Proposal to Framingham State University:

Nonprofit Giving Course

Request

Strong Women, Strong Girls (SWSG) respectfully requests $10,000 to support the delivery of its after-school mentoring program. This request represents 2% of our total project budget ($457,070). Ourcurriculum-based, skill-building program will engage 700 elementary school girls and 200 local college women over the next year. Funding will support the following core program elements:

  • Mentor Training ($2,500):College women have a fall and spring training (two 8-hour days total). Grounded in best practices for Positive Youth Development, mentor training prepares mentors to deliver an impactful program to mentees and is the highest form of program quality control. Training equips mentors to deliver our curriculum during 90-minute after-school sessions. The core mentor training consists of SWSG basics, qualities of a strong mentor, classroom management, relationship building skills and tools, conflict resolution, and mediation skills and tools. Training topics include: mandate reporting and safety, Active Listening, Multiple Intelligences, Current Events and Race, and Trauma Informed Care. Mentors also receive ongoing coaching to build and refine their mentoring skillset. YW Boston also provides a 301-level training about diversity and inclusion so mentors can empower mentees regardless of race and ability.Funding will partially cover the costs of training supplies, space rental, printing of training materials/hand-outs, and meals.
  • Program Supplies ($2,500): During 20 weekly 90-minute workshops, groups of 6-12 elementary school girls meet with 2-4 college women mentors for:
  • Welcome from mentors, attendance, and agenda/skill review (5 mins)
  • Check-in and time for connection, including highs and lows of the week (10 mins)
  • Get Active, a healthy snack and activity to connect (10 mins)
  • Knowledge swap, reviewing content for the lesson (10 mins)
  • Reading the biography of a strong female role model and her skill (15 mins)
  • Activity, to highlight the skill in girls’ own lives interactively (20 mins)
  • Journaling, from a weekly prompt related to the skill (5 mins)
  • Clean-up and SWSG cheer, to create community and belonging (5 mins)

Funding will partially support integral program supplies used during the after-school workshops including journals for individual reflection about the weekly skill and female role model, easel paper and markers for collaborative activities, crayons for creative projects related to the skill, and other specialized materials (examples include women’s health magazines, music, and timers).

  • Curriculum Printing Costs ($2,500): The focal point of our mentoring model is an experiential curriculum aligned with a recognized framework for Positive Youth Development: the 5C’s + 1. These 6C’s (connection, caring, contribution, character, competence, and confidence) are research-demonstrated capacities that reduce risk factors and increase protective factors, leading to more positive outcomes for youth (Smith et al., 2017). Each lesson in the curriculum teaches girls about a strong female role model who embodies one of the 6C’s, along with related skills such as bravery, perseverance, and goal-setting. Each lesson is culturally relevant (grounded in the social context of girls served), and developmentally appropriate (activities, vocabulary and learning techniques supportthe cognitive abilities of youth in late elementary school). A sample of lessons include: communication through Oprah Winfrey, organizing through Gloria Steinem, and bravery through Sophie Cruz. SWSG uses role models that are diverse including: local, national, and international; contemporary and historical; older and younger; from various races, ethnicities, cultural backgrounds, and with different abilities; and in different areas of life - arts, business, STEM, education, public service, politics, and advocacy. Funding will partially support the printing costs for each girl and mentor group to have a copy of the curriculum.
  • Staff Salaries ($2,500): Program staff, including a Program Associate and Program Manager, play an integral role in program delivery. They create and maintain relationships with elementary school program sites, college chapters, and site facilitators; recruit mentors and mentees; support mentors’ training and coaching; collect and analyze program data to ensure a high-quality program; and support general program management and logistics. Funding will partially support program staff salaries to ensure uninterrupted delivery of the program and support of mentors.

Organizational Goals

Short-Term Goals

SWSG Boston is committed to achieving the following goals by the year 2020:

  1. Inclusivity: Clearly defining who we serve and why—SWSG will have created and implemented a plan for becoming a high-quality anti-racist mentoring organization that is a model for how to best empower girls of color in Greater Boston.
  2. Program Stabilization: Develop a high-quality program model—SWSG will have tested and refined its program model based in best practices for Positive Youth Development and mentoring; several program improvements have already been integrated (e.g. revised curriculum, 6C’s outcome areas, mentor training).
  3. Infrastructure: Identify the necessary resources for program delivery—SWSG will have created a plan to secure the necessary resources, including staffing, leadership, and funding, to deliver its high-quality program at scale.
  4. Replication: Develop a plan for growth—SWSG will have identified communities in Massachusetts in need of mentoring programs serving girls, particularly girls of color, and created a plan to replicate its refined program model in these new locations.

Long-Term Goal

By 2023, SWSG will be positioned to exponentially expand its high-quality mentoring model regionally in districts across Massachusetts and Southern New England. This goal is in service of our vision: to help all girls and women realize their inner strengths to dream and do.

Indicators of Success

The need for this skill-building mentoring program is apparent in two ways:

  1. There is a gap in skill-building programs serving girls of color in Boston. SWSG addresses the staggering statistic that girls’ self-esteem on average peaks at age nine (McGraw, 2006). As a girl’s self-esteem dips, she is less equipped to navigate the social challenges that she faces. This is particularly relevant to girls of color in Boston, who statistically are more likely to experience challenges like poverty, high school dropout, suspension, and physical and mental health challenges (Novo Foundation, 2016; The 2015 Report on the Status of Women and Girls in Boston). Such challenges take girls off track from pursuing their dreams and minimize the potential contributions of Boston’s population. Indeed, 40% of female students in Boston are Latina, and 37% are Black (National Black Women’s Justice Initiative, 2017). This highlights the need for more skill-building programs that serve girls of color in Boston, to proactively support them to overcome such obstacles.
  1. There is a gap in mentoring programs serving low-income youth in Boston—only 33% have their mentoring needs met (Mass Mentoring Partnership, 2015). This is unfortunate given the documented benefits of having access to a mentor and after-school programming, including higher self-esteem, higher aspirations for college and career, increased academic performance, and reduced risk-taking behaviors (Bruce & Bridgeland, 2014; Naftzger et al., 2007; University of Chicago, 2006).

The goal of our mentoring model is to pave the pathway to strong girlhood by cultivating skills in 6 key areas (connection, caring, contribution, character, competence, and confidence) linked to positive outcomes for youth.Selection of the research-demonstrated 6C’s outcome areas in 2017 was motivated by critical donor feedback, stakeholder observations, and staff insights, to more clearly define our impact on girls served.

Short-term indicators of success for girls include: increased connection with and contributions to the SWSG community, improved self-care and self-compassion, increased pride in gender and racial identity, greater appreciation of different identities, and increased competence in social situations.

Long-term indicators include: increased connection to the external community, engagement with social/political issues, improved skills for engaging in positive health behaviors, increased sense of agency over life satisfaction, and strengthened ability to attain one's dreams.

Over the last 13 years, SWSG has served thousands of girls and young women with its multi-generational mentoring model. Our impact is apparent as girls served find their voice and commit to serving others by becoming an SWSG mentor. Rossye Alvarez is one salient example. In elementary school, Rossye was so shy she would hardly speak. Her teacher suggested Rossyejoin SWSG. After joining the program, Rossye’s demeanor shifted – she began to build confidence in herself and befriended a new group of girls. SWSG gave Rossye and her new friends a space outside of the normal school day to learn and play together. Her experience as a mentee helped Rossye to become more outgoing and involved in school and activities.Fast forward to the present. Rossyeused her experience as a mentee to become a mentor and Chapter Director of UMASS Boston, to help other girls find their voice.Rossye joined our staff in 2017 as the Development Associate and has already been promoted to Program Assistant, where she works with the Executive Director to cultivate and engage corporate sponsors and support delivery of the program. She regularly drawsupon her experience in the program to guide her work. Rossye once said: "These girls have so many questions about where their futures are going…Women have done such great things and they can do great things too!"

During the last program year (2016-2017), girls reported the following outcomes on their surveys:

•97% indicated that they feel both accepted and supported by their mentors

•97% believe they can go to college if they choose

•95% believe that they can make a difference in the world

•99% believe that they can influence how their life will turn out

•94% believe that they can make a difference in their community

We measure outcomes with: mentee demographics, mentee attendance, mentee pre- and post-surveys, site facilitator surveys, mentor surveys, site visits, and parent/guardian post-surveys.

Sustainability

SWSG was founded in 2000 as a student organization at Harvard University by college student Lindsay Hyde. This first college chapter only had two program sites and served a few dozen girls. By 2004, demand for Lindsay’s all-female group mentoring model led to 501c3 nonprofit status. Since 2004, SWSG has grown to serve 700 girls and 200 college women in Greater Boston annually.

SWSG has a robust fundraising strategy to ensure sustainability. It consists of diverse sources includingfoundation, corporation, and individual donors, fundraising events, and in-kind donations. This has enabled us to continue delivering ourmodel and improving it.

SWSG received a significant two-year $100,000 grant from Robert Kraft to hire a full-time Volunteer Engagement Manager. This award is a significant piece of our financial sustainability plan: 1) through a matching challenge, SWSG Boston will leverage this award to triplenew funding, 2) this strategy will enable SWSG to broaden its funding base, 3) the Volunteer Engagement Manager will better engage potential corporate donors, and 4) the matching challenge will also enable us to hire a Development Manager—which will further increase fundraising capacity. Now represents an opportune time to partner with SWSG Boston as we work to match these strategic grant dollars and inspire others to step up and help us unlock new funding beyond what is currently budgeted for.

Secured funding includes: Imago Dei Fund, $20,000; Ludcke Foundation, $35,000; Campbell and Hall Fund, $7,000; Anna B. Stearns Charitable Foundation, $10,000; CHT Fund, $3,000; P&G Fund, $7,500; Paul & Edith Babson Foundation, $3,000; Liberty Mutual Foundation, $10,000. Pending funding includes: Cabot Family Charitable Trust, $30,000; Moses Kimball Fund, $10,000; Junior League of Boston, $2,500.

Demographics

Girls served include: 49 Asian, 196 Black, 203 Latina, 165 White, and 138 Other. Staff include 1 Latina female, and 3 White females. Board members include 1 Asian female, 3 Black females, and 9 White females.

SWSG envisions its future as an anti-racist mentoring organization serving Greater Boston and beyond. To advance its social justice agenda, SWSG is engaged in a multi-tiered effort that includes: building greater racial awareness and cultural competency across our stakeholders particularly our mentors, creating additional leadership opportunities for women of color as mentors and leaders in our organization, building better racial equity in Greater Boston, managing an anti-racist working group, board diversification and racial awareness training, and hiring a Mentor Coach to lead diverse mentor recruitment and racial equity training. Our volunteer base is a critical resource, enabling us to provide over 700 girls in Greater Boston with a mentor each year. However, 85% of mentees identify as girls of color (majority Black and Latina) while only 35% of mentors identify as women of color (primarily of Asian descent). Diversifying and building racial awareness of mentors has become a priority. Mentors receive an advanced 301-level training from YW Boston focused on exploring personal biases and tools to cultivate an anti-racist sentiment and classroom.

Our focus is on orienting every program component to be in direct service of empowering the diverse young girls we serve to become strong women. By developing our youngest stakeholders, we will help create the next generation of Boston’s female leaders and changemakers, dedicated to creating a better world for all.