Women and Youth Supporting Each Other is a year-long, curriculum-based, mentorship program that partners college women with middle school girls in under-served communities across the country. The WYSE program consists of weekly curriculum-based group sessions after school, one-on-one mentoring, and special events.
Curriculum-Based Group Sessions
Once a week, mentors travel to their middle school sites to host a group session for mentees on a specific topic. WYSE mentors use an up-to-date and program-specific curriculum to plan and build weekly sessions that are tailored to the unique needs of our mentees. Using the multi-faceted WYSE curriculum as a guide, mentors engage their mentees in decision-making games and in-depth discussions.
Once a week, mentors travel to their middle school sites to host a group session for mentees on a specific topic. WYSE mentors use an up-to-date and program-specific curriculum to plan and build weekly sessions that are tailored to the unique needs of our mentees. Using the multi-faceted WYSE curriculum as a guide, mentors engage their mentees in decision-making games and in-depth discussions.
The curriculum is specially designed with our mentees in mind and covers a broad range of the most pressing issues young women face today. Topics include, but are not limited to, self-esteem, personal identity, healthy relationships, sex education, family structures, positive body image, and many more. The curriculum provides extensive material and resources necessary for our mentors to provide a safe, positive space for learning and empowerment.
One-on-One Mentoring
In addition to the group sessions, each college mentor is paired with one middle school mentee for the entire school year. WYSE also encourages mentors and mentees to engage in fun one-on-one outings to spend time together and foster a relationship beyond group sessions. These extra activities are important for building trust and mutual respect between each mentor and mentee and are crucial to WYSE's high retention rate of mentees.
Special Events
The WYSE program promotes mentee learning outside the classroom through quarterly special events such as museum field trips, college campus visits, environmental excursions, and other activities to build a healthy connection between the mentee, their families, and our mentors.