Junior high is an experience that can be easier for some teenagers than others.
Young Women Leaders Program started in Auburn in the spring of 2010.
YWLP is a program that involves female undergraduate students mentoring teenage girls from different junior high schools throughout the community.
It was originally started at The University of Virginia.
Christiana Brown, graduate facilitator for the program, described YWLP as a multi-level mentoring program.
Dr. Donna Sollie, YWLP program director, mentors Brown who in return mentors the undergraduates, or big sisters.
The big sisters mentor the teenage girls who are known as the little sisters.
"I help keep track of everything that's going on in their relationships," Brown said.
The big sisters are paired with their little sisters for nine months, or two semesters.
The advisors communicate with counselors that work with girls from local junior high schools.
The counselors recommend which girls they think would be right for the program.
They are looking for girls that have some risk issues that YWLP can work with to have better outcomes, said Carol Roberson, adviser.
"We aren't trying to do therapy with people, but a lot of girls, if they have somebody special in their lives, it will make a lot of difference," Roberson said.
There is one group meeting per week with all of the big and little sisters.
The graduate facilitators put together a curriculum for them to follow that targets different leadership skills.
Each week includes a different discussion about topics involving leadership, bullying, gossiping and other issues that surface in junior high, Brown said.
"We may have role plays on how to stop bullying or role playing how to talk to your teachers about things that are going on with your friends," Brown said. "We'll just have fun games that get the teenagers really involved and really absorbing the message."
In addition to the weekly group meetings, the big sisters spend at least an hour each week with their little sister.
"One pair just took a self-defense class and common things are baking cookies, making food together, seeing movies, just hanging out and watching TV," said Alyssa McElwain, graduate student program facilitator with YWLP.
YWLP has approximately 17 big sisters in the program right now, but they are hoping to recruit more.
Brown, Roberson and McElwain all see YWLP as a success at Auburn,.
One challenging aspect of the program is scheduling, Brown said. Finding times where both the big and little sister have free time can be difficult.
YWLP has had positive feedback from the undergrads and the junior high girls.
"We felt like there was a real need in the community for these girls who are at risk and (we) wanted to do something to try to help them get through their really difficult junior high years," Roberson said.
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