Seventh and eighth grade girls are invited to join high school girls in our leadership and mentoring program that begins in January 2012. For the first time ever, middle school girls will be included in the planning of the Sister-to-Sister Summit, an award-winning program presented by the Orinda-Moraga-Lafayette branch of AAUW (the American Association of University Women).
Girls must apply by January 15 to be part of this unique and exciting opportunity. The cost of $95 includes four Sunday afternoon sessions plus the Summit day. See the Middle School Girls page for the application and more details. Contact Valarie Burgess at (925) 997-0118 or email us for more details.
Read our Afterword for Parents from the Organizers.
On average about 100 middle school girls and 40 high school facilitators are in attendance. We create an intimate environment where girls relate on a personal level, especially with the high school girls who lead the day. Because of the need to keep the event small, you are advised to register early.
Absolutely. We have kept fees low, thanks to generous support from AAUW members and the community. Should the fee present a hardship to anyone, scholarships are available on request.
The sponsoring organization, AAUW Orinda-Moraga-Lafayette, provides a well-trained team of adult volunteers, members who provide meals and supervision throughout the day. The high school facilitators run the show, i.e. all the activities, games, and discussion groups, but adult organizers are always nearby to make sure all aspects of the event flow smoothly. A nurse will be on site as well as licensed therapists to address any issues that may arise.
The Sister-to-Sister is more personal. It is not just attending informative workshops or learning skills. We offer girls the opportunity to discuss daily life events and concerns with slightly older girls who vividly recall their middle school experiences and angst. Our trained high school facilitators are motivated to help younger girls through the difficult transition years of middle school. For girls and women, it is through sharing that we begin to understand our own beliefs and feelings and get to clarity about what we believe and want. The two small discussion groups each girl attends are the core of the Summit. The groups will each have six to eight middle school girls to each pair of trained high school facilitators.
The five or six topics for discussion have consistently been areas of concern for adolescent girls over the twelve years we have been offering the Summit. There will be a number of different topics raised during the high school facilitator panels as well where the middle school girls will be able to ask questions.
The high school facilitators are well trained in group facilitation skills and are able to keep the group on track. They are taught to manage the group and direct the discussion and to make sure everyone is included. They are also specifically instructed not to give advice or push their own opinions. The discussion groups are organized so that sixth graders are separate from seventh and eighth graders, whose concerns are different. If difficult individual issues should arise the facilitators will discreetly seek help from the trained professionals on site.
Absolutely. We have kept fees low, thanks to generous support from AAUW members and the community. Should the fee present a hardship to anyone, scholarships are available on request.
No, we close the registration one week before the Summit so that we can balance the discussion groups by age, grade, topic, and school.
For all the reasons listed above, preregistration is a must.
We understand that it can be difficult convincing her. It is usually very important at this age to come with a friend. We do everything we can to appeal to our target audience, but we do not always achieve this goal, as they are a very tough audience. By far their favorite thing about each Summit is being with the high school girls, so every year we do promotions on the middle school campuses. Whatever you do, please do not use the Sister-to-Sister Summit as an alternative to grounding or punishing your daughter. We work very hard to make a fun and successful day, and this is not fair to us as the organizers or to your daughter.
We welcome all girls. Please let us know if your daughter has special developmental or social issues, we will pair her with a particularly mature and caring facilitator that will help her out throughout the day. The facilities we contract with are always wheelchair accessible. If your daughter has dietary requirements, we will ask you to provide her lunch to ensure that her needs are met.
Be reassuring. She is stepping into a new experience. We all have some anxiety in such situations. Even if your daughter comes alone, we have trained high school girls waiting to meet her and make her feel welcome. Our Big Sister/Little Sister activities create a safe connection that lasts throughout the event. We also have a nurse and a psychologist on hand should it be any more than just nerves.
We try our best NOT to put the girls from the same school in the same group so as to avoid gossip about their particular school and acquaintances, monopolizing the group or allowing them to have their own group within the group. Your daughter will have many opportunities to be with her friends during the many other activities of the day.
She can choose to participate or not in any activity. Most girls join in once they see everyone else enjoying themselves. This is an all girl event with lots of enthusiastic older girls who make the younger ones feel welcome and at ease. Our experience is that most girls seem to join in and feel comfortable very quickly.
All the girls will get special short sleeves T-shirts to wear during the Summit. It is advisable for the girls to have an undershirt and, depending on weather, long sleeves as well. The morning can be chilly. Wear comfortable pants to sit on the floor or grass, dance, and move. Do not bring bags or purses. Please do not bring a cell phone.
We ask everyone, including facilitators, to leave their cell phones at home or in the car so we can have a media-free event without interruptions and distractions. The supervising adults will have their phones available in case of an emergency.
All of the girls are escorted to the exits by their high school "Big Sisters," who stay with them until you arrive. You should drive to the clearly marked pedestrian drop off/pick up areas, and your daughter will be brought to your car. Please make an effort to be on time.
Sister-to-Sister brings middle and high school girls together in an energizing and supportive environment to address the challenging issues of adolescence. Our goal is to develop self-confident and resilient young women and empower them to make positive choices in their lives.
Questions? CONTACT US.
* AAUW Orinda-Moraga-Lafayette Branch * P.O. Box 6705, Moraga, CA 94570 *
* Copyright © 2011 * This site was updated 2011-12-12. *