Together We Can Girls

The Contribution of Pro-Social Role-Modeling and Peer Mentoring to the Development of Positive Social Skills in Young Females:  a Longitudinal Study of Early Intervention Strategies

Resources

If you are interested in launching a similar program, feel free to use the resources below:

• Developmental Assets Program Survey
• Facilitator Guide (pdf)
• PowerPoint Presentation (pdf)

Research Team

Stephanie Ruckstuhl (NBCC)
Dr. Chris Gilham (St. Francis Xavier University)

FAQs

What was the goal of this project? 
To develop strategies for building the pro-social skills of our young girls, to empower them with decision-making tools and to share the results of the research with community organizations across New Brunswick.

Who was involved? 
The research team worked with middle-school girls in the Charlotte County area with the permission of their parents/guardians.

How long was the project? 
The research project lasted 3 years from July 2015 until June 2018.

How was the research done? 
Twice a year, participants took part in this project through group sessions with mentors. There were 6 sessions each year either in the spring or in the fall. The sessions took place in local schools.

Who were the mentors?
The mentors were NBCC students enrolled in the Practical Nurse Program.

Were there any benefits to participants?
Girls who participated in this study had a chance to develop positive social skills and improve their self-esteem. They discussed issues like body image, friendships, social media, and much more. Participation could have a positive impact on the girls’ future careers and relationships with others.

Findings

In Canada, girls sense of self-worth – their positive identity – declines throughout early adolescence. In grade 6 40% of girls identify as having strong self-esteem. By grade 10 that number drops to 18%.

Positive identity, according to the Search Institute is defined as: Young people need to believe in their own self-worth and to feel that they have control over the things that happen to them.

Our work attempted to stop that decline and, where possible, help girls see and develop stronger positive identities. We were successful with these two goals across seven schools and two provinces!

Girls who started the program with healthy positive identities maintained this view of themselves throughout the program. Girls who started the program with poor positive identities ended the program with healthier positive identities and maintained these healthy views of themselves months after the program ended.

We also saw girls improve on other healthy developmental assets.

More Information

If you have any questions, call (506) 529-5600 or email Stephanie.ruckstuhl@nbcc.ca

Project Partners/Funders