When our family moved to this area 10 years ago, I noticed that some people referred to spring as the “Mud Season.” Living on a dirt road, it did not take long to figure out why.
Transitioning from winter to spring is wonderful but not always easy. We got stuck in the mud a couple of times. After we decided to pave our road, I started to like spring more.
Just like the seasons, life transitions can sometimes be tough – just ask a caterpillar. Changing schools, starting relationships, taking a new job, moving to a new community, ending relationships and a multitude of other shifts can make us want to stay in a cocoon. But these changes also are opportunities if approached properly. We can come out on the other side as stronger and wiser people.
United Way donations provide funding for the Women’s Resource Center program called “Girls to Women, Women to Girls.” This one-day conference for eighth-grade girls in La Plata County gives girls tools that can help them be successful during high school, to graduate and to move on to higher education. This spring, we celebrate the 16th year of helping young women make the transition into high school successfully. We know that high school graduates have a leg up when it comes to earning power and health outcomes throughout their lifetimes, so this program works to give them the resources to help them make it through and gain that advantage.
The conference was tailored for young women because some pitfalls faced by girls are different or more pronounced than for boys. This conference provides training in speaking up for oneself, online safety, self-defense, healthy relationships, college and career planning, and at least a dozen other topics. Girls also learn about the resources that are available in the community to help in a crisis long before they may ever have a problem. And, most importantly, they learn how to avoid many problems in the first place.
The Women’s Resource Center has demonstrated that a significant amount of learning takes place at the conference, and data also suggests that it is affecting the girls’ graduation rates in a positive way. Now, the Center has realized that reaching girls even earlier is beneficial, so it has started a similar program to reach students in fifth grade to start building tools and confidence even earlier.
What about boys? They face important transitions, too. The conference planners realized this fact and have worked hard to expand and offer an eighth-grade conference for boys, as well, with topics geared toward these young men who also are transitioning into high school.
We celebrate the success and expansion of these programs for all kids and thank the many local organizations and experts out there who help provide content for the Women’s Resource Center event.
I hope your life transitions are going well, and just remember that some changes may be tough but eventually lead to beautiful butterflies. Thank you for Living United.
Lynn Urban is chief executive officer and president of United Way of Southwest Colorado.
