At elementary schools across Monterey County, groups of fourth and fifth grade girls gather for workshops about peer pressure, media influence, bullying, stress management, substance use prevention, and communication. What makes these workshops different, though, are the leaders.
Instead of hearing the lessons from adults, they come from sixth and seventh grade girls who are peer educators, close enough in age to understand the challenges these elementary students are beginning to face.
That's the model behind Friendly PEERsuasion, a free Girls Inc. of the Central Coast program supported by a Montage Health Community Benefit grant.
"Young people are often most influenced by someone they can see themselves becoming," says Patty Fernandez, executive director of Girls Inc. of the Central Coast. "When a middle schooler stands in front of younger students and shares what she's learned, healthy choices stop feeling like rules from adults. They become something achievable, relevant, and empowering."
Girls Inc. of the Central Coast serves about 1,200 girls each year across Monterey, San Benito, Santa Cruz, and Santa Clara counties through research-based programs that promote leadership, healthy decision-making, confidence, independence, academic success, public speaking, and teamwork. Its mission is to inspire all girls to be strong, smart, and bold.
Friendly PEERsuasion brings that mission to life through a unique two-phase approach. First, sixth and seventh grade girls participate in 12 3-hour interactive workshops that explore:
- The effects of alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs
- Peer and media influence
- Stress management and healthy coping skills
- Communication and refusal strategies
- Bullying prevention
- Leadership development
After completing the program, those same students become mentors, planning and leading a series of seven workshops for fourth and fifth grade girls and serving as relatable role models.
Building healthy habits by building leaders
"Before I joined Girls Inc., I didn't really speak up for myself. I would go along with things even when they made me uncomfortable just to fit in. One day in the program, we practiced saying 'no' in tough situations. It felt awkward at first, but then it started to feel powerful. I realized it was okay to set boundaries."
Montage Health’s support helped Girls Inc. deliver Friendly PEERsuasion in eight middle schools and eight elementary schools, reaching 386 girls during the 2024–2025 school year. Among participating sixth and seventh grade girls:
- 96 percent learned healthy stress management techniques
- 96 percent gained greater awareness of bullying and intervention strategies
- 92 percent demonstrated effective communication strategies
- 92 percent identified safe versus unsafe use of over-the-counter medications and understood the effects of alcohol and tobacco
The fourth and fifth grade girls also saw measurable results. After learning from their peer mentors:
- 92 percent recognized the impact of stress and ways to manage it
- 90 percent identified harmful bullying behaviors and knew how to respond
- 87 percent understood the effects of different substances and how to stay healthy
- 85 percent learned practical refusal skills to resist peer pressure
One participant summed up the experience like this:
"Before I joined Girls Inc., I didn't really speak up for myself. I would go along with things even when they made me uncomfortable just to fit in. One day in the program, we practiced saying 'no' in tough situations. It felt awkward at first, but then it started to feel powerful. I realized it was okay to set boundaries."
Investing in healthier communities
Montage Health's Community Benefit program supports nonprofits that address priority community health needs identified through the Community Health Needs Assessment. The investments expand access to disease and illness prevention efforts, wellness education, and health services beyond clinic walls.
For Fernandez, partnerships like this create benefits that go beyond a single program.
"Every girl who gains confidence, learns to advocate for herself, or chooses a healthier path becomes a positive influence on her friends and classmates, her family, and eventually her community," she says. "Montage Health's investment helps create those moments, and the impact continues long after the workshops end."
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