B L O S S O M
7 week program in Motueka beginning May 13th 2021
BLOSSOM is a warm, nurturing, safe space for young girls (aged 9-12) to gather weekly to be educated, empowered and connected to their transition from young girl into blossoming young woman. Where they will learn the seasons of nature and how they will come to embody these seasons within their menstrual cycle. How they can take care of their physical and emotional wellbeing as they grow. The basic anatomy of their pelvis and the organs involved in healthy female maturation. How to lovingly remain connected to themselves, their friends, their family and their world as life begins to blossom.
Throughout the program they will be offered tools, uplifting experiences and stories that will open the doors to connecting to their expanding emotional capacity of new hormones in the body, how to tend to their growing female form with kindness and care, all while building trust with self, sisterhood and the female community in their life.
G O A L S
>>> To educate and empower young girls with the proper holistic knowledge of their coming menstruation & changing bodies.
>>> To create a safe, fun and supportive space for girls to express themselves & learn with those who are of a similar age and life experience.
>>> To create strong female bonds with the girls, their mothers and the female community around them so that they feel they have a secure network to reach out to and be nurtured by as they mature.
>>> To offer each girl a sense of safety & empowerment in knowing how to be with the changes of her body and her life.
>>> To instil a sense of wonder, confidence and excitement in the changes that may be occurring and are still to come.
>>> To nurture a growing community of women & young girls that will continue to blossom in their wisdom and kinship.
WHY B L O S S O M ?
“The female youth of the world are so incredibly important to everyones future, they are our future..”
Providing this space for young girls is one of the ways I wish to support the next generation. I wish I had had it. I know I would have experienced a much more graceful, enriching youth if I had. And after my years working with mothers, families and women of all walks, it has become clear to me that there is SO much women's wisdom that has been lost throughout the years of colonisation that we desperately need to bring back into our culture. The young girls of our community need access to spaces, experiences and information that will assist them in navigating this increasingly changing world. It is imperative that this begins with a fruitful and nurtured experience of blossoming into womanhood, into their own bodies so as to offer them a solid inner foundation to grow & navigate from. I believe it is of grave importance to the overall health of our next generation that we ensure that they are educated and empowered to be able to know themselves with a solid connection to the wisdom of their bodies through simple, enjoyable practices & experiences that will ensure a life rich with knowledge and understanding so they may confidently hold themselves in this world.
WHY AGE 9-12?
Originally I began putting a program together for pre-teens as well as teens. Imagining I would be sharing space with girls who were nearly about to bleed and/or had just began their bleeding years. But, to my surprise, when I put the call out to see whom in the community had daughters and were interested in them receiving the warm space & support to begin connecting with their budding bodies I received various contact with mums whose girls were becoming pubescent as young as 8years old. Not yet bleeding, but experiencing body and hormonal changes. Statistically, girls are beginning their bleeding years much younger than some of us did, and way younger than our great grandmothers. So, we have to find a way to support these children in understanding what is unfolding for them in this day and age. It took me some time to grasp this reality of our sweet female youth coming into their young adulthood so early in their bodies these days. And so I have landed on a way in which to share this knowledge with them as a means of gently sending the waka down the river towards womanhood. In that I wish to give them some of the knowing as to why they are changing and what is to come. One, so when the big change comes with menstruation starting, she is not overwhelmed, that these soils have been enriched with excitement and a feeling joy to learn more about her time in her cyclical years. Two, to ensure that as their bodies change they are connected to their bodies and the needs of their bodies whilst having close friends and a community that is openly accessible and supportive to them as they continue to grow. I have heard from some Mothers that they feel their daughters are too young for this program, and I fully understand. I hope mothers and daughters respect that if they sense this to trust it AND I wish to encourage that if your daughter is beginning to show signs of transition to contact me and consider bringing her into this gentle & welcoming space of beginning her learnings.
If you have a daughter who is outside this age range or well into her teens and you feel she could benefit from a program like this, please get in touch as I have programs coming for these age ranges as well.
CONTENT
over 7 weeks the girls will journey through fun, experiential and knowledge filled group spaces through the elements & wheel of the year.
SPRING | SUMMER | AUTUMN | WINTER
The girls will learn in a fun, safe & supportive environment :
>> anatomy of the pelvis & reproductive system
>> biology of budding hormones & the dance of new emotional experiences
>> coming of the gift of menstruation
>> boundaries, self love & how to care for your body
>> necessity of sisterhood & support
Everything that will be shared with the girls will be catered to their age range and offered in a fun and warmly held space. Meaning, they will not be seated in a typical ‘class’ environment. There will be movement, art, crafts and games. Each gathering will open with agreements for respecting one another and the shared space, including consent, choice, privacy and the gift of building bonds within the female community. There will always be space for the girls to share questions, curiosities and experiences within the topics and materials each week. The younger the group, the more movement, stories and play will be incorporated into giving them this knowledge.
Additionally, it is intended that the caretakers of each girl will also be included in this BLOSSOMing. It is important that what the daughter is experiencing & learning also has threads within her home life, to create congruency in the knowledge known and shared with her. When she knows that everyone in her close support network knows the same information, there is space for more ease as she navigates her new experiences.
Mothers gatherings are for the women support figures or guardians to commune together, share about their the girls and experience some of what the blossoms are venturing through and enrich the weave of womanhood in the community through sharing experiences together.
Fathers gatherings are for the male support figures or guardians to come together to share about the girls & learn about what these blossoms are venturing through in life & in the program. They will have space to ask a multitude of questions, offering great insight and understanding, as males do not have a bodied reference for this phase of a girls life.
Parents & Guardians who attend classes will receive a link to reference material from the program to support the girls in their home life outside of BLOSSOM.
I also want to gently acknowledge that not every daughter has a Mother or a Father in her life at present, and that is a thread I hope this program can lightly tend. By giving her connection to others whom she can lean into, and so if she does not have a current Mother or Father present but she has a male or female figure close to her whom is most welcome to have stand in and receive the Mother/Fathers space through the program.
FACILITATOR
Kassandra Angus is a Traditional Reproductive Therapist who has been passionately working in the world of womens wisdom since her early 20's. Over the years working one on one with women to heal their bodies & come into a place of softness, self trust & empowerment she has expanded her work into holding group journeys & explorations for women to experience their own inner wisdom & land in a greater sense of self nourishment.
Presently in Motueka, Tasman, she has been weaving offerings together for the younger female community so they may grow rooted in their own well of love and wisdom.
REGISTRATION | LOCATION | COST
This program has space for up to 15 girls to be apart of this coming BLOSSOM journey, of which there are two options for registration.
INTRO BLOSSOM PROGRAM :
May 13th - June 20th : 7 Gatherings
1 Mothers/female guardians class gathering
5 girls class gatherings
1 Fathers/male guardians class gathering
(*intro program has been updated : May 4th, 2021)
FULL BLOSSOM PROGRAM :
May 13th-June 20th : 9 Gatherings
2 Mothers/female guardians class gatherings
5 girls class gatherings
2 Fathers/male guardians class gatherings
The difference between the Intro & the Full program is primarily that the Full is there to deepen the weave of support and experience of the parents or support persons of the girl. Creating opportunity for a stronger thread within the community of men, women & girls. For as much as she is navigating a new journey & may need encouraging space and support, so too will you, the carer, benefit from building bonds & experiences that aid you in your journey with her.
* EARLY BIRD PRICING *
RECEIVE EARLY BIRD WHEN YOU PAY IN FULL BY 12PM ON MAY 11TH
ONLY A FEW MORE SPACE REMAIN!
Registration is required with a $75 non-refundable deposit
If a payment plan is needed please contact me to organise
If finances are challenged and you deeply yearn to have you and your girl attend, please contact me about partial scholarships
If you have a girl who you feel is too young to join but you’d like her to be apart of a program in the future, please contact me about the Mothers of Buds Program.
Location : Riverside Community.
Note * In the FULL program the additional Mothers & Fathers gatherings may take place at a second location in Motueka township.
THE PROGRAM SCHEDULE :
MOTHERS GATHERINGS :
Thursday, May 13th - 4pm-6pm ~ second for full program : to be determined by Mothers & myself
FATHERS GATHERINGS :
Thursday May 27th - 630pm -830pm ~ second for full program : to be determined by Fathers & myself
GIRLS FIRST GATHERING :
Thursday, May 20th - 4pm - 6pm
GIRLS SECOND GATHERING :
Thursday, June 3rd - 4pm - 6pm
GIRLS THIRD GATHERING :
Thursday, June 10th - 4pm - 6pm
GIRLS FOURTH GATHERING :
Thursday, June 17th - 4pm - 6pm
GIRLS FINAL GATHERING :
SOLSTICE Sunday, June 20th - beginning at 12pm - Girls, Mothers & Fathers to take part throughout the gathering. More details to come
It is important that all gatherings are attended with signing up for the program.
Please intend to book off days in yours and your girls calendar for attendance
SPACE IS LIMITED
NOT SURE IF YOU’RE READY TO JOIN THE PROGRAM?
come gather with me at Riverside Cafe this coming Friday May 7th from 3:30pm-5pm to learn more about the program and see if it’s right for you & your girl
Please note that if you are viewing this program for Motueka,
the price will vary in different regions and communities