Last modified: Thursday, May 15, 2008 1:38 AM EDT The "Sista 2 Sista" program is a series of meetings with small groups of girls, focusing on issues that are important to them. (Katie Mussman/Modesto Bee/MCT) Program provides support for girls By Katie Mussman McClatchy Newspapers MODESTO, Calif. - Let's face it, becoming a teenager is hard. Throw that in with homework and other responsibilities, and you have got a lot of stress on your hands. However, a program sponsored by Modesto's King-Kennedy Memorial Center is helping to make the transition from teen to young adult a little easier. The "Sista 2 Sista" program was started about a year ago and organizers say it is unique to Modesto. It is basically a series of meetings with small groups of girls, focusing on issues that are important to them. They meet once a week for a couple of hours. Currently, a group of girls 12 to 14 meets at Mark Twain Junior High School. "This is one of our youngest groups," said Sista 2 Sista mentor Ebony Humphrey. "Last time there were more high school students. "We teach the girls about things like etiquette, self-esteem, self-identity, healthy relationships, cultural awareness and positive role models." Through demonstrations and hands-on teaching, adults serve as Sista 2 Sista mentors, teaching young girls about things such as exercising and eating healthy foods. "It teaches you to eat, cook and exercise (and you can) use that as you get older," said Aimee Peralita, a seventh-grader at Mark Twain. Also, the girls sometimes get to hear from guest speakers who teach about self-worth and everyone's potential in life. "It teaches females how to be self confident," Mark Twain eighth-grader Breanna Cutrer said. "It's something I can do with my free time so I'm not doing bad things." Humphrey explains that Sista 2 Sista reaches out to girls through flyers, news releases, schools, and Heathy-Start programs. Those running the program hope to find girls that need them most. Humphrey hit the nail on the head when she said: "They might be raised by (their) grandma, dad, or at a group home. This gives them a place good to be that's not a gang and to have fun and be educated on the way." Katie Mussman is a senior at Davis High School in Davis, Calif., and a member of The Modesto Bee's Teens in the Newsroom journalism program.