In an effort to show young girls the possibilities that lie ahead for them, parents and daughters across the nation will celebrate "Take Our Daughter to Work Day" this Thursday.

But 16 seventh-grade girls at the Longfellow School in Cambridge have the opportunity to closely observe an older role model the entire school year.

The seventh-graders are participants in the Project Athena program, which matches them with students from the Graduate School of Education taking "Psychology of Girls and Women," a class taught by Associate Professor of Education Annie G. Rogers.

GSE students act as mentors in the program, using in the real world what Rogers teaches them about the need for girls and women to have the courage to speak up for themselves, according to Instructor in Education Joann Stemmermann, the program coordinator.

"The goal [of the program] isn't to improve girls' academic scores per se, but to help each girl stay connected to who she is, to keep her psychologically strong," Stemmerman says.

Project Athena combines one-on-one mentoring with activities for the entire group of mentors and students, who are handpicked for the program by their teachers.

Mentors and students meet once each week for a variety of activities. Some of these have included in-line skating, skiing, walking, trips to museums and visits to each other's homes, according to program participants.

Mentoring pairs also attend monthly program nights, where they reflect on what they are learning, and go on group trips at the beginning and end of the year.

The October kick-off event was a weekend retreat to a youth hostel in Littleton, Mass., in which participants created art projects and went rock climbing. On May 1, program participants will embark on a daylong canoe trip down the Charles River.