Beyondmedia Education, Chicago
In 1993, Girl Talk, a program for girls, ages 12-17, who are detained in the Cook County Temporary Juvenile Detention Center (JTDC), came into being as the brainchild of some very dynamic women and their sponsoring organizations, the Children and Family Justice Center of Northwestern Law School (CFJC) and Chicago Women’s Health Center. A survey of the girls, conducted by CFJC, found that they faced a number of serious concerns on a daily basis, including sexual assault and other forms of violence, relationships and conflict resolution, education and employment, legal rights, and a wide range of health issues. Programming and services related to these issues were almost non-existent through the detention center, and Girl Talk, a name chosen by the girls themselves was one answer. Girl Talk started as an eight-week pilot project and quickly grew into a weekly year-round one.It grew over the years and was eventually led by Wenona Thompson, a young woman who had spent time within those walls herself as a teenager. Eventually Girl Talk developed a program called Talk Out which extended the program to the girls once they were released from the detention center. Girl Talk ended in 2005 and Wenona Thompson tragically passed away way too young at the age of 32 in 2008. (See https://chicagogirltalk.wordpress.com for more information.)
Thompson shares her story and work with Girl Talk in this interview conducted by Salome Chasnoff and Beyondmedia Education for the educational website womenandprison.org.