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For more information, email
Mary Brooks
Help support the Summit...
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AAUW’s 1991 Shortchanging
Girls, Shortchanging America and YWCA's Safe Passage: Voices
from the Middle School show that in
adolescence, girls often experience a dramatic drop in self-esteem and
lose the vibrant, strong voices they once had. In 1995, the AAUW
Foundation followed up with Growing Smart: What's Working for Girls in
School, that to thrive, girls need to be connected with caring adults,
respected as central players, and empowered to realize their dreams. Each teen girl views her
life from a unique perspective that, if shared, can spark a rich and
productive dialogue. Girls’ discovery of their shared experiences can
affirm their views and spur them into action, sister to sister.
Sister-to-Sister Summits give girls of all backgrounds an opportunity to talk about their fears and frustrations,
their dreams and ideas. What challenges do they face? What steps can they
take to solve problems? What support do they need? Listen to their voices,
then watch their self-esteem rise and, with it, their involvement and
participation.
With their concerns identified, girls will
articulate the messages they want to convey, services they need, and
changes they want to make. AAUW, the YWCA and Coalition partners will then help the girls transform their
thoughts into a platform for action. The platform for action on paper
becomes an agenda for change in our schools and communities. For example,
the Blount County YWCA followed up the 2001 Summit by organizing new
school Y-teens programs, and the Coalition sponsored a series of "Summit
House" gatherings, at the girls’ request, giving them further
opportunities to talk and plan. By collaborating with other organizations we can help organize
sustained responses to girls’ needs. |
