Girl Power

Wonder Woman has it. Princess Diana promoted it. Oprah and Margaret Thatcher live it. And Paula Chase-Hyman ('92) spends her time showing young women that they have it. "It" is "girl power."

In March 1993, Chase-Hyman and her mother, Delmar Chase, founded a mentoring program for young black women, based on a successful male-version called Concerned Black Male. Chase-Hyman explains, "The first group was very successful in lowering suspension rates among black males. And, once the rate went down among the boys, the fact that there was also a problem among some of the young women became painfully obvious."

Chase-Hyman's Committed Black Women program began with a group of 90 young women, ranging in age from 9th to 12th grade. Professional women like Chase- Hyman, who is a public relations officer for the ad agency, Eisner, Petrou and Associates, volunteer their time to work with the girls in group mentoring sessions twice a week. The program attracts an average of 70 girls a year, and of the first year's participants, over 15 percent are college graduates.

Young women are recommended to the group through teachers and counselors; and the group is so popular that a variety of students, even those who excel in school, have joined. "Our group bridges a gap between students and opens the door for candid discussions on how to handle tough life choices," says Chase-Hyman.

Maintaining a strong volunteer base is a challenge. "Professional women lead busy lives," says Chase-Hyman, who daily juggles multiple assignments for several of her ad agency's clients. "My time at JMU helped me learn to organize and multi-task. I was involved in many student organizations and these experiences helped me prepare for a busy career."

Due partly to Chase-Hyman's increasingly busy schedule, Committed Black Women is on a hiatus while reorganizing. "We're working to expand our volunteer base and deciding how the group can thrive. Our devotion to this group and the young women we help gives us great motivation and will make us an even stronger program."