March 31, 1997

Stevenson College hosts conference for Pajaro Valley teenage girls

By Francine Tyler

Ganas. That's what Josephina Rivera felt last year after attending a conference for teenage girls at Stevenson College. In English, ganas roughly means "this feeling of 'wow,'" Rivera said--a deep desire to get more of something.

A junior at Watsonville High School, Rivera wanted to pass that feeling along, so she joined other teens and community women to organize this year's second annual Teen Women's Conference. The conference brought 40 teenagers from the Pajaro Valley School District to Stevenson College last week.

Through an interactive program using skits, role playing, question-and-answer sessions, and small-group work, the teenagers attending the conference learned about and discussed a range of issues affecting them: from teenage pregnancy, to drug abuse, to racism, said Ana Maria Guevara, one of the conference organizers.

"We wanted the women to be able to reflect on their own issues and their own lives, and on the issues that affect them, their families, and communities," said Guevara, a UCSC alumna.

The conference was sponsored by the UCSC Women's Center, the Office of Admissions, Stevenson College, and Educational Opportunity Program, as well as a number of other community organizations and individuals, including the Greater Santa Cruz County Community Foundation, the California National Organization of Women Foundation, and Salud Para La Gente.

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