book with your daughter. You'll open up important conversations about a topic that affects all of our children in some way every day. Then keep talking about it, checking in often and keeping tabs in the world she lives in.
There's no substitute for staying close. Truly knowing your daughter means spending time listening and sharing stories with her. Is she more likely to be a bully, the bullied, or a bystander? The only way to know is to stay close and foster a relationship of acceptance and unconditional love.
Children learn what they see. Model kindness and insist on it within your family. Avoid gossiping, and show your daughter how to stand up for others. The positive relationships she sees will guide her on the path to building her own—in the home and outside it.
Media Matters. You can't control the messages your daughter receives in the outside world, but you can screen the media in your home. Make sure that the music, TV, movies, and video games that she's exposed to convey the values that you hold dear. When you see or hear unkind or objectionable behavior in the media, speak up and let her know where you stand on the issue.
"Cool" doesn't equal confident. Having all the latest, greatest items on the shelf or hanging in the closet won't make your daughter more confident. But feeling strong, smart, and competent just might. Support her in finding activities—especially those outside of school—that tap into her strengths.
Rough times build resilience. Try not to rescue your daughter from feeling negative emotions. Instead, empower her to work through them. When she comes to you to let off steam, honor her feelings—whatever they may be—instead of trying to talk her out of them.
We all have limits. Teach your daughter to accept boundaries. Say "yes" when you can but "no" when you need to. When you set limits, try to come from a place of kindness rather than criticism. By building a foundation of deep respect at home, you help your daughter develop respect for other and for herself.
We all make mistake—parents and kids alike. But your daughter needs to know that when you make a mistake, you make it right. Admit to her your own mistakes, and show her how to heal the hurt when something harsh has been said.
Laughter Heals. Families who have fun together have happier kids. They just do. Plan fun activities to do together, but also build humor into your day-to-day life. You'll give your daughter an important break from the rest of the world and provide her with a strong emotional safety net.
It takes a village. When you see any child being hurt or bullied, speak up. Advocate for anti-bullying programs in your daughter's school, and volunteer whenever possible. When we all work together, we make the world a better, safer place for girls.
ABOUT THE OPHELIA PROJECT
What We Do
The Ophelia Project is a not-for-profit, 501(c)(3) organization that serves youth and adults who are affected by relational and other non-physical forms of aggression. To achieve long-term systemic change, we help build capabilities to reduce relational aggression and promote a positive, productive environment for all. We are dedicated to creating safe social climates. The Ophelia Project partners with educational and community leaders to assess social conditions and advocate healthy peer relationships.
Through school programming for boys and girls, professional development and the Speakers Bureau, The Ophelia Project educates and empowers kids and adults across North America.
Relational aggression (RA): behavior that is intended to harm someone by damaging or manipulating his or her relationship with others (Crick & Grotpeter 1995). Some examples of this are purposeful exclusion from a group, spreading rumors, alliance building and cyber bullying.
Safe social climates: consist of community members who protect, respect, encourage and hold one another accountable. Relational aggression and bullying of any kind are not tolerated.
School Programming
The Ophelia Project's school programs are designed to help schools reduce relational aggression. CASS: Creating a Safe School®, The Ophelia Project's signature school program, is an intervention program that positively influences the climate in schools. CASS school programs are prevention- oriented, research-based and result in long-term, systemic change. They may include: school climate assessments, expert consulting, original curricula for grades K–12, multi-media packages, adult and student mentor training and CASS workshops.
Professional Development
The Ophelia Project offers educational workshops for adults in schools and community organizations. These trainings provide tools and strategies for adults to create safe social climates within their organizations.
Speakers Bureau
The Ophelia Project's nationally recognized staff of presenters travel the country and give public lectures on issues including relational aggression, adolescent development and steps to creating safe social climates. Lecture topics can be selected and tailored to specific needs.
For more information on The Ophelia Project, visit www.opheliaproject.org, or e-mail or call (888) 256-5437 to find out how you can bring these programs and services into your school or community.
About Patti Criswell, author of Stand Up for Yourself & Your Friends
Patti Criswell is a clinical social worker and has been in private practice for fifteen years. She specializes in working with girls and young women, and their families. She is the award-winning author of several American Girl titles, including A Smart Girls Guide to Friendship Troubles, Friends: Making Them and Keeping Them, and the newly published Stand Up for Yourself & Your Friends: Dealing with Bullies and Bossiness, and Finding a Better Way. Patti has also been a consultant to the American Girl company for over ten years. She is an adjunct professor of Social Work at Western Michigan University. Patti regularly writes and speaks nationally on the topics of girl aggression and body image. She lives near Kalamazoo, Michigan, with her husband Brian, and her two children, Natalie and Jeff.
