*NOW CLOSED* PEN PAL MENTOR PROGRAM – REGISTRATION NOW OPEN!

Girls & Women in Motion is excited to announce the launch of our first-ever Pen Pal Mentor Program! Funded by Canadian Women & Sport’s WISE Fund, our Pen Pal Mentor Program will pair girls, ages 10-16, with women mentors, aged 20+, from the General Toronto Area (GTA) for a 6 month period! This is a FREE program.

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER TODAY!

Program information:

What: Pen Pal Mentor Program
When: October 2021 – March 2022; includes a monthly letter mailed to each girl every month from their mentor PLUS a monthly virtual workshop with all mentors and mentees, hosted over Zoom.
Where: From wherever you are! Letters will be mailed to the address you provide us upon registration, and our monthly sessions will be held virtually over the Zoom. However, we are hopeful and planning to do 1-2 sessions in-person in Scarborough (December 2021 and March 2022). Workshop session dates are listed below.
Who: our program is for girls, ages 10-16, within the GTA with a strong focus on girl participants from Scarborough, Durham, and Malvern.
Why: 1 in 3 girls drop out of sports in comparison to 1 in 10 boys; and as many as 62% of Canadian girls are not participating in any kind of sport – and this was pre-COVID (Canadian Women & Sport, The Rally Report 2020)! COVID-19 has greatly impacted girl’s experience and participation in sport, with 1 in 4 girls not committed to returning to sport (Canadian Women & Sport and E-Alliance, COVID Alert 2021). We want to change this! Connecting girls to positive role models, creating girls-only environments, and getting girls active in a safe and inclusive environment can change this. Our goal with this program is to allow girls to see a future for themselves in sport and have strong role models to engage and inspire them – especially for girls from equity deserving communities, who experience sport in unique ways (learn more about the Sporting Experiences of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color Girls and Women in Canada by clicking here).
Cost: this is a free program, made possible by the WISE fund and a donation by Beverley Cheng, Toronto Fitness Coach.

WHAT THE GIRLS GET:

Every girl participant, age 10-16, that registers, will receive the following:

A Girls & Women in Motion swag pack mailed right to you! Our swag pack includes:
- a long-sleeve t-shirt
- water bottle
- skipping rope
- post cards
- pen
- stamps
- and more swag!
An e-introduction to their mentor for the 6-month period
A monthly letter from their mentor
A monthly e-mail from the GWIM team
Access to our monthly workshops with all other mentors and mentees
Invitations to our Holiday social and end of program wrap party!

SESSION DATES AND OVERVIEW:

All mentors and mentees will meet monthly(~every 4 weeks) over Zoom to participate in a 90 minute workshop that will include a guest speaker and/or facilitator, a movement session (i.e. Zumba, Boxing, Strength Training), and an opportunity to chat with your mentor. Session dates are as follows:

October 25th (NEW DATE!!): kick-off session! Welcome and get to know each other
November 15th: Leadership Workshop
December 13th*: Holiday Social
January 10th: Goal Setting
February 7th: Self Esteem
March 7th*: End of program celebration!

*potential in-person sessions in Scarborough, health restrictions depending.

Special guests and facilitators to be announced. All sessions will run on Monday’s from 6 – 7:30 pm EST. Sessions will be recorded and sent out to all participants in our monthly e-mail.