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The Young Women Leaders Program: A Mentoring Program Targeted Toward Adolescent Girls

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Abstract

This paper focused on the effects of a combined group and one-on-one mentoring program targeted specifically toward adolescent girls with a focus on increasing competence, connection, and autonomy (Ryan and Deci in Am Psychol 55(1):68–78, 2000). Participants were seventh-grade girls participating in the Young Women Leaders Program (YWLP) (n = 79) and a group of comparison girls not receiving intervention (n = 47). The sample was predominantly minority (72 % nonwhite) and the majority of participants received free or reduced price lunch (65 %). Results indicated no change in self-reported global self-esteem (one’s overall feeling of satisfaction with self) for girls participating in YWLP, whereas the comparison group declined in self-reported global self-esteem from pre- to posttest. Additionally, within the YWLP program group, girls receiving free/reduced lunch self-reported declines in school self-esteem (one’s overall feeling of satisfaction with school), whereas girls not receiving free/reduced lunch experienced no change. Implications for school-based programs, specifically mentoring programs targeted toward adolescent girls are discussed.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Curry School of Education, University of Virginia, PO Box 400277, Charlottesville, VA, 22904, USA

    Angela K. Henneberger, Nancy L. Deutsch, Edith C. Lawrence & Amanda Sovik-Johnston

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  1. Angela K. Henneberger
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  2. Nancy L. Deutsch
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  3. Edith C. Lawrence
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  4. Amanda Sovik-Johnston
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Correspondence to Angela K. Henneberger.

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Table 3 Five items on the Asserting Influence Scale
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Henneberger, A.K., Deutsch, N.L., Lawrence, E.C. et al. The Young Women Leaders Program: A Mentoring Program Targeted Toward Adolescent Girls. School Mental Health 5, 132–143 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12310-012-9093-x

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