Quick update on the progress we've made in developing this year's program. Any ideas or suggestions for improvement would be greatly appreciated.
The concept: An all-girls team with a program focus on self-discovery and empowerment
Rationale behind the concept: 1. I will be Leading the 2009 Team and have a sincere passion for mentoring teenage girls. I have done a lot of research on female communication structures and the effect high school experiences have on women’s lives longer term. Trainings and volunteer service that augment this concept include working at the Rape Crisis Center and serving on the board of the Junior League of Greensboro (an organization committed to developing the leadership potential of women) for the past 4 years.
2. Mallory Green will be acting as a Co-Leader for the 2009 Team. Mallory will graduate from Appalachian State University in May with a degree in Psychology. Although young in age (22) she is mature in experience. Mallory has endured death at a young age. She has helped peers battle issues like abortion, sexually transmitted diseases, eating disorders and substance abuse problems. Her proximity to being a teenage girl in today’s society will create opportunities for unique connections with Team Members.
3. As Nobel Prize Winner Mohammad Yunus stated, “Women possess the innate capacity for innovative ideas. They can change their own lives, provided they have the right kind of institutional support.” I feel it's imperative that we gain an understanding of how to connect with the teenage “culture.” We have the opportunity to enable these girls, helping them to develop individual identities and stronger self-esteems so that they can realize their true potential. (See alarming stats below.)
Program Activity Ideas: 1. Mentor-Mentee - Each Globetrotter Team Member will be connected a Mentor and a Mentee. They will work with their Mentors to get a better understanding for what it is like to be a professional woman in today’s society. They will work with their Middle School Mentees on topics such as gossip, stereotypes, body-image, drugs and alcohol and relationships.
2. Team Members will pick another organizations (within Greensboro) that they want to support and volunteer with throughout the course of the Program. 3. Team Members will keep self-esteem journals.
4. Team Members will participate in a book club highlighting 2 pieces of literature (one selected by the students and one selected by the leaders).
5. Team Members will learn about money management. We are even considering giving each Team Member a small amount of money to invest and manage in the Stock Market.
6. Women have been the “handers-down” of tradition. We are losing a lot of this… Teach girls a “trade” (like knitting) that they can pass down. (“Older” person teaching a “younger” person a skill.)
Trip Destination: Romania (with a possible visit to Serbia or Bulgaria)
Trip Activity Ideas: Live and work on an organic farm providing labor in exchange for food and accommodations. Experience what it’s like to make tools, clothing and shoes by hand as short-term residents of a rural Romanian village. Visit schools and work with middle school aged girls on their English skills. Visit and possibly volunteer in a monastery spending an entire day in silence. Learn (or maybe I should say, attempt to learn) local songs and dances so we can participate in an authentic village festival. Volunteer in a hospital and/or orphanage. Hiking in the Carpathians Mountains.
Statistics:Teenage Research Unlimited (TRU) for Liz Claiborne Inc., (Technology & Teen Dating Abuse Survey 2007, Teen Dating Abuse Survey, 2006)
•57% of U.S. teens (between the ages of 13 – 18) have had a friend in an abusive relationship.
•69% of parents were unaware that their teen was pressured by their partner to perform oral sex.
•1 in 2 teens who have been in a serious relationships say they've gone against their beliefs in order to please their partner.
•1 in 3 girls between the ages of 16 and 18 say sex is expected for people their age if they're in a relationship; half of teen girls who have experienced sexual pressure report they are afraid the relationship would break up if they did not give in.
Dove Foundation, (Dove Campaign for Real Beauty)
•92% of teen girls would like to change something about the way they look, with body weight ranking the highest.
•70% of girls ages 15 to 17 avoid normal daily activities such as attending school, going to the doctor, or even giving their opinion "due to feeling badly about one’s looks."
•75% of girls with low self esteem reported engaging in negative activities (such as eating disorders, cutting, bullying, and substance abuse).
•57% of all girls have a mother who criticizes her own looks. 7 in 10 girls believe they are not good enough and that they do not measure up physically, socially, academically or professionally.
National Association for Self-Esteem
•90% of eating disorders are found in girls
Girl Scouts USA, (Study, 2006)
•The more physically active girls are, the greater their self-esteem and the more satisfied they are with their weight, regardless of how much they weigh.
Girls Inc., (The Supergirl Dilemma: Girls Grapple with the Mounting Pressure of Expectations, 2006)
•1 in 5 high school girls say they do not know three adults to whom to turn if they have a problem.
