MAHANOY CITY — Helping teen girls build character and confidence in a world filled with so many conflicting messages is the focus of the free “Head to Soul Makeover” program that will begin Sunday in Mahanoy City.
Care Net Pregnancy Center of Schuylkill County is sponsoring the 10-session program that will be held in Zion Baptist Church for teen girls ages 11-17 at 6 p.m. Sunday evenings. Each approximately two-hour session is designed as a character-building, confidence-gaining makeover program and that is open to all girls in Schuylkill County.
According to a program flyer, the Head to Soul Makeover “is an amazing 10-session program that will guide you and help you develop humility, confidence, courage, self-control, patience, contentment, generosity and perseverance” and deal with the struggles involving “stubbornness, anxiety, insecurity, stress, irritability and envy, which can be crippling.”
Care Net Teen Health Director Sarah L. Hahner said the makeover program has been held several times before in Pottsville and was very popular with those who participated in it.
“The purpose of the program is basically to help teen girls build self-confidence, character, things like that, and help them to form a connection with Care Net in the community,” Hahner said.
Hahner goes to schools and talks to teen girls about the issues they can face, and Head to Soul is one more way to reach out.
“A big part of the my job is that I go out to the schools to meet with kids who are high risk for becoming pregnant, so we feel that this program is great way to reach them in the program in a friendly way,” Hahner said.
The sessions will be held on consecutive Sundays, the last being June 12, with the exception being May 8, which is Mother’s Day.
“Each week is based on a different character quality,” Hahner said. “For example, there’s a session on confidence, another on contentment, another one on perseverance. They’re all on different character qualities, and we work on one character quality during a session. There is a lesson that goes along with the character quality, a little quiz that the girls take and it’s very interactive. A lot of times they’re in small groups and talking about things.”
Hahner said because of the large age range, the girls may be divided into smaller groups depending on how many participants there are.
“Back in the summer I did this program at the Schuylkill YMCA in Pottsville, and we had about 20 girls, so we split it into an older half and a younger half,” Hahner said. “We had it at the YMCA twice and they were great to partner with. They let us rent space for free.”
She added that the Head to Soul Makeover is a faith-based program.
“Most of our programs in the community are secular, but this one is a faith-based program, just so people are aware. We are a faith-based nonprofit,” Hahner said.
Hahner said the program is coming to Mahanoy City because of a request from a teacher from Mahanoy Area High School.
“She contacted me and said that there was a need for the program other than Pottsville,” Hahner said. “That has been our goal at Care Net to expand to other areas all throughout Schuylkill County. Zion Baptist Church agreed to hold the program there.”
She said that with increasing requests for the program, a volunteer team has developed to present programs. Requests for the makeover program have come from Pottsville and Ashland, Hahner said, but nothing has been scheduled.
Hahner said volunteer Dana Oravitz, Frackville, will coordinate the programs in Mahanoy City. Oravitz assisted Hahner with the two program at the YMCA, and when the request came to hold a program in Mahanoy City, Oravitz volunteered to conduct it since she is in the area.
“Pastor Sharon (Mullin) of the Zion Baptist Church will be helping me, along with another person from the church,” Oravitz said.
Oravitz said the program is based on a book entitled “Head to Soul.”
“It’s a scriptural, Bible-based curriculum that is for the tween and teenage girl,” Oravitz said. “You can basically do one lesson only from the book, or you can do all 10 lessons. They’re based on popular TV shows like ‛What Not to Wear,’ ‛American Idol,’ and things like that. Then the girls take a character test about pride, about fear and then we discuss it.”
The church is located at 400 E. Market St. (Fourth and Market streets) in Mahanoy City. For more information, email carenetteenprogram@gmail.com. To reserve a spot, call 570-624-7244 or email. While reservations are preferred for Care Net to plan, walk-ins are welcome.
Information on Care Net can also be found on Facebook and Instagram.