Q. What do I bring on the day of the program?
A. You will need to bring comfortable clothing that you can move around in.  Shorts, tshirts, and/or athletic pants are fine.  You will also need sneakers and your own healthy lunch (if it's a full-day program).  There are water fountains, but you might also like to bring your own labeled water bottle.  Journals, pens, and folders will be provided.
Q. Is lunch provided?
A. Lunch will be provided.  However, you might want to being an afternoon snack.
Q. How do I register for the upcoming program?
A. This program is being held at Cornell's Hoffman Challenge Course and it is open to the public.  To register for this program, please contact Katie Drossos at kbd38@cornell.edu.
Q. Will there be other programs open to the public in the future?
A. Yes, we are currently working on securing dates for next year's calendar.  Please check back in with us soon!
Q.  What if I’d like to attend with my daughter(s), but I do not consider myself athletic?
A.  No prior sports skills are necessary to attend this program!  This is an opportunity to have fun and bond with your daughter(s) around a new activity outside of the rigors of everyday life.  Specifically, sports are an activity where dads typically have been the ones playing with their daughters after school.  The idea is that now moms can be educated in that arena too, so that they can offer guidance and support to their daughters in a mentoring role, rather than a “nagging mom” role.  Don’t be afraid – the idea is to have fun in an environment where you will feel comfortable and safe to be yourself!
Q. Does Moms As Mentors include any non-sports activities?
A. Yes!  We help girls with sport specific skill-building, but our focus is really on empowering the lives of girls and women through the use of sports.  You and your daughter(s) will attend workshops on topics like leadership, teamwork, problem-solving, and decision making. These workshops are all designed to be fun!
Q. Can you tell me about the research behind Moms As Mentors referring to how girls' self-image and -esteem is formed largely through their relationship with their mothers?
A. It isn’t necessarily that girls’ self-image is formed largely through their relationship with their mothers, but rather that mothers can be agents for helping girls create positive self-images. Through exploring their own adolescence and vulnerabilities they can then be given tools and strategies to be positive role models for their daughters. 
Q. Can you tell me about the effect that sports participation appears to have on leadership?
A. A Women’s Sports Foundation study found that 80% of female executives identified themselves as having played sports.  This is not surprising when the right coaches can teach lessons such as grace in defeat and winning with humility.  Participants on teams do not need to be the best athletes, but everyone will benefit from learning problem solving, collaboration, negotiation, and teamwork – all qualities which go into being a good leader. 
Q. Why does it seem that today's girls appear to be obsessed with beauty?
A. Negative media images certainly play a part in influencing girls’ ideas about themselves and the world around them, but certainly the media isn’t 100% to blame. On the one extreme there are girls with eating disorders and on the other pediatric obesity.  Both can benefit from positive role models and the right messages.
Q. What do the participants do on a typical day?
A. Participants in this year's Ithaca program can expect to partake in low and high ropes course activities, nutrition and healthy living workshops, mother-daughter games, artistic exercises, and collaborative adventures.  Importantly, the day will focus on bonding and fun!