Manchester Resident Leads Sisterhood Project at ECSU

Nanette Tummers, a Health and Physical Education Professor at Eastern Connecticut State University and Manchester resident, has collaborated with Eastern Connecticut State University's Center for Community Engagement (CCE) to offer the Sisterhood Project as an annual service project for at-risk girls.

The Sisterhood Project is an eight-week stress prevention program for 15 at-risk high school girls who live at Journey House on the Natchaug Hospital campus in Mansfield, using nontraditional approaches to stress management and mentoring.

"Teaching students the skills of stress management can have a positive impact on a school's social climate, reducing conflict, bullying and violence," said Tummers. "Teaching stress management also helps teachers meet the National Health Education Standards with an overall focus on standard 7, in which students practice health-enhancing behaviors. The project also helped to improve the mentoring skills set of Eastern students working with at risk youth," Tummers said.