New National Opheliate™ Set To Debut in Hazleton, Pennsylvania

April 2006

The Ophelia Project of Greater Hazleton, under the leadership of Melissa Miller, is the latest addition to the Opheliate family, and an official launch is planned for this spring. Miller, Family Program Coordinator at the Greater Hazleton Area YMCA/YWCA, was drawn to The Ophelia Project based on personal experience and interaction with other concerned community members.

"When my daughter was in kindergarten she was a victim of relational aggression," Miller said. "Her teacher told her that she needed to develop a thick skin and suck it up. I was shell-shocked and wondered what had happened to accountability? Around the same time, more and more people were approaching me at the Y and were looking for programming to help adolescent girls deal with the same issue. I e-mailed the national YMCA and they recommended The Ophelia Project. I attended The Ophelia Project's national conference in Tampa and it's just taken off since then."

Upon her return from Tampa in 2005, Miller made arrangements to attend a Wo/Men With Vision Retreat in February 2006 at the Chautauqua Institution. She immediately put her knowledge and enthusiasm to good use and presented a proposal to become an Opheliate before the Greater Hazleton Area YMCA/YWCA board. Miller's proposal was received with enthusiastic approval. Since then, a core team of volunteers has been formed, comprised of YWCA board members, passionate community members and representatives from other youth-serving agencies, including local counseling professionals.

"I really want to think big!" Miller said. In the coming months The Ophelia Project of Greater Hazleton plans to implement a RAPS mentoring program through the YWCA, and has already begun delivering RA awareness training to the YMCA/YWCA's out of school care staff and camp facilitators. "We plan to work with the schools in our district to implement the CASS© program and eventually run even more programs from The Ophelia Project. I also want to start a Leadership Ladder mentoring program where young, possibly at-risk girls, from our area can interact with other women in the community. I know that the mentoring relationships are so important and beneficial for everyone."

We warmly welcome everyone involved with The Ophelia Project of Greater Hazleton, and look forward to more updates in the coming months!