Sept. 19, 2008 — In a joint effort between the University of Virginia and the Charlottesville community, members of the U.Va.'s Young Women Leaders Program will join the Charlottesville Quality Community Council to register voters today from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Friendship Court in Charlottesville.

The Young Women Leaders Program, co-sponsored by the U.Va. Women's Center and the Curry School of Education, pairs college student mentors with middle school girls to develop the leadership skills of both groups. In fulfillment of its community service mission, this year's eighth-grade clubs at Buford and Burley middle schools voted to make voter registration their project.

This evening, the program's "big" and "little" sisters will pair with QCC members and go door-to-door to register new voters and share why they think voting is important.

While the goal is to register voters, the Young Women Leaders Program also hopes to strengthen the middle school girls' sense of community leadership, said program director Edith "Winx" Lawrence, a Curry School of Education professor.