About Us
Who We Are
Women of Tomorrow pairs highly accomplished professional women with small groups of at-risk public high school girls for monthly school-based mentoring sessions. The program exposes at-risk girls to opportunities otherwise unavailable to them; teaches vital personal and professional skills necessary for life success; helps them set and achieve goals; increases their self-esteem, and helps to reduce and prevent engaging in risky behaviors. Founded in Miami in 1997, Women of Tomorrow now operates in 43 Florida and 13 Metro Detroit cities serving over 2,500 at-risk young women annually in 130 public high schools with our network of over 350 highly accomplished professional women. We have awarded over $3.2 million in scholarships to more than 1,100 deserving young women to pursue higher education. In Fall 2011, with support from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, we expanded to Metro Detroit, and will launch in Philadelphia, PA in Fall 2013, and Charlotte, NC in 2015.
What We Do
Women of Tomorrow Mentor & Scholarship Program provides preventative programming for at-risk girls to change the world, one young woman at a time. Our program:
• Promotes drop-out prevention
• Increases access to higher education
• Creates pathways out of poverty
• Fosters workforce development
Mission
The Women of Tomorrow Mentor & Scholarship Program mission is to inspire, motivate and empower at-risk young women to live up to their full potential through a unique mentoring program with highly accomplished professional women and scholarship opportunities. Our program is specifically designed to meet the needs of at-risk teenage girls in our nation’s public high schools and help them turn obstacles into opportunities by providing the exposure, motivation, confidence and opportunities required to create a better future for themselves, their families, and society.
2,500 At-Risk Girls Served Annually
• 81% qualify for free/reduced federal lunch
• 44% live below the poverty line which is $22,050 for a household of 4 (2009)
• 94% are minority students
• 64% are first-generation college students
• 48% are first-generation high school graduates
Proven Results
• 93% high school graduation rate
• 93% higher education enrollment rate
• Statistically significant increases in grade point averages (GPA) each year
• Statistically significant improvement in self-esteem
"Changing the World One Young Woman at a Time"
How We Work
Women of Tomorrow operates in partnership with public school districts; all activities are held during the school day, under the auspices of the school district. The schools select at-risk girls for participation based on a broad definition of “at-risk” including low income, abuse, disability, likelihood of dropping out of high school, becoming involved in gangs, drugs, criminal activity, getting pregnant or academic, social, behavioral, medical or other risk factors. Each mentoring group is diverse in its composition with girls in 9th- 12th grades who have varying strengths and weaknesses so they can learn from and empower each other. Girls in the program typically do not know each other prior to joining the group. We have four activities aimed at inspiring, motivating and empowering at-risk young women to be successful in all aspects of their lives, including finishing high school and going to college.
• Monthly Mentoring Sessions, with a requirement for one community involvement activity per year
• Career-Focused Field Trips
• Specialized College Campus Visits
• Scholarship Opportunities
What Makes Women of Tomorrow Unique
• Mentoring by highly accomplished professional women
• Women helping women
• Individual and creative approach where girls’ needs and interests are addressed along with WOT curriculum
• Small group mentoring empowers girls and reinforces content from monthly sessions on an ongoing basis
• Highly efficient and effective model increases ease of participation on all parts and maximizes reach of mentors
