Communities Take Action and Girls Take Charge - National Mentoring Symposium November 7th, 2013

Communities Take Action
and Girls Take Charge
National Mentoring Symposium
November 7th, 2013

Today…

   Overview of Canadian Women’s Foundation
   Why Girls?
   Our approach to mentoring
   How communities take action
   How girls take charge
   Case study across three communities
   Successes & challenges
   Questions & answers

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Who is the Canadian Women’s
Foundation?

 The Canadian Women’s Foundation is
 Canada’s public foundation for women
 and girls.

 We empower women and girls in
 Canada to move out of violence, out of
 poverty and into confidence.

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Foundation’s areas of focus
Grant-making to community organizations across Canada
that build the strength of girls and the power of women.
  Focus on:
   Poverty
   Violence Prevention
   Trafficking
   Girls aged 9 to 13

Scope of work includes capacity building, research,
evaluation, policy and partnerships

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Why Girls?

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Facts on Girls

   As girls enter adolescence their confidence
    declines and have higher rates of depression
   60% of girls who were actually too thin thought
    they were too fat
   82% of sexual assault victims under the age of
    18 are girls

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Nancy Drew (New and Improved?)

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Olympic Athletes

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Toys?

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Facts on Girls

   Research links sexualization of girls with the
    three most common mental health problems
    facing girls: eating disorders, low self-esteem,
    and depression

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Safety

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Girls’ Fund

   Build protective factors, such as
    confidence, critical thinking skills and
    connectedness

   Help girls develop resilience to make
    healthy choices

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Girls’ Fund includes

   Grants for programs
   Learning and evaluation
   Capacity building
   Building the sector

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Four year grants
                          Indicates the location of a
                        Canadian Women’s Foundation
                          Girls’ Fund Grantee for the
                               2012- 2016 cycle.

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Types of grants

   Girls groups
   Mentoring component

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Girls’ Mentoring

The Nancy Baron Mentorship for
Girls Program

   Builds on the girls programs
   Launched in 2012 from a generous gift
    from the W. Garfield Weston Foundation

   Focus on girls group mentoring
   Two groups, at two different stages, to
    promote peer learning

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Mentoring Overview

   Extends beyond length of program as an
    “enhancement” (booster shot)

   Group format

   Community-based

   Mentoring relationship length lasts 1-2 years

What do you see?

Focus on relationships and
leadership appearing and
growing in all directions
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Using a community based approach
The mentoring approach developed by each
organization is tailored to the unique assets,
needs and values of the community

The mentoring programs across Canada showcase:
     Variety in mentors
     Variety in formats
     Range in ratio
     Range in dosage
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Why use a community based
approach?

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Success or Challenge?

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Success or Challenge?

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Success or Challenge?

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Success or Challenge?

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How do communities take action?

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Taking action through a community
based approach
a)   Develop approach unique to community
b)   Build on community assets
c)   Reinforce relationships and identity
d)   Value community impact at large

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a) Develop approach unique to
community
   What are the values and strengths of the
    community?
   What are the features that shape the
    culture?
   What are the pressing issues in the
    community?
   How is this affecting girls?

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b) Build on community assets

   What resources exist in the community
    that can support the program?
   What sources of knowledge and
    experience can be leveraged?
   How can we support girls to use their
    talents to be leaders in the programs?

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c) Reinforce relationships and identity

   How do I facilitate relationships at
    multiple levels?
   How can we incorporate culture and
    reinforce identity?
   How can this strengthen girls ‘self’ to
    navigate adolescence?

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d) Value community impact at large

   How can this program impact community
    members other than girls?
   How can this program increase awareness
    of issues affecting girls in the community?

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How girls take charge?

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How can you support girls to take
charge?

a)   Find strong role models
b)   Create a safe space
c)   Encourage girl directed content
d)   Facilitate opportunities for voice and
     leadership

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a) Find strong role models

   What are the girls looking
    for in a mentor?
   What kind of experience and traits
    would inspire them and address their
    needs?
   How can we foster mentor’s strengths
    through training?
          You can’t be, what you can’t see
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b) Create a safe space
   What kind of space encourages girls to
    speak and share openly?
   How can we ensure it is accessible and
    easy to get to?
   What would encourage their creativity and
    participation?

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c) Encourage girl directed content

   How can you encourage active feedback
    and decision making from the girls to
    create content?
   How can you guide girls in planning
    events and activities?
   How can you balance this within a group
    context?

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d) Facilitate opportunities for voice
and leadership
   How can we create opportunities for
    girls to strengthen their voice?
   What mediums would be most useful in
    achieving this?
   How can they influence the larger
    systems in our organization or
    community?

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Case Studies

1. Wahbung          2. Boys & Girls   3. YWCA Toronto
Abinoonjiiag Inc.   Club of London

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Case Study One:
Wahbung Abinoonjiiag Inc.

   Aboriginal girls in north end Winnipeg
   Mentors are women from the Native
    Women’s Transition House who have
    undergone training
   1:3 mentor to mentee ratio

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Wahbung Abinoonjiiag Inc.
Mentoring Program Features

   Meetings are centred around community
    outings
   Girls have voice through culture &
    teaching
   Paid mentors
   Natural approach to group matching

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Case Study Two:
London Boys & Girls Club

   Low-income girls in London, Ontario
   Intergenerational mentoring – pairing an
    adult woman with an older youth
   2:5 mentor to mentee ratio

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London Boys & Girls Club
Mentoring Program Features

   Meetings are centred around art and
    cooking meals
   Interplay between individual expression
    and group support
   Girls gain voice through art and social
    interaction

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Case Study Three:
YWCA Toronto

 Video Presentation by Andrea Bruner and
 Michelle Pena, YWCA Toronto

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7NHfR_RxCTw&feature=youtu.be

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RECAP: How to influence communities
taking action and girls taking charge

   Profile and understand the community
   Identify issues facing girls
   Identify assets and resources to leverage
   Determine strong female role models
   Emphasize relationship building &
    identity

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RECAP: How to influence communities
taking action and girls taking charge

   Create space for girls
   Establish girl directed philosophies
   Support girls in developing voice
   Take action in the program, community
    and beyond!

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Successes & Challenges
     in Year One

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Successes

   Girl directed
   Group buffer
   Site based approach
   Leadership at various levels
   Social gains and relationships at multiple
    levels
   Community impact at large

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Challenges

   Recruitment
   Matching at multiple levels
   Scheduling and summer months
   Community understanding of mentoring
   Training
   Support required for peer mentors

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“I learned that I’m powerful.”
              Butterfly Club participant

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Questions?

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Contact Information

 Samantha Cochrane
 Manager, Girls’ Mentoring
 scochrane@canadianwomen.org

 Beth Malcolm
 Director, Girls’ Fund
 bmalcolm@canadianwomen.org

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