Girl Talk is one of the most beneficial programs for young girls at school. Karen Crowley founded the club in 2007. Its purpose is to give girls a place to talk about their problems and share their stories with one another. Crowley was motivated to create the program when she saw that there were many girls at the school who didn’t have someone to talk to about their troubles and were afraid of being judged by others. She chose to start this group to “provide a safe place for girls to talk about issues without being judged or having it left in record.” Girl Talk gives girls a comforting and safe place where they can just drop by and talk openly with staff, teachers, and peers about the problems they are encountering. The meetings are every Friday at lunch in room 222 and is run by Crowley with the assistance of Shana Bacal and Tanya Mercado. An average of ten girls get together to support and give each other advice on different topics such as problems at home, boys, sex, drugs, alcohol, and general teen issues. Bacal believes that Girl Talk “allows students to be comfortable and lets them realize that we’re all going through the same stuff.” The group has girls come and share their stories, some who are required to participate for disciplinary issues and others who simply come because they enjoy being a part of the program. All the subjects discussed during the meetings are confidential, and they are not discussed outside of the meetings. Mercado believes “reaching out with confidentiality helps the girls open up and become themselves.” The group tries to guide the girls that are facing hardships by teaching them skills that will allow them to cope with anger. Girl Talk shows girls how to improve the relationships in their lives and shows them that confidence is important in everything they do.