What We Do
Girls on the Run is our program for girls in 3rd -5th grade that encourages girls to recognize their individual strengths and celebrate connections with others. Each season, girls gain a better understanding of who they are and what’s important to them, the value of teamwork and healthy relationships and how they can have a positive impact on the world. Girls also make a meaningful contribution to their community through a team-organized Community Impact Project. Physical activity is woven into the program to inspire an appreciation for fitness and healthy habits and teach life skills including treating others with care, practicing gratitude and managing emotions. Each season culminates with a Girls on the Run 5k event. This celebratory, non-competitive event provides girls with a sense of accomplishment and instills the value of goal setting at a young age.
Why It Matters
Girls face social pressures and conflicting messages about how they should act and who they should be. Studies show that by adolescence, girls’ confidence drops about twice as much as boys’. Friendships become more complicated and challenging, girls’ perception of their academic ability declines, the likelihood of anxiety and depression increases and participation in physical activity plummets. It doesn’t have to be this way. We believe that every girl is inherently full of power and potential. By knowing they are the leaders of their lives, these are the girls who will change the world.
What Girls Learn
Specific skills include:
- Turning negative self-talk into positive self-talk
- Understanding emotions
- Standing up for self and others
- Making intentional decisions
- Forming and maintaining healthy relationships
- Showing and practicing empathy
- Helping others
- Resolving conflict
- Making an impact on the community.
Format
Teams of 8-15 girls meet twice per week for 10 weeks. Lessons are 75 minutes each.
Sample Lesson
See our program in action! Click here for a Sample Lesson.
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