Almost 100 middle school students from seven Upper Valley schools arrived on campus Thursday morning for Boys Speak Out, an event that serves to promote physical, mental and emotional fitness for boys as they transition into high school, according to organizer David Irving '11. The event, which was organized by Beta Alpha Omega fraternity this year, was modeled on Sister to Sister, which brought 120 middle school girls to campus on May 5. Sister to Sister is an initiaive of the campus organization Link Up, which provides upperclassmen mentors for female freshmen.
"Link Up's goal is to provide a support system for women on campus, but we realize that the support for girls needs to start as early as possible," Kathryn Arffa '11, co-director of Link Up with Eli Mitchell '10, said. "The Sister to Sister program is a way for us to provide support and guidance to the younger female community beyond the Dartmouth campus."
Irving said middle school was an awkward time for him and that he wanted to help younger children who might be dealing with some of the same issues he experienced.
"I figured if I could give kids some insight into what they're going to experience and what sort of challenges they're going to face, it could help them be more prepared and benefit them in the long run," he said.
Charlie Dunn '10, who served as a discussion leader for Boys Speak Out, said that many boys entering high school navigate difficult hurdles without adequate guidance.
"I would have appreciated some perspective from guys who had already been through it and to be able to do that today for younger kids is a valuable activity to be a part of," he said.
Irving said he wanted the event to focus on how the middle school students could become "well-rounded."
"We want to make sure they're looking to challenge themselves in different ways, not just physically through sports, but also that they're looking to expand their academic horizons," he said.
Dartmouth head football coach Buddy Teevens '79, who spoke at the event, stressed the importance of respect, effort, discipline and leadership throughout his presentation.
"At the age you're at now, you all have the opportunity to start to merge into a leader, but where you take that is up to you," he said. "What you need to have is some confidence in yourself."
After sharing anecdotes about his own childhood, Teevens discussed the importance of making one's own decisions, acknowledging that it can often be uncomfortable to go against the crowd.
He concluded by stressing that certain actions, like underage drinking and "messing around with a girl," can have consequences.
"If you take anything away from this, it is to think," he said. "Think about your choices and decisions and think about the future."
Several of the participants in the program said the experience was fun, educational and informative.
"It's great to be able to meet kids from other schools and learn about how they keep themselves motivated and stay focused on their school work," Andrew Stimson, an eighth grade student at Rivendell Academy, said.
His classmate Andrew Spayth expressed a similar sentiment.
"Everyone here has definitely been stressing the importance of finding a balance between having fun and also making time to get important things done, such as schoolwork," he said.
Both Sister to Sister and Boys Speak Out featured a panel discussion, small discussion groups led by Dartmouth students, a team-building exercise and speeches from members of the Dartmouth community.
Student Body President-elect Frances Vernon '10, a member of Link Up, decided that the organization should be responsible for the Sister to Sister program this past fall, Arffa said.
"It was more of an undertaking than we initially thought it would be, but I think it's one of the greatest things Link Up has done since it was founded in terms of reaching out beyond the Dartmouth community," Sister to Sister chair Emily Broas '11 said. "It was a lot of time and energy, but it was time well-spent because it was such a rewarding experience for everyone involved."
Arffa said Dartmouth students' efforts seemed to be achieving results.
"I think the girls really got a lot out of it, and they all seemed really enthused afterward," she said. "Our goal was to educate them, but we didn't know that they would have as great a time as they did."
Broas stressed that volunteers hoped to convey to the participants that everyone, including peers from other middle schools and Dartmouth students, faces similar issues.
"One of the most common responses on the evaluation they filled out afterwards was that they never knew that so many other people felt the same that they did," she said.
Broas added that the event was also a positive way for Dartmouth students from different class years to meet one another and work together to organize something "really meaningful."
The speakers at the Sister to Sister event included Claudette Peck, the coordinator of nutrition programs at Dartmouth, and Kate Rohdenburg, the education and outreach coordinator for WISE, a non-profit support center for domestic violence victims that also coordinates educational programs for young girls.
Both women spoke about body image, the objectification of women by the media and other issues that girls in middle school may face as they transition into high school.
Organizers of both events said they tried to ensure that the conversations centered on issues that the middle school students wanted to discuss.
Link Up board members visited various middle schools throughout the year to provide students and administrators with information about the Sister to Sister event and to learn what issues the students and their guidance counselors wanted to focus on.
"It worked out really well because we were able to gear the event to be based off the feedback we got from the students and their guidance counselors," Broas said.
