Samuel Elliott

Internship Project Narrative

Dr. Kaninjing

Interning at the Georgia College Women’s Center has been such a rewarding

experience. I have improved valuable life skills like interpersonal communication skills, media
production skills and more since I began interning. I completed various assignments and

projects, tabled at freshman orientations almost every week and worked alongside my

supervisors and a team of interns to create promotional materials for upcoming events and new

campus groups for the next academic year. One of the main things I worked on this summer

was the community-building/mentorship program that I created: Guys Grow. I began developing

this program after learning that many middle schoolers in Baldwin County do not receive any

form of sex education other than abstinence-based education. I was shocked and concerned for

the future of health in Milledgeville so I decided to create my own program for middle school

boys to learn about such topics. As I continued to develop Guys Grow, I realized that I needed

to cover a wider variety of topics besides sex education if I wanted the students to be able to

make connections throughout the lessons and in their everyday lives. So, I added a lesson

covering the topic consent as it relates to sexual contact. This then inspired me to create a

lesson that covers the topic of bystander intervention. Before I knew it, I had multiple lesson

themes and topics that I could use, each connected to the last. I spent a couple of weeks

building lesson plans based around the various topics I brainstormed then finally sat down with

my supervisor, Jennifer Graham, to pick the best ones to implement. Jennifer and I decided to

pick seven lessons that we deemed the most educational and influential out of the many that

were created. These lessons are: Toxic Masculinity and “The Man Box,” Stereotyping, Consent,

Bystander Intervention, Sex: Are You Ready?, Self-Confidence and Relationships. These

lessons consist of weekly check-ins, knowledge sharing opportunities, discussions and

assignments. They are interactive assignments that encourage the student to participate the

entire time.

This program is needed in our community because it provides young men with

information that they would normally have to search for by themselves. Many parents, especially

in the south, will not openly discuss these topics with their children for fear of “exposure” to

controversial topics and perspectives. Providing children with knowledge on these subjects
inspires discussions, questions and challenged views, all of which are methods of how we grow

and learn. Providing material like what is covered in Guys Grow to students helps them

approach certain issues that need to be discussed within our society like domestic violence,

sexual assault, rape, hate crimes, etc. When individuals can approach and understand these

crises at a younger age, they go throughout life understanding and sharing the need for

intervention and reformation within the sex-negative society we live in today.

Though I was unable to implement this program since it is summer and students are not

in school, I still enjoyed planning and developing every lesson, activity and game throughout the

program. It was difficult at times, but ultimately came together very well. It touches on serious

topics that inspire one to rethink their current stance and worldview and provides students with a

better understanding of respect, leadership and passion. Developing this program inspired me

to rethink many ideologies that I have adopted over time, it was stressful at times like when

attempting to find the right words, the right content and the best method of getting said content

across to the students. However, the stress reminded me to slow down and think critically

regarding these topics which helped me get instructions and lessons across clearly.

If I could change anything regarding Guys Grow, I would change the amount of lessons

that are featured. However, it will begin as a pilot program and seven weeks is a good time

frame to implement a pilot program. Other than the amount of lessons within the curriculum, I

would not change anything about the project.

I truly enjoyed the process of creating Guys Grow, though it was difficult to cultivate at

times. It is something that I hope will impact students and push them to be better bystanders

and operate as kinder and more prepared individuals. Creating the activities, games and

worksheets was exciting as well, it provided me with various opportunities to be creative with my

work.