Girls Personal Development Summit for 8th Graders

By: University of West Florida, Pensacola, FL

On April 17, 2009, the University of West Florida Campus Action Project Team and over 25 volunteers hosted 200 8th grade girls from five area middle schools for “Girls Rock: A Personal Development Summit for 8th Grade Girls.”

Transportation was provided from the schools to the campus. The girls were greeted by UWF women from several student organizations including: Ladies in Waiting; Panhellenic Council; Athletics; and Student Government.Each girl received a goodie bagwith UWF information, a personal development journal, and a bright green t-shirt. Many of the girls wore the t-shirts and the UWF field house was a sea of green.

The program began with an official welcome from the UWF Orientation Leaders and general remarks about the program.Then the girls attended three information sessions: "What do I want to be when I grow up?"; "STEM'ing your Future"; and "Taking Care of Me." These sessions were planned and presented by UWF faculty, administrators, and students. Following each session, student volunteers lead discussions and encouraged the girls to answer the questions in the Girls Rock journal. The Journal also included tips on preparing for high school and thinking about college. It was our hope that the girls will use the journals as they prepare for their futures. Extra copies of the journals were sent to the schools and provided to the teachers as resource materials.

The day ended with a picnic lunch at University Park. The girls enjoyed the day and the team received the following comments from two of the schools.

This was GREAT for the girls! They loved it and spent the rest of the day talking about it! Thank you for working so diligently to get this going. I know it was a lot of effort but I believe it was worth it!

Sincerely,
Vicki Gibowski
Principal
Bellview Middle School

Our girls really enjoyed the field trip. They were all smiles and I am sure your group had a positive impact on these young ladies. I certainly hope that we can look forward to another summit next year. Thanks for showing us around campus. WOW... UWF has grown so much since I went there. Again, thank you!!

Ms. Jeanne Monroe
Guidance Counselor
Workman Middle School

Overall, the UWF CAP team deamed their project a success and the Girls Rock Planning Team is preparing for 2010.

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