A “Girls’ Day” conference that aims to help girls weather the stormy transition from child to teenager is planned for Saturday, March 4, at Notre Dame de Namur University in Belmont.
At the conference — dubbed “See Me. Hear Me. I’m for Real!” — girls and their parents can choose from 18 workshops, ranging from self-defense and yoga to overcoming shyness.
Girls in the in-between-years of age 9 to 13 often find themselves facing a lot of adult issues — drinking, smoking, bullying and contemplating harming themselves, according to statistics cited by state Sen. Jackie Speier.
Sen. Speier, the kickoff speaker, says girls will come away from the event with new tools to deal with bullying, family discord, negative self-image, depression, and substance abuse.
Girls’ Day includes a special workshop for Spanish-speaking parents and a keynote address by the teenage authors of “Middle School: How to Deal.”
The event is cosponsored by the Lucile Packard Foundation for Children’s Health, Notre Dame de Namur University and the San Mateo County Office of Education.
The conference begins with registration and breakfast from 8 to 9 a.m. and ends around 2 p.m. The university is at 1500 Ralston Ave. in Belmont. For information, call Sen. Speier’s San Mateo office at 340-8840.
