You are warmly invited to a dynamic workshop hosted by Big Wonder, featuring professional speaker and national expert Justine Finn, E.d.M.

Raising Healthy Kids in a “Pink or Blue” World: Masculinity & Femininity in PreK-5th Grade
When:  5:30-6:30 PM Thursday, December 18th
Where: Big Wonder  (60 Kent Street, Saint Paul, MN 55102) 

To make this accessible to parents, Pizza and Child Care are provided! Space is limited. Please RSVP by replying to this email to secure your child's spot.

Workshop Description 

Boys often receive narrow messages about masculinity that encourage emotional suppression, toughness, and the idea that vulnerability is weakness. These pressures can lead to frustration, aggression, and disconnection, making it harder for boys to form close, supportive friendships. Building emotional literacy, compassion, and a broader definition of strength is essential for their long-term well-being.

Girls, meanwhile, face intense pressure to be beautiful, agreeable, and socially perfect — expectations that begin surprisingly early and shape their confidence and sense of self. From media to classroom dynamics, girls may learn to prioritize appearance over ability and harmony over honesty, contributing to anxiety, perfectionism, and self-silencing. Supporting girls in trusting their instincts, setting boundaries, and valuing their strengths helps them grow into confident, grounded leaders.

This workshop gives parents, caregivers, and educators practical tools to counter these pressures and support healthy gender development. Participants will learn strategies for navigating screen time and media messages, strengthening emotional literacy, interrupting early bias, and modeling healthier expressions of identity. Attendees will leave with scripts, conversation starters, and everyday practices to nurture confident, connected, and compassionate children.

Justine is my sister, and I have had the pleasure of presenting and working with her. She is candid, powerful, and strategic- providing critical information and solutions for educators, parents, and caregivers to support thriving children and a healthier world. This workshop is not one you will want to miss! I am grateful that she is coming from Seattle to present at Big Wonder. 

Speaker Bio:
Justine Finn is the Founder and Director of Relation-Shift, launched at the Harvard Innovation Lab in 2016 to advance gender equity, healthy relationships, and safe school cultures. For fifteen years, she has partnered with schools and organizations across the U.S., Canada, and internationally to address misogyny, bias, and cultural challenges through leadership development and student, caregiver, and educator programming. She has spent over a decade designing healthy-masculinity and boy-culture initiatives for national organizations and athletic programs, and has designed and facilitated programming for girls and young women. Justine lives in Seattle with her family. 

Please RSVP to celeste@bigwonder.org so we know how much space and food to account for.