YOUniquely Me! Girls Empowerment for Hamden Middle School
Mondays & Wednesdays, March 15-April 21, 5:30 p.m.-6:30 p.m.
Welcome to YMG
YOUniquely Me! Girls (YMG) is a carefully constructed empowerment program of training, assessment and support services designed for young women to embrace their uniqueness and break society’s barriers in order to achieve lifelong success. This is achieved through providing year-round mentoring, group discussions, guest speakers, projects, and community service activities aimed to educate girls to reach their fullest potential. YMG is designed to create, improve and sustain young women’s confidence, integrity, and leadership abilities which aims to set her apart from the rest. The pilot program for Hamden Middle School will be held over a six week period. The program will run on Mondays and Wednesdays, 5:30 p.m.-6:30 p.m., March 15-April 21, 2021.
Target Audience
YMG Empowerment is a gender-specific program designed for students in Grades 7-8.
An Understanding of Need
One of the founding principles of the YMG Empowerment program is to address those skill sets that are far too often absent in some of our young women. With the focus on social-emotional learning (SEL), we often ignore the circumstances that girls face on a daily basis due to myriad reasons beyond their control. YMG strives to address many of the barriers that affect a student's desire to achieve in the academic setting, and subsequently break society’s barriers in order to achieve lifelong success in the real world. Given that single parent homes or grandparents raising their grandchildren has been on the rise, especially in Connecticut's urban cities and towns, we must grip the significances of those situations and how they influence the growth and development of our youth. According to statistics from the United States Census, Connecticut is experiencing a relatively dramatic upsurge in single parent homes. From the '80s until now, the increase has been well in excess of 30%. In New Haven, 85% of single parent homes were female-headed, of which 41% had incomes below the poverty level. These statistics tell a story over and over that will ultimately be passed down generation after generation. YMG is poised to give our young women the additional tools to success that will circumvent these generational behaviors and empower them to achieve excellence in every area of their lives.
Purpose
The purpose of the YOUniquely Me! Girls Program is to empower young women to embrace their uniqueness and break society’s barriers in order to achieve self-defined, lifelong success.
The YOUniquely Me! Girls Program is specifically designed for female students in Grades 7-8.
Basic components of YOUniquely Me! Girls:
- Orientation
- Community Service Project (2 hours)
- Embrace the “YOUniquely Me! Pledge”
- Financial Literacy (Money management/saving)
- Career Exploration (Business/Entrepreneurship)
- College Preparation (Achieve the Dream)
- Leadership Development (Mentoring)
- Life Skills (Food, Finance, and other real world basics)
Young ladies participating in the YOUniquely Me! program will:
· Develop leadership skills
· Instill and enhance personal character
· Develop independence and self-sufficiency
· Develop a fresh approach to daily conduct including use of language, etiquette, and attire
· Develop direction on life choices, goal setting, and future careers
Eligibility
To be eligible, a girl must:
· be in Grades 7-8
· be able to commit to attending Virtual meetings twice weekly
· complete an application and have at least one (1) teacher recommendation and/or referred by Guidance Department
· have parental permission
· be able to commit to completing a group community service project
· be accepted into the program
