West High’s Future Women’s Group sparking tides of generational change
A small group of high school girls find themselves ready to lead by example on the West Side this coming school year in hope of inspiring a ripple of change amongst young women across the city. The Future Women’s Group at Manchester West High School is another way of navigating the oftentimes diffic
MANCHESTER, NH – A small group of high school girls find themselves ready to lead by example on the West Side this coming school year in hope of inspiring a ripple of change amongst young women across the city. The Future Women’s Group at Manchester West High School is another way of navigating the oftentimes difficult lives of middle school students.
The group was originally modeled after West High School’s Boys to Men group, established to promote positive forms of masculinity for young men, which has entrenched itself within the fabric of the school by providing a comfortable, low-stakes space for boys to find community and hang out with one another alongside cool, friendly and thoughtful adult mentors and teachers.
Manchester’s director of the Office of Youth Services, Michael Quigley, feels that group is filling an important void for many of the boys in order to have a safe, positive support system and achieve success. School administration and staff saw a great need for a solution to issues rising in classes, lunchrooms, and even academics, the result of negative and toxic presentations of masculinity amongst the student body. Intentionally fostering these constructive relationships, Quigley says, is important to the wellbeing of both the individuals and the ecosystem of the school.
As for the Future Women’s group, new this school year, members meet biweekly during school hours to hang out and share space and thoughts, building critical relationships as they discuss a variety of subjects important to their lives and journeys through young adulthood over snacks and laughs. This space provides the young women with a forum to share opinions, ask for advice, and confide in like-minded girls and trusted adults on the things that are pressing in their lives. Facilitating positive conversation, social skills and interaction amongst the students was the primary goal in cultivating the program. And while the need for such a group arose from conflict amongst young women in the student body in previous academic years, from all reports these girls have become model examples of positive collaboration and friendship.
Low-boiling hostility and an increase in verbal and physical altercations between students caused the staff and OYS team to move into action creating a plan that would benefit both teens and district staff alike. The cool, laid back nature of both groups eases barriers to entry for students who may feel nervous about what it might entail; or who might typically not find interest in such an idea. In some ways, this clever cover allows the true deep-seated impact the weekly meetups leave behind to settle unassumingly with their audience. Weekly chats with friends and favorite teachers about the troubles of daily life through teen-hood slowly developed into something much more special and sincere, growing friendships and maturity that carries outside of the sessions. Co-mingling in the diversity of the group and seeing alternative perspectives and new sides of her classmates is what one student, Blessing, says she finds to be the most enriching.
“It’s a diverse group; people’s different experiences{…} that’s what we got out of it. Don’t judge a book by its cover,” she says. Taking charge of their growth, as well as their first full year of sessions at the school, the girls are already spearheading their first major project to spread roots and make a difference outside the walls of Manchester West.
Future Women’s Group’s focus in recent weeks has hinged on developing a workshop for incoming middle school girls, where the West teens hope to deliver roundtable-style conversations and presentations on a variety of self-chosen topics. While the girls are of course excited to chat and share their expertise on personal interests and hobbies, like fashion and makeup tips, they also plan to speak on important but uncomfortable subjects, like navigating relationship dynamics as a young woman, body image, and menstruation and birth control options. Girls in the group feel the weight of these conversations, and are hopeful of the impact their words could have on helping to guide even younger girls in their own journeys as they step into high school and beyond. Blessing says she hopes that their time together will be able “…to show them what to do, how to face the world when they are coming in; the younger ones.”
Through the experience of exploring concepts and building the classes and conversations they plan to lead, the girls have gained insight into critical thinking skills, teamwork and group collaboration, alongside aspects of how to research and develop ideas as building blocks for change. Grown-ups take a back seat as the budding young adults are guided to identify problems, collect research and explore solutions in the creation of something that will be uniquely theirs. Allowing students agency to oversee projects like this builds skills needed to prepare the next generation for the ever-complicating world ahead of them. In many ways, the scene of students quietly chattering in their respective delegated project groups tapping away on their Chromebooks was reminiscent of a conference table corporate operations meeting. Modeling and growing skills for the professional world is one of many ways the program’s reach and impact has grown beyond its initial scope, heralded by two fantastic educators.
Teacher and community activist Richella Simard sponsors the group as their in-school chaperone, hosting their meetings in her beloved, homey art room tucked in one of the furthest corners of the school. While the initial group was highlighted and invited in by teachers, the thriving power of the group speaks to its sentiment. They are co-facilitated by Stacey Sleweon Youth Services Counselor with the City of Manchester Office of Youth Services, hoping to bridge the gap between generations of students in their intent to spread the wealth of knowledge they possess. Girls say that even just chats about relationship drama and “girl talk” have increased their sense of empathy for other girls and allowed them to see another perspective.
“For them, I just see them in the hallway most of the time, I’m never really knowing what’s going on behind their lives, or what they’ve experienced. Coming here for advice from what they know and what they’ve experienced is eye opening, almost,” Simard said.
Adult empathetic social skills and developmental moments like these are critical to growth of happy, confident teens into empowered and successful adults. An admirable sense for kindhearted communication and true conflict resolution growth has sprung forth in many students. Simply spending time working together on a common goal has created acquaintances and friendships within the group that the girls say otherwise wouldn’t have existed. Many of the students come from pre-existing cliques and friendship circles that do not interact or may even fight throughout the day. A student named Effie shared how the group has caused her to “engage more” with other girls. “Instead of thinking like, oh, maybe she’s this, she’s that; engage yourself with them. Try to talk to them.” She summarized the process of their ideals in two perfect words. “Raise maturity.”
Students enjoy the sense of community and togetherness being a part of the group brings to their journeys through the world. Effie spoke on how the element of togetherness students and teachers share breaks stereotypes many women feel they combat, expected to take on the struggles of life alone.
“We’re trying to show that we don’t need to be independent to do this. We can do things together, we can work together. And we can show we’re way better!” The room resounded with chuckles of muffled agreement as Effie continued:“We can do it as a group, make a change. To show that women really do impact a lot of stuff that goes on.”
Students from the group hope their workshop with the Parkside children will help to enforce in their minds a sense of “independence. {…} They don’t need to rely on other people, on men, to do stuff.” They hope that the middle schoolers are reminded “…to be themselves, to not be scared or discouraged by other women who are older or not like them. To be able to cooperate and work with them instead of disconnecting.” It is their goal to increase community and communication in younger kids and to remind them they aren’t isolated from help, or even just love and company. Students hope that “…if people are going through the same things, if middle school and younger women think ‘I’m alone’, [the workshop will] give them a space to reach out and not feel alone like that.”
The group’s primary intention is that the younger girls are able to leave with a sense of security in themselves, their identities, their bodies and high school ahead of them.
And still, the group feels ready to brainstorm even larger ways to impact the community; excited to tackle and improve the larger culture and conversation at West and in the Manchester School District. While they feel the effects of each session echoing into their own lives, they know they potentially have their work cut out for them to shape the social customs, norms and stereotypes of both staff and students in the district. In no sense are the girls daunted by the imposition of such a task.
“We’ll hit ‘em with a bang!” says Effie. “It’s like a surprise attack.” Certainly surprising those around them at each turn, the Future Women’s Group continues to blaze onward into new horizons of effecting a positive difference in the district, and with their new extended network of believers, shall hopefully continue for years to come.
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