Girls to Explore Strengths, Find Purpose through Mentoring

The teenage years are complicated, especially when it comes to navigating social media and figuring out a purpose or direction for the future.

Her Story Mentorship, a new organization based in Westchester County, will pilot a program at Anne M. Dorner Middle School this spring to help guide 10 girls in finding their own sense of purpose.

“There’s research that shows when teens connect with purpose, they do better in school, they’re more resilient, they’re healthier,” said Sandy Bassin, an entrepreneur who founded Her Story Mentorship, which works with middle school and high school girls.

The 12-week grant-funded program starts with learning about digital wellness and best practices. While frequent use of social media can have a negative impact on all teenagers, it is more likely to affect the mental health and well-being of girls, studies have found.

“We are aiming to shift their focus away from social media toward real-world purpose through an experience with entrepreneurship,” said Ms. Bassin, whose background is in product development and behavioral health.

The mentoring program is a great opportunity for AMD to pair students with role models who will encourage them to think about how they can make a positive impact on the world, Superintendent Raymond Sanchez said. “The Ossining School District looks forward to collaborating with Her Story Mentorship to enrich our students’ lives,” he said.

The mentoring sessions will take place online due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Ms. Bassin will work directly with the AMD girls, along with other Her Story mentors, a group of women with a shared purpose and commitment to support the emotional well-being of girls. They have collective backgrounds in behavioral health, teen coaching and entrepreneurship.

“We are all passionate about helping girls navigate adolescence,” she said.

The girls will identify their strengths and passions and develop personal mission statements, representing their self-defined purpose. In the next phase, they will transform their mission into a tangible, purpose-driven idea, determine short- and long-term goals, and create a vision board and vision statement. Girls will use a business plan model to further develop their idea. They will research their target market, design a logo, create a brand story, and evaluate whether funding or partnerships are needed to pursue their idea. Finally, they will have the opportunity to present and pitch their vision to a self-selected audience. The experience will give them a sense of what entrepreneurship is like. For girls who are interested in pursuing their idea after the program, Her Story offers continued mentoring to help them bring their idea to life.

“We developed our program to connect girls with their own sense of purpose. It’s an important part of adolescent development that can be overlooked,” Ms. Bassin said, adding that purpose can serve as an anchor during the ups and downs of adolescence.

Her Story worked with a seventh-grader whose mission statement was to “bring happiness to people through laughter.” Her idea was to write a standup comedy routine to perform for her friends and family. One student wanted to inspire creativity in other teens by designing her own line of sweatshirts. Another student who is passionate about basketball proposed developing a basketball program for children with disabilities.

“We look at their strengths, we look at their passions and we talk about their values. We ask them how something unique about them could present itself in the world,” Ms. Bassin said.

AMD Principal Kate Mathews said she is excited to see what the girls create through the program. “I am thrilled that our girls will be able to work with Ms. Bassin and the Her Story mentors to help them reflect on their interests, strengths and goals, which will enable them to develop and pursue innovative ideas,” she said.