Najiva Timothee identified a need for mentorship among teen girls in Macon-Bibb County and decided to address it by creating the Girls Dig Deeper Initiative. Timothee, who works as an administrative support associate at Mercer Law School, mentors dozens of teen girls each year through this program.
Timothee began her mentoring journey with the Mentor’s Project of Bibb County, where she was paired with two sisters at a local middle school. As she spent time with them both in and out of school, other students expressed interest in having a mentor. This led Timothee to reach out to the school's guidance counselor and expand her mentorship to 12 more girls. She met these students every Wednesday for what she called a “lunch and learn.”
“I built a wonderful relationship with those girls. My love for mentoring grew from there,” said Timothee, who previously worked with Mercer’s Upward Bound program and continues to be involved with its summer program.
The onset of COVID-19 forced Timothee to pause her mentoring activities temporarily. However, she resumed her work as soon as possible and established the Girls Dig Deeper Initiative in a more official capacity. The program has since grown significantly.
Girls Dig Deeper receives funding from Macon-Bibb County and its Macon Violence Prevention grant program, along with support from other community partners. As a mother of four children aged 6 to 17, Timothee considers all her mentees as part of her family. She aims to contribute to making Macon a safer community not only for her own family but also for others.
The initiative focuses on leadership development, personal growth, mental wellness, and conflict resolution. Timothee leads sessions on leadership and personal growth while bringing in local partners for mental wellness and conflict resolution components.
“One of the things that has really helped me is my experience with leadership,” said Timothee, who previously held an executive role in retail and pharmacy operations at Walgreens for 15 years before joining Mercer. She is also a member of the Maxwell Leadership Certified Team. “Staying connected in places that uplift leadership has truly helped me to inspire my young people to be leaders too.”
Timothee mentors over 50 female students annually across four schools: Appling Middle School, Ballard Middle School, Howard High School, and Rutland High School. She maintains connections with these students as they progress into high school and has seen some of her first mentees graduate.
She strives to be a supportive figure for her mentees, many of whom lack positive role models in their lives. Additionally, she meets with about 15 girls twice monthly at Rosa Jackson Community Center and hosts monthly events open to mentees, their families, and the community.
This past summer marked the second year that Timothee hosted a weeklong program for teen girls at the community center. Mayor Lester Miller recognized these efforts by declaring July 15-19 as Girls Dig Deeper Initiative Summer Learning Week. The week included various activities such as mental health sessions, art nights, leadership workshops, and community wellness events supported by several community partners.
As part of Girls Dig Deeper's broader mission, Timothee also mentors youth at local detention centers through one-on-one sessions and group mentorships involving up to 15 girls.
“I believe in second chances,” said Timothee regarding her work with incarcerated youth. “A lot of them don’t have any guidance or support... I want them to have some kind of motivation or hope.”
Looking ahead, Timothee plans to develop a speaker series for her mentees and involve Mercer Law School students in her organization. Her long-term goals include opening a youth development facility for hosting events and expanding Girls Dig Deeper into multiple states.
For more information about Girls Dig Deeper Initiative visit https://girlsddi.org/about or email girlsddi@gmail.com.