girlpower peer mentoring and chrysalis scholars program

As Chrysalis closes Women’s History Month, we reflect not only on the history behind us but on the history being written every day through the lives of the girls and women we serve.

With more tween girls thriving in Chrysalis After-School programs, we responded with our next evolution in 2012: GirlPower Peer Mentoring. We engage high school and college girls in leadership development, mentoring, and college and career preparation to lead and teach the younger girls in Chrysalis After-School programs. This connection creates a powerful cycle of support from one generation to the next.

What happened was powerful.

Participants working with GirlPower Mentors became more than twice as likely to feel confident and hopeful about their futures. GirlPower Mentors themselves experienced profound growth, gaining skills, purpose, and a sense of belonging to something bigger: “a grander sphere of female empowerment.”

The momentum sparked even more opportunity for girls.

In 2014, a small group of dedicated donors funded the Chrysalis Scholars program, opening doors to college/trade schools and career pathways for Chrysalis After-School alumnae and GirlPower Peer Mentors. Hundreds of young women, many of them the first in their families, pursue higher education. Today, thousands of "Chrysalis graduates" are leading and strengthening their communities.

They are not only part of our history - they are writing what comes next.

To view more about Chrysalis' history, click here.