CURRENT INITIATIVES
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Interested in Volunteering? click here

LOCAL PROGRAMMING

Free Eating Disorder Recovery Support Groups in St Paul and Minneapolis, MN
ANAD SUPPORT GROUPS Both people with eating disorders and their loved ones are welcome! You do not need to have been diagnosed with an eating disorder to attend!
For more information on ANAD, check out www.anad.org

Click here for a map to the Monday night support group location


ROOTS OF RECOVERY- Extended Support Group Programming
Our goal is to mimic some of the important features of an intensive outpatient program (minus the individual therapy and specific meal planning, because we are not licensed to provide those services). The extended support program is designed to give members the opportunity to socialize in a safe and supportive environment, to teach them skills which they can use for the recovery process, and to encourage them to reach out to others. Planned activities include: Yoga, self-defense classes, dance classes, kickboxing, and other physical activity (for those who are medically stable and wish to focus on physical activity that involves appreciating a strong body as opposed to simply burning calories), museum trips, movie nights, classes on basic nutrition, inspirational speakers, classes on assertiveness skills and building self-esteem, arts & crafts classes (knitting and crocheting, for example, are great ways to focus attention elsewhere during times when one might otherwise binge and purge), group volunteer opportunities for working with other organizations, and regular group dining experiences followed by group activities that will allow individuals to have non-judgmental support during meals, plus distractions to help them in the hours following the meal.

(FUTURE EXPANSION) SUPPORTIVE HOUSING
This concept is similar to ‘sober housing’ for those suffering from drug/alcohol addiction. This could provide individuals who may otherwise not have access to treatment with a supportive home environment where they could receive assistance in their recovery efforts. The biggest advantage is that they can live in an supportive environment that only costs as much as their rent, and they will also be able to strengthen their ability to live in the ‘real world’ while remaining supported. (Estimated program launch date: 2009 or 2010)

NATIONAL INITIATIVES

(FUTURE EXPANSION) "FRANCHISING" OF LOCAL PROGRAMMING
Once our own local programming is sufficiently developed, and our procedures are streamlined, and we have the capacity to oversee programs in different geographic areas, we would love to share our ‘model’ of programming with other locations.

CHANGING THE DIAGNOSTIC CRITERIA FOR ANOREXIA NERVOSA
We are fighting for change in ED diagnostic criteria. Specifically, we are requesting that the diagnostic criteria for Anorexia Nervosa be changed to delete weight requirements and judgments of physical characteristics. We believe that the current criteria do not accurately reflect the etiology of the illness, and that they prevent early intervention, which is critical for a successful outcome for treatment. We will be submitting our petition along with a formal review-of-current-research paper to the American Psychological Association for review by their Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM) Revision Committees. The revision committee is now actively seeking feedback and research for use in their decision-making process for making revisions to the DSM-IV-TR. We hope that our contributions to this process will have an effect on the revision of the criteria. You can sign our petition at DSM Petition or on our site

TREATMENT DIRECTORY
We are working on collecting information on treatment centers throughout the US into on searchable database. Our goal is to help people find a treatment center that is the right fit for them by providing detailed information about what each center specializes in, which insurance they accept, average wait list time, and many other variables.

NATIONAL EATING DISORDERS AWARENESS WEEK ACTIVITIES
NEDAW is held every year towards the end of February. The National Eating Disorders Association provides some resources for hosting public speaking events, handing out informational flyers, and facilitating discussion on positive body image and body acceptance. During this week, we make an effort to actively engage the community in ED-awareness activities.

GLOBAL INITIATIVES

RECOVERY-SUPPORT ONLINE MESSAGE BOARDS
Our Message Boards, located at Joy Project Online
give people in recovery the ability to chat with other people in recovery to support each other, give and receive feedback, share helpful information, and challenge each other to continue to fight their eating disorder. Features include: Option to create a personal online diary, daily challenge projects, weekly ‘Challenge Food Challenge’ contests, interactive polls, and permanent threads with useful info and links to more information.

RECOVERY SELF-HELP KIT
This is a collection of information and resources as well as self-help program instructions that people who have been denied treatment can use as a ‘better-than-nothing’ back-up method of assistance.

ED SURVIVOR'S QUILT
This quilt is similar to the AIDS quilt, and others, but with a much different meaning. This idea was born out of the desire of message board members to have a way to symbolically get rid of their ‘skinny clothes’ as they made the commitment to gain weight in recovery. This quilt gives those wishing to recover an opportunity to make their own quilt square (or have one made for them) to be added to other squares from people who are struggling with the same thing. We feel that this allows them to have a personal symbol of making a change in their life. In addition, it is a symbol of solidarity and support for others in the same situation as well a symbol of hope for those who feel hopeless. The quilt will be displayed at fundraising events. (Estimate program launch date: Late 2007- Early 2008)

A note about the structure of the organization
The Joy Project is 501(c)3 tax-exempt public charity, governed by a Board of Directors.

Please note that we do NOT provide individual therapy or diagnosis. We provide general information and peer support. Our programming is not intended to replace traditional therapy. However, many of our members have found our programming to be an invaluable tool for maintaining recovery, or for finding additional support in conjunction with participation in traditional therapy.
Interested in volunteering? Click here

To contact The Joy Project, send an email to director@joyproject.org

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PO Box 16488, St Paul, MN 55116