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Teens Climb High members. Photo Courtesy of The Women’s Center
By Susan Dickson
Staff Writer
For more than a decade, minority middle school girls in Chapel Hill and Carrboro have been coming together after school to talk about the many issues that young women face as they enter adolescence.
Teens Climb High – a program run by the Women’s Center – enables young minority girls to discuss and learn about sexuality, health, communication and relationships.
Last week, the program was awarded a $5,000 grant by Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools. The program is almost entirely funded by grants from state and local organizations.
Through the program, minority adolescent girls who are students at Smith and Phillips middle schools participate in weekly after-school sessions starting in sixth grade and continuing until middle school graduation.
The program started in 1996 when the Women’s Center was contacted by a grassroots group that identified the need for a pregnancy prevention program for teens living in public housing in Orange County.
Today, the program focuses not only on pregnancy prevention but also on family communication, academic support, service learning, peer leadership, enrichment activities and mentoring.
“It’s more like a support group than anything else,†said Kristi Page, director of adolescent programs with the Women’s Center.
When students are in fifth grade, school staff make recommendations regarding those who might benefit most from the program. Teens Climb High staff then contact students’ families and invite them to join the program.
“We always try to get involvement from family members,†Paige said. “[Family involvement] is one of our strengths.â€
This year, the program has about 45 participants. Sixth- and seventh-grade students participate in weekly group sessions focusing on health, sexuality education and healthy relationships.
“One of our goals with the group is to … provide a safe space,†Page said, adding that girls can invite their friends to attend after-school sessions with them so that they might feel more comfortable discussing certain issues.
Eighth-grade students can apply to become peer leaders, serving as role models and after-school assistants for their younger peers.
“Because it’s a relatively small number, it’s a very relationship-based program,†said Page. She said program participants often form relationships with one another, as well as with the program facilitators. “It’s very rewarding for the staff members involved. We get to kind of see the girls grow.â€
For instance, Page said she recently met with a young woman who had previously participated in the program and received a leadership award.
“It’s little things like that that make it very rewarding for us,†she said.
Although the program’s main focus is the after-school group sessions, program staff also plans field trips and group activities. This weekend, for example, students in the program will gather for a picnic in a park.
This year, Teens Climb High will begin following girls after completion of the program through high school graduation in order to better evaluate its long-term effects.
Eventually, Page said, she hopes to expand Teens Climb High to the other middle schools in the district as well as to other groups, such as adolescent boys and non-minority girls.
“There are lots of hopes that I have for the program,†Page said.