While having fun and being safe are two priorities for Gidget Girls, we also have a strong desire to give girls and young women tools so they can become empowered to reach their full potential and possibly find their purpose in life. Gidget Worldwide and the Gidget Foundation will establish a worldwide on-line network of mentors and tutors for girls and young women.

Young people today are confronted by a number of problems such as drugs, the threat of school violence and peer pressure about things they are far too young to deal with. For girls, teen pregnancy, abuse or neglect are common issues. National statistics indicate that one in three women will be the victim of some sort of abuse in their lifetime. Many young women find it difficult to approach their parents about these issues.

Gidget is currently designing an on-line mentoring program. We hope that girls and young women will feel comfortable coming to the site when they are faced with some of the very difficult challenges that life throws at them. Our mentors can offer real world advice on things like drugs, boyfriends, family issues, divorce, abuse, eating disorders, not giving into peer pressure, and so much more. We don’t envision our mentoring program as having all the answers but girls facing tough times will have someone to reach out to when they feel hopeless. We can’t solve specific problems, but we will have a loving, caring woman who can listen and possibly help some of the girls from mistakes that could change their lives forever.

Gidget will also partner with leading experts, existing support groups, therapists and other professionals in these fields for “webinars” covering many topics. This will allow our Gidget girls and moms to ask specific questions in a safe, non-threatening and anonymous setting about issues affecting their lives. Part of our mentoring will also include on-line tutoring to help kids who might be struggling in the classroom.

Our on-line mentoring service will be primarily staffed with trained volunteers from around the world (moms, grandmothers, aunts, sisters, nieces). The Gidget Foundation realizes that our mentoring service is not designed to replace the need for professional counselors or advisers. We only want to have something available as a starting point for girls and young women who might just need some caring advice.

We will “Gidgetize” our volunteers with the opportunity to earn special Gidget gear and clothing that will not be available anywhere else as a way to recognize their efforts.