Program design

The Starr Women Leaders Program (SWLP) provides mentoring to 9th- or 10th-grade girls in Kansas City, as well as leadership development to female UMKC students. Building on the theme of the 2009 Starr Symposium, the focus of SWLP in the 2009-10 academic year will be on math, engineering, technology, and science (METS) fields. The girls and UMKC students will be invited to attend an afternoon session with Mae Jemison, Ph.D., during the Starr Symposium on Oct. 1, 2009. Each girl will be paired with a UMKC student who will work with her as an e-mentor over the academic year (October 2009-May 2010). The mentors and protégées will use Facebook as their primary means of communication. Facebook is a secure social networking Web site where people can interact with friends by sending messages, as well as set up a personal profile about themselves. Members of the Starr Women Leaders Program will be able to chat with their mentor/ protégée via Facebook, as well as participate in a Facebook group that will be set up and administered by the Women’s Center staff. The group will contain discussion topics, announcements and a network of other females interested in METS fields.

UMKC students serving as mentors will be invited to participate in the following programs:

  • Monthly Leadership Development Programs: Each month, SWLP participants will be invited to participate in leadership workshops and programs. UMKC participants are required to accumulate a minimum number of points throughout the academic year in order to receive a certificate of completion and to be recognized as participants of the program. Points are earned through mentoring activities, participating in leadership and educational sessions, attending social events, etc. Details regarding the points system will be posted soon.
  • Program Social Events: SWLP participants also have the opportunity to take part in social events, such as lunches, potlucks and cultural performances. Some events will also offer the opportunity for the girls and the UMKC students to interact in person:
  • a holiday social in December;
  • a campus visit day in March;
  • an end of year reception/recognition ceremony in late April or early May.

UMKC participants (mentors) and girls from local schools (protégées) will be chosen through an application process in August 2009.

*A joint activity of the UMKC Women’s Center and Women’s Council