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250 Students Attend "Empowering Girls" Conferences

Posted on: May 1, 2015 - 12:30pm
250 Students Attend "Empowering Girls" Conferences
Assistant District Attorney Christine Maltby joined District Attorney Ryan to speak to young women at the “Empowering Girls 2015” conferences held recently in Westford.

Westford – Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan and Middlesex Partnerships for Youth hosted more than 250 students from 19 middle and high schools at this year’s “Empowering Girls 2015” conferences held recently at Nashoba Valley Technical High School. This year’s conference focused on the theme “I’m Worth More,” and addressed a variety of issues young women face each day, including, self-respect and self-worth, overcoming gender inequity, and having the confidence to assert themselves with their peers.

Girls who attended the events represented schools from across Middlesex County, including, Acton-Boxborough, Assabet Valley Technical High School, Ayer Shirley Regional, Burlington, Cambridge, Dracut, Greater Lowell Regional Vocational Technical High School, Hopkinton, Medford, Nashoba Valley Technical High School, Somerville, Valley Collaborative, Wakefield, Westford, Weston, and Wilmington.

“The goal of Empowering Girls is to encourage a positive attitude in young women, introduce them to positive female role models and open their eyes to the world of possibilities that lies ahead,” said District Attorney Ryan. “It was truly inspiring to engage young women in conversations about healthy dating relationships, setting goals, and making good choices in life.”

Speakers included: the Honorable Roanne Sragow, First Justice, Cambridge District Court; Rev. Traci Jackson Antoine from the Urban League of Eastern Massachusetts; Dr. Dana Gordon, a psychologist with Riverside Community Care; Jessica Teperow, ‎Director of Prevention Programs, REACH Beyond Domestic Violence; Cambridge Police Lt. Pauline Carter Wells; Probation Officer Marie Burke; and Middlesex Assistant District Attorney Christine Maltby.

Middlesex Partnerships for Youth, Inc., (MPY) is a non-profit organization which provides prevention and intervention resources and training to school districts and communities in collaboration with the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office. District Attorney Ryan chairs the MPY Board of Directors. Through MPY’s efforts, educators, parents, and students engage in collaborative trainings with law enforcement, social services, and community-based organizations as well as share the latest information and resources. Such interactions provide the foundation for creating solution-oriented, community-based, multi-disciplinary approaches to addressing issues including youth violence, substance abuse, child abuse and neglect, hate crimes, and harassment across Middlesex County.

Middlesex County is one of the most populous counties in the country with 54 towns and cities and 26 colleges in urban, suburban, and rural areas, comprising over one quarter of the population of Massachusetts. The Middlesex District Attorney’s Office has offices throughout the county, including in Ayer, Cambridge, Concord, Framingham, Lowell, Malden, Marlborough, Newton, Somerville, Waltham and Woburn.