Womentoring:

An integrated, empowering, accountable, mentoring program that builds community by developing women’s skills, confidence and local network.

Founded in 2005, Womentoring is intended to foster women’s professional, civic and personal leadership. Womentoring enables women to perform community service in a meaningful way by committing time and energy to their own growth, as well as that of others. Womentum believes that when women develop their own goals, and are inspired through a mentoring relationship, they become empowered leaders within their community.

Mentoring is a fundamental form of human growth in which one person invests time, energy, and personal know-how in assisting in the growth and ability of another person. A 2004 study on the status of women in Wyoming conducted by the Institute for Women’s Policy Research stressed the importance of closing the wage gap, encouraging women to run for office, and increasing the level of education of women in Wyoming. Womentoring strives to address issues within these goals on the local level by providing support, encouragement, and growth opportunities for individual women.

Womentum launched a six-month pilot Womentoring program in December, 2005. Ten mentor pairs participated in this pilot program through June 2006. The first nine-month Womentoring program launched in September 2007, with eight mentor/mentee pairs to facilitate bi-monthly small group dinners. Mentees and mentors also attend two speaker events during the program, which starts with a Kick-off in September and wraps up with a Harvest Celebration in May. The Harvest is meant to share what the seeds of Womentoring have grown, but not to close the mentoring relationship – many pairs stay connected years after they participated in Womentoring.

Womentum uses skill sets and goals identified by mentees and mentors to match pairs, and each pair discusses their skills and goals to set positive outcomes they will seek together through the mentoring process. Most Womentoring participants have indicated they successfully completed at least one of their goals during the session. As one past participant noted, "By watching my mentor's diversity of experience, I realized that it is possible to fit many lifetimes into one - that I could achieve professionally and still retain a well-rounded personal life."

With close to 100 Womentoring women in the community, it is interesting to note that new relationships have blossomed and not just through the pairings. The small group dinners foster wonderful professional and personal ties as well.

Please contact us for more information about participating in or supporting Womentoring!

 

Mentor and Mentee Testimonials

Download PDF here.

 

2010 Womentoring Calendar

Following is the 2010 program calendar for group events:

January 2010
All-Mentor and All-Mentee Dinners: Thursday, January 14
Anytime during the month: mentors and mentees meet one-on-one
                                        
February 2010
Small Group Dinner: Thursday, February 11
Anytime during the month: mentors and mentees meet one-on-one

March 2010
Small Group Dinner: Thursday, March 11
Anytime during the month: mentors and mentees meet one-on-one

April 2010
Speaker Event: Thursday, April 15
Anytime during the month: mentors and mentees meet one-on-one

May 2010
Harvest Celebration: Thursday, May 13 from 6:00-8:00pm
Anytime during the month: mentors and mentees meet one-on-one

Left: Mentee Melissa Turley. Center: Mentors Shelley Simonton and Heather Overholser with mentee Maggie Schilling. Right: Mentor Jackie Gilmore and mentee Johanna Love.

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