They Did It!

The third Power of 10 Group, Young Women 16-18, have come up with a use for the $10,000 they were given to improve the lives of their peers. This group of dynamic young women determined that the best use of their funds is a program for teenage girls to gather and openly discuss ‘life’. Issues that teens face today can be overwhelming – money, family, friends, school, relationships, future – the list is endless. This group saw a need to create a safe, non-judgmental, open forum (led by an adult) that provided an opportunity to talk.

After several meetings with these young women, it was determined that the Women's Fund needed a partner to make this idea a reality. The Aurora Medical Group got behind the girls' vision and stepped forward as a partner for this project. With some very enthusiastic Aurora staff, as well as UW Oshkosh counseling interns, Aurora will work with the original Power of 10 group (now known as the steering committee for the project) to figure out how to market the program and engage other 16-18 year old girls in the Oshkosh high schools.

It was inspiring to see how the group worked together to come to consensus and maintain enthusiasm about this Power of 10 opportunity. These young women have set a great example by bringing a diverse group of people together. With a little coaching from facilitator Terri Matousek, they learned to trust each other, open up, discover a common purpose and establish a plan of action. And they were able to accomplish this in addition to all their other activities!

This project was important to these young women; it was evident at every meeting and obvious in how they established the groundwork to get their pilot program started. These young women are our future – what a great experience for them as they go out and make their way in the world.

Submitted by: Victoria Beltran, Women's Fund Communications Committee