The Magnolia/Tomball YMCA is in the midst of the second year of its Girls in Real Life Situations (GIRLS) program that aims to provide mentoring for females at Bear Branch Jr. High and Magnolia Jr. High.

This year the program is geared toward mentoring, development and enrichment of the lives of the young girls who participate.

Senior Program Director Stephanie Saker said last year the program focused more on bullying, cyberbullying and self esteem issues among other topics. However, this year, the seventh and eighth grade girls voted on which topics they wanted to discuss during each session.

 Pictured (from left to right) is seventh grade student Brittant Hubbard, eighth grade students Lillian Nguyen and Lorena Romero participating in one of the programs.

This year’s topics include bullying and protecting oneself, friendship, dating, creativity, healthy lifestyle choices, parents, divorce, leadership and more.

In a recent creativity session, the students were given words such as diligence, joy and accountable, among others and were asked to draw pictures of the words using people rather than symbols. The students struggled trying to put the words to life on a piece of paper, but successfully grasped what their word meant by the end of the session.

Saker said during the program the girls develop close friendships and engage in fun, positive, educational experiences, as well as develop positive relationships with female adult mentors. During some discussion sessions the students will participate in hands-on activities, while in other mentoring sessions the students will hear from leaders or mentors in the community about their experiences.

One participant of GIRLS, Lillian Nguyen, is in the program for her second year. She participated as a seventh grade student and now as an eighth grade student. She said the program has been beneficial to her.

“I have made new friends, it’s made me more confident and it’s helped me deal with real life situations,” Nguyen said.

The YMCA chose seventh and eighth grade girls because they felt that the group was a starting point for the program and an appropriate age group. Saker said principals at both Bear Branch Jr. High and Magnolia Jr. High approached the YMCA about issues in the school with self esteem and bullying among young girls.

“We have a strong support system from the principals and counselors at both Magnolia Jr. High and Bear Branch Jr. High,” Saker said.

Saker hopes that the program grows and eventually enters high schools. She said the program has already seen growth in the second year.

Additionally, Saker said it is not too late for girls at Bear Branch Junior High and Magnolia Junior High to join the free mentoring program. Those interested are encouraged to call the Magnolia/Tomball YMCA and notify staff that they will be attending.

 The GIRLS program meets once a month from school dismissal time to 5 p.m. For more information about the program, contact the Magnolia/Tomball YMCA at 281-356-4077.

Photo by Cheryl Smith

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