The United States ranks 47th in the world on the United Nation’s Gender Inequality Index. The Young Women’s Christian Association in Ames is trying to change that.

“YWCA is a great program,” said Hannah Bankson, junior in elementary education. “It has helped me better myself in my leadership skills and taking a broader view on empowering women and eliminating racism.”

Bankson was a mentor in the GIRLS Power program last year and is now serving as the Ames coordinator this year.

The program pairs sixth- and seventh-grade girls from Ames and Nevada middle schools with a mentor from Iowa State in an effort to follow the YWCA motto of “eliminating racism [and] empowering women.”

“I loved the idea of helping younger girls follow their dreams,” Bankson said.

The program usually works with 20 to 25 middle school-aged girls, but this is a record-breaking year because more than 50 girls have signed up.

“We’re really excited about having so many girls,” Bankson said. “Everyone who applied was accepted.”

To be considered, mentees must submit an application and parental permission form to their school counselor. Mentors are interviewed and must pass a background check.

“We try very hard not to turn anyone away,” Bankson said.

This year, with so many mentees, it hasn’t been a problem.

Gabby Cormier, senior in biology and returning mentor, praised the program’s ability to help both mentees and mentors, saying the program helped herself grow as a person, as well.

Despite having developed and implemented a mentoring program in her own high school, Cormier said the age difference in this program gave it a very different feel.

“I was trying to remember what I was like when I was 11 or 12,” Cormier said. “I was kind of nerdy. I wasn’t very social. I was overjoyed to discover the girls [in the program] are all outgoing and fun.”

As a mentor, Cormier and her mentee picked apples at an orchard, decorated pumpkins, baked and visited Reiman Gardens. Beyond this, they attended bi-monthly meetings with the rest of the GIRLS Power participants.

It wasn’t all just fun and games, though.

“You’re immersed into someone’s life while trying to live your own,” Cormier said.

Cormier said it was a challenge to be aware of the influences her outside life had on her behavior and of events going on in her mentee’s life, creating a matter of trust.

“Breaking down that barrier, that wall and making them talk to you — that’s the hardest part,” Cormier said.

As those walls came down, others did as well. Girls who clumped into cliques at the first few meetings lost those inhibitions and began to branch out as the year went on.

“At the last sleepover, not a single person had any bias or prejudice toward anyone,” Cormier said. “It was amazing to see.”