| Home
Calendar
of Events
Meet
the Staff
G.R.O.W.
H.E.A.T.
Resources
Pictures
of Past Events
Pictures
of Current Events
Links
Women's
History
Diversity
Domestic
Abuse/Violence
Feminism
Sexual
Harassment
Women's
Health
Sexual
Assault
Eating
Disorder:
|
Overview
Growing
into Respected Outstanding Women, (G.R.O.W.) is a mentoring program through
the Murray State
University
’s Women’s Center. The program pairs
15 undergraduate women leaders with girls from Calloway
County
Middle
School . Currently led by Jane Etheridge,
director of the MSU Women’s Center, and Chantel Draves, a veteran mentor,
the G.R.O.W. program will be entering its fourth year at MSU. The program
is designed to foster personal growth and develop leadership skills in
middle school girls through positive female role-modeling.
History
G.R.O.W.
was established in the fall of 2002 by senior social work major Kennette
Cleaver and Jane Etheridge. G.R.O.W. was adapted from the existing Young
Women Leaders Program, a mentoring program established at the University
of Virginia
in 1997 by directors Kim Roberts,
Ph.D., and Winx Lawrence, Ph.D. The directors are also supported by graduate
students serving as program coordinators and project managers.
The
Young Women Leaders Program developed out of concern about the self-esteem
of adolescent girls. A study by the American Association of University
Women in the early 1990s found that as girls move from childhood into
adolescence, their self-esteem drops significantly. Young Women Leaders
Program wanted to create a program that would respond to that concern
as well as have other benefits. By being a role model for a young girl,
an undergraduate woman can share her many gifts with others and help a
young girl learn about her own leadership potential in a supportive, diverse,
and safe environment. Spring of 1997 saw the first training class at the
University
of Virginia .
After having completing six years of operation, Young Women Leaders Program
now serves over 500 middle school girls.
Structure
College
women interested the G.R.O.W. program go through an application process
at the beginning of the fall semester. The women, sophomores to seniors,
are required to attend an informational meeting and submit an application
and an essay. The applications are evaluated and narrowed down to a smaller
pool for interviewing. The interview process is thorough, examining both
the emotional stability and communication skills of the applicants. Based
on the interview process, 15 mentors are selected and immediately begin
a nine-week training session that meets for two hours weekly.
Middle
school administrators and counselors nominate girls who exhibit a need
for a positive female role model. The girls are diverse, varying in age,
race, background, educational level and socioeconomic level. The nominees
are narrowed down to approximately 17 girls who are then narrowed down
to 15 girls based on parental consent, two remain as alternates until
the beginning of the program. The “big sisters” and “little sisters” then
meet once a week in a group setting for a two-hour period and twice a
month for one-on-one interaction.
During
group activities, discussions and activities are centered around prominent
issues in the girls’ lives. Topics from the previous year included body
image, assertiveness, self-esteem, leadership, stereotyping and its effects,
peer pressure, and interpersonal communication. The mentoring sessions
begin soon after MSU’s spring semester commences and consists of nine
weekly group meetings lasting approximately two hours. The program takes
place at Calloway County
Middle
School . |
G.R.O.W.
Office Phone Number:
(270)
809-3365
E-Mail:
grow@murraystate.edu
2007-2008
Coordinators:
Ryan
Hays
Laura
Hillerich
G.R.O.W.
Goals
and Mission
Mission
G.R.O.W.
exists to bring out the emotional, mental, and physical best in every
girl by providing a nurturing environment led by diverse, open-minded,
and connected mentors who are dedicated to equipping each girl with the
skills to help them live a healthy and well-balanced life.
Goals
•
Promote realistic academic and personal goal
setting.
•
Encourage respectful social interaction with
others.
•
Demonstrate the importance of tolerance,
diversity, and individuality.
•
Emphasize decision-making that will ensure
physical, emotional, and mental well being.
•
Establish trusting relationships with fellow
mentors and middle school girls.
•
Facilitate meaningful participation in school
and in the community.
•
Support the values, interests and talents
of the middle school girls.
|
