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Frequently Asked QuestionsWhen does the program start? How can my daughter get involved? How can I start a Sister Site in my area? Does it cost money to join YWLP?
FAQs and Answers YWLP is a year-long program that begins in the fall. The program schedule is based on both the University of Virginia academic calendar and the Charlottesville/Albemarle public school year. The Little Sisters are middle school girls who are mentored by college-aged Big Sisters. They must commit to attending the weekly mentoring session with their Big Sisters. The Big Sisters are college student mentors to the middle-school Little Sisters. They must commit to at least 12 months of program participation. After the Big Sisters complete the application process, they must enroll in our year long academic course that provides training before and during the mentoring experience. Each week they must attend the two-hour course, the one-hour supervision meeting, the two-hour mentoring session with their Little Sisters, and meet with their Little Sisters at least once outside the group. What are mentoring groups? Mentoring groups are a weekly chance for sisters from the same school to come together and share their thoughts and experiences with each other. Groups start by recounting a high and low from the previous week, and then move on to an activity that focuses around a weekly theme relevant to issues or pressures in a girl's life. College women apply in the spring semester to be Big Sisters in YWLP the following year. We are in the process of improving our Training program by incorporating it in with the actual mentoring program. This will allow potential Big Sisters to both train and be a Big Sister simultaneously by taking our corresponding academic courses. This also allows big sisters to receive course credit for being a Big Sister! The training will be incorporated into the curriculum of the required courses. There will not be additional time required for training other than attending class each week. If selected, you would sign up for the Fall course, EDLF 589: Issues Facing Adolescent Girls and choose a mentoring group that fits your schedule. The mentoring group and outside time spent with your little sister are incorporated into the lab component of both the Fall and Spring course. Can I get credit for being a Big Sister? Yes! YWLP requires Big Sisters to take two academic courses which incorporate training in the curriculum. In Fall 2007, Big Sisters will take EDLF 589: Issues Facing Adolescent Girls, and in Spring 2008, they will enroll in EDLF 590: Fostering Leadership in Girls & Women. How can my daughter get involved? At the University of Virginia, we currently run five mentoring groups at five area middle schools and one at-large group for girls attending school we do no specifically serve. How can I start a Sister Site in my area? Starting a Sister Site requires time, commitment and dedication! Start by considering a few things: Who are your Little Sisters? Who are your Big Sisters? Where would your Sister Site be based (i.e. academic institution, Women’s Center, YWCA)? What are possible sources of funding? How many people/communities would you be serving? Once you have asked yourself these questions, refer to our How to Start a Program section under Sisters Sites. Then, contact Logan Stout at stout.logan@virginia.edu or 434 924 8979. Does it cost money to join YWLP? No, there is no fee to join YWLP. Big Sisters and Little Sisters can benefit from the YWLP experience without any cost to themselves or their family. In fact, YWLP sends out a weekly Free and Fun Things to Do email to Big Sisters so each pair can spend time together without spending a dime. The Program Coordinators are responsible for the supervision of the program Facilitators, program wide communication with Big and Little Sisters, maintaining school contacts, communicating with parents, group logistics and oversight of the selection process for new Big Sisters, Little Sisters and Facilitators. The Facilitators are undergraduate women who have been involved in the program for at least one year. They are responsible for leading the mentoring groups of Big and Little Sister pairs. Additionally, they supervise the Big Sisters in the ongoing development of their relationships with their Little Sisters. At the University of Virginia, each semester we have six to eight mentoring groups, each with one or two Facilitators. The Alumnae Club is for eighth and ninth grade alumnae of YWLP. The semester-long clubs expand on the YWLP theme of developing girls’ sense of competence, connection and autonomy by increasing their comfort with and skills in technology (YWLP Tech) and physical fitness and health (and YWLP Moves). Please go to the For Alumnae section for more information.
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