PITTSBURGH, PA March 24, 2016 – Just like many of the girls we serve, the Pittsburgh office of Strong Women, Strong Girls (SWSG) is now -10 years old. In one decade, we’ve grown stronger in both numbers and impact, giving us plenty of reason to celebrate. Since 2006, beginning with our first chapter at Carnegie Mellon University, our unique, multi-generational program has gained traction, helping to markedly improve self-esteem in local girls grades 3-5, while also providing mentoring and leadership opportunities for local college women and professionals.
We know a perfect 10 is all about confidence, smarts and strength. As the idea of a woman’s worth continues to grow and evolve, so too does our organization. And we’re celebrating a perfect 10 years. Today our Pittsburgh office supports chapters at Carnegie Mellon, Carlow, Duquesne, University of Pittsburgh, Point Park and Robert Morris. We’ve facilitated more than 3,000 mentoring relationships between college women and girls from under-resourced neighborhoods. We offer programs at 32 schools and community centers in 21 different neighborhoods. As a result, in a survey of parents whose daughters have participated in SWSG programs, 85 percent reported an increase in their daughters’ college aspirations.
Sabrina Saunders, Executive Director of SWSG Pittsburgh, said, “Women continue to make progress in the worlds of business and politics, and we believe it starts with encouraging young girls to follow their dreams. Studies have shown that a young girl’s self-esteem peaks at the age of 9, but we’re changing that paradigm through meaningful mentoring relationships.”
This year, SWSG Pittsburgh is providing programming to more than 631 girls, with 281 college and professional women mentors. To celebrate our 10th birthday, SWSG Pittsburgh will host or sponsor a series of mentoring and cultural events throughout the year, including:
- “Jump Into Spring” Community Birthday Party, April 9 at the Jewish Community Center;
- A mentor recognition celebration, April 22 at Children’s Museum and
- The Strong Awards Breakfast, Aug. 19, Doubletree by Hilton Hotel & Suites, Pittsburgh.
For more information on these events, please contact:
Sabrina Saunders, 412-596-8879 or ssaunders@swsg.org
About Strong Women, Strong Girls
Strong Women, Strong Girls (SWSG) is a nationally recognized mentoring program empowering elementary school girls to develop the social-emotional and leadership skills necessary to cultivate high ambitions and achieve lifelong success. Founded in Boston in 2004, Strong Women, Strong Girls expanded to Pittsburgh in 2006 and has been putting girls on a path from the classroom to the boardroom, or wherever else they choose to go ever since. The mission of SWSG is to empower girls to imagine a broader future though a curriculum grounded on female role models delivered by college women mentors, who are themselves mentored by professional women. By creating a multi-generational community of strength around every girl, SWSG is changing the future of women and girls in the cities in which we work and live. Learn more at www.swsg.org. Find SWSG on Twitter (@SWSG_Tweets), Facebook (Strong Women, Strong Girls), and Instagram (@strongwomenstronggirls).