IWIL begins annual hn^ntoring
for local middle schoolers
By Mary Lewe
staff Writer
First-year members of the Institute for
Women in Leadership have been spending their
Tuesday afternoons this semester with a group
of sixth-grade girls at Brevard Middle School.
By leading games and activities, IWIL aims to
teach the girls a lesson each week.
The IWIL women have signed up in groups
of two or three to lead activities and games for
each Tuesday of the program. Although this
is only the third week of active mentoring for
this group, the women of IWIL have already
had some meaningful experiences with the girls.
“My favorite thing about mentoring these girls
is the chance to watch them branch out and meet
new people,” IWIL member Amber Blanton
said. “They’re so excited about getting to know
the other girls, and I’m excited to watch them
continue to grow stronger as they grow older.”
The IWIL women are learning a lot about what
it means to be caretakers and leaders for kids in a
school setting. Some of those lessons turn out to
be quite practical. IWIL member Abi Fuesler, for
IWIL mentors and Brevard Middle School students play a game that demonstrates connection In a
community. The first year IWiL students have committed their Tuesday afternoons this semester to
spending time with the sixth grade girls, teaching them life lessons In the process.
example, explained one thing the women learned
early on about their mentees: the power of food.
“The first week we were struggling because the
girls were antsy and having trouble focusing,”
Fuesler said. “Afterwards it dawned on us that
it was because it was three o’clock and they
needed a snack, so the second week we brought
Goldfish and everything went a lot smoother. We
learned the importance of meeting basic needs
before advancing to more consuming topics.
“I hope the girls are learning to be goobers,”
Fuesler added. “I’m so excited to witness the
girls as they grow through the program. It’s
awesome to take skills I’ve learned in IWIL and
then create a mini-IWIL for these sixth graders.”
In addition to meeting the needs of the girls,
the women are seeking to foster connections
with them. “My favorite part about mentoring
is connecting with the girls in different ways,
such as loving crazy socks as much as Madison
or having the same awesome name as Hannah,”
IWIL member Hannah Weatherall said. “I think
our biggest challenge is offering games and
topics that are interesting to everyone in the
group.”
Alessandra “Le” Tavoloni teaches the first-
year IWIL class this semester and supervises
the Tuesday afternoon mentoring sessions. Put
another way, she is the mentors’ mentor.
“The IWIL mentoring program is a unique
experience and a great opportunity not only for
the middle school sixth graders to learn more
about important topics such as social skills, self-
image, self-confidence, but also for us mentors
to grow as leaders,” Tavoloni said.
“As a professor, getting to know amazing
women and their personalities through the
IWIL program, to see them growing and
teaching these young girls, and sharing their
experiences and knowledge is something
absolutely amazing,” Tavoloni said. “I look
forward each week to seeing my girls—a strong
group of student leaders—growing, learning,
teaching, overcoming challenges, mentoring,
and most importantly, having a great time.”