by Mimi Edmunds

Advocate and mentor Maria Weymouth shared her experience working with the Olympia Snowe Women’s Leadership Institute at a recent West Bay Rotary meeting in Camden. The mission of the Institute is to raise the confidence and aspirations of high school girls by helping them develop the skills required to be leaders in their lives, families, careers, and communities. 

In the wake of her decision to not seek re-election in 2012, former United States Senator Olympia Snowe turned her attention to find a project to strengthen Maine. After 40 years of public service, she saw how critical it was to have women with strong ideas and voices at the table, assuming prominent roles, and taking a leadership role in communities and organizations.  She was alarmed by research that showed young girls losing confidence three-and-a-half times faster than boys during those transitional years of middle to high school.

So In 2015 former Senator Snowe created a leadership institute specifically designed to support and mentor girls who needed individual guidance to flourish. It is a unique program that taps selected leaders as “Advisors” to work on a three-year plan, each year with a different theme as its goal. For 10th grade, it was “My Values”; for 11th grade, it was “My Voice”; and for 12th grade, “My Vision.”

Students are carefully selected by those middle school teachers most familiar with the girls, and mentors are carefully vetted to work with each student for the full three years.

In its first 10 years, the Olympia Snowe Institute has grown from 45 girls in seven schools serving Androscoggin County to 570 girls from 38 schools across all of Maine’s 16 counties. Other statistics demonstrate the success and progress of the Institute’s mentoring program:

·        100 percent of the Institute Leaders graduate from high school.

·        96 percent matriculated to post-secondary education.

·        75 percent remained in Maine.

·        82 percent are pursuing STEM careers involving science, technology, engineering, and math.

·        95 percent report increase confidence and leadership ability.

The remarkable success of the Olympia Snowe Women’s Leadership Institute’s program of individual mentoring for girls entering high school shows real promise toward creating a future generation of women leaders.

About West Bay Rotary

West Bay Rotary is dedicated to supporting local nonprofits through service, collaboration, and philanthropy. To learn more about its initiatives and how you can get involved, visit www.WestBayRotaryOfMaine.org or come to a weekly meetings, Thursdays at 7:30 a.m. in the Community Room at the First Congregational Church in Camden. All are welcome.