It is founded on using males as allies to address violence against women to create social change to contribute to a cultural environment in which males and females can equally participate, contribute and thrive in society. The program is focused on boys and men, exploring issues of self-identity and interpersonal relationships. The Women's Studies Program is currently embarking on its fifth year o
f a similar program for females, the Young Women Leaders Program, a leadership initiative which partners undergraduate women from the University of Central Florida in a mentoring relationship with 7th grade girls recognized by school personnel as emerging leaders. The Young Men's Leadership Program will use a similar model to pair undergraduate men at UCF as mentors to 7th grade boys at local schools. The project will involve matching college student mentors with the young boys in a Big Brother/Little Brother relationship to provide individual mentoring. The group meets every other week for 1.5 hours per meeting, following a set curriculum with discussions facilitated by studied Big Brothers who service as Facilitators. There will be time during each group meeting for some one-on-one discussion between the Big Brother/Little Brother matches. Mentoring sessions are slated to begin in January 2013. Our curriculum is the intellectual property of the University of Alabama's Women's Resource Center.
