The Ophelia Project Helps Local
Mariel Sirni
Issue date: 2/21/07 Section: News
- Page 1 of 1
Anybody who’s been in the Lane Center has seen the Ophelia Project, whether the members were selling pumpkins at Halloween to fundraise, or just trying to inform the student body about their cause. This new student volunteer group began in September of 2006, and they have already made big plans to make a difference.
So what exactly do the members of the Ophelia Project do? The national mission statement explains, “OP is committed to helping young people form healthy peer relationships while creating safe social environments for all children.” Basically, they are trying to stop bullying and make adolescence a more comfortable time for young adults.
Their main goal is to change the attitude of adolescents so that they realize that they need to take responsibility for their own actions. This goes for adolescents as well as people in general.
The Ophelia Project focuses on relational aggression, which is when individuals use relationships to outcast others. One person will encourage another to stop being friends with the third person in order to victimize the third. This is most common in females.
The technology available now has made this problem much worse. IMs, chat rooms and e-mail have made it easier for teens to bully others, especially because they are able to hide behind the computer screen. There is no face-to-face action, so they feel less guilty and find it easier to hurt others.
The Ophelia Project is a national organization located in Erie, PA. The Frostburg chapter is one of only two college chapters in the country. The Frostburg members are hoping that other colleges catch on and the Project will grow.
Last semester, the Ophelia Project was just getting established. They focused on having fundraisers and doing other community service projects, such as putting together a Thanksgiving basket for a family and collecting Christmas toys for middle and high school aged children at the Family Crisis Center.
This semester, they plan on mentoring students at Beall High School as well as raising awareness about their cause among Frostburg students. Friday, February 16, they [conducted] an assembly for ninth graders at Beall about relational aggression.
The members plan on going to Beall every other week during the high school students’ study period in order to mentor them about bullying and relational aggression.
OP hopes to not only change student behavior, but to inform parents, teachers and administrators on how to deal with relational aggression. Since it is not physical abuse, many adults do not know how to deal with it; the Ophelia Project hopes that by informing them, the adults will better know how to handle it.
March 5 through March 10 is relational aggression awareness week. The Ophelia Project will be conducting many events throughout the week, including a self-defense workshop, a yoga session to better self-image and self-awareness and other workshops.
“The most rewarding thing is the fact that I have met so many students and people in the community that I would never have met, and we have all come together and worked together for this cause,” said Whitney Young, president and founder of the Frostburg chapter.
If a student is interested in joining the Ophelia Project, they are more than welcome to attend meetings, which are held Tuesdays at 7:30 in Lane Center 203.
So what exactly do the members of the Ophelia Project do? The national mission statement explains, “OP is committed to helping young people form healthy peer relationships while creating safe social environments for all children.” Basically, they are trying to stop bullying and make adolescence a more comfortable time for young adults.
Their main goal is to change the attitude of adolescents so that they realize that they need to take responsibility for their own actions. This goes for adolescents as well as people in general.
The Ophelia Project focuses on relational aggression, which is when individuals use relationships to outcast others. One person will encourage another to stop being friends with the third person in order to victimize the third. This is most common in females.
The technology available now has made this problem much worse. IMs, chat rooms and e-mail have made it easier for teens to bully others, especially because they are able to hide behind the computer screen. There is no face-to-face action, so they feel less guilty and find it easier to hurt others.
The Ophelia Project is a national organization located in Erie, PA. The Frostburg chapter is one of only two college chapters in the country. The Frostburg members are hoping that other colleges catch on and the Project will grow.
Last semester, the Ophelia Project was just getting established. They focused on having fundraisers and doing other community service projects, such as putting together a Thanksgiving basket for a family and collecting Christmas toys for middle and high school aged children at the Family Crisis Center.
This semester, they plan on mentoring students at Beall High School as well as raising awareness about their cause among Frostburg students. Friday, February 16, they [conducted] an assembly for ninth graders at Beall about relational aggression.
The members plan on going to Beall every other week during the high school students’ study period in order to mentor them about bullying and relational aggression.
OP hopes to not only change student behavior, but to inform parents, teachers and administrators on how to deal with relational aggression. Since it is not physical abuse, many adults do not know how to deal with it; the Ophelia Project hopes that by informing them, the adults will better know how to handle it.
March 5 through March 10 is relational aggression awareness week. The Ophelia Project will be conducting many events throughout the week, including a self-defense workshop, a yoga session to better self-image and self-awareness and other workshops.
“The most rewarding thing is the fact that I have met so many students and people in the community that I would never have met, and we have all come together and worked together for this cause,” said Whitney Young, president and founder of the Frostburg chapter.
If a student is interested in joining the Ophelia Project, they are more than welcome to attend meetings, which are held Tuesdays at 7:30 in Lane Center 203.
Be the first to comment on this story