About The Program

Strong on community issues

What is me & my commUnity?

Program Description

me & my commUnity, created by Diane Meiller & Associates, Inc., is a three-part mentoring program offering the opportunity for young women to work with business and community leaders to solve current community issues. As part of this program, participants learn making a difference in their community can also make a difference in themselves. They will have the opportunity to better understand their personal strengths and how leveraging those strengths can lead to success. In addition, leaders and faculty members from Valencia College share basics on what to expect in college and sources of financial aid.

The program is designed to help young women learn and experience first-hand the characteristics of dynamic leadership and the significance of teamwork, collaboration, negotiation, creativity, and compromise in developing solutions which have the greatest benefits for the holistic success of the community. Recognizing that the experience of building a strategic network among women throughout a career is critical today, this program gives participants the opportunity to meet and work with peers, as well as established female leaders in Central Florida. The power of women helping other women and the understanding of the concept of “the sum is greater than the total of the individual parts” is something that can be applied to virtually every aspect of life.

Session I: Orientation

This 2-hour session provides an opportunity for the young women to learn more about the program and what to expect during the program. The participants will be assigned to teams and meet their teammates and assigned mentor. Orientation takes place on a Wednesday afternoon and is hosted by Me & My Community’s partner, the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts.

Session II: Problem Solving Workshop

The workshop is an all-day session during which each team and mentor develop a solution to resolve a current community issue. The session is on held on a Friday and is hosted by Me & My Community’s partner Florida Hospital. This is an excused absence from OCPS, and the participants are approved for community service hours.

The mentor’s background and experience are matched as closely as possible with the issue assigned to the team. Team members are provided background information and allotted a fictitious budget of $100,000 to use in solving the problem. Team members use their OCPS laptops to perform additional research and to prepare a presentation about the issue, the proposed solution, the budget uses, and why the solution will work.

Session III: me and my Future

me and my Future is a half-day program, focusing on each participant’s future educational opportunities and career choices. The session will familiarize participants with their personal strengths based on Clifton Strengths concepts. It will introduce the participants on the effective completion of college and technical school applications, testing requirements, admission processes, scholarship availability, and FAFSA preparations. The morning will consist of several interactive activities and lunch and snacks will be provided. This will be a valuable experience in bridging the gap between high-school and higher education.