Girls on the Run is a in an after school program for 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade girls that uses the power of physical activity, life lessons, and positive mentoring to “prepare girls for a lifetime of self-respect and healthy living”. Through interactive activities including walking and running, playing games, and discussing important issues girls learn how to celebrate being themselves and how to avoid the “Girl Box”. The “Girl Box” is a place where girls are valued more for their outward appearance than their character, which often results in low self-esteem and distorted body image. Girls on the Run focuses on educating girls about developing a healthy self-image and providing a safe space where they can say, “I belong just the way I am”.
Our goal is to empower all girls to:
- Have a strong sense of identity
- Give and receive support from a group
- Stand up for themselves in a healthy manner
- Have a healthy body image
- Understand the importance of their community
- Complete a 5k run/walk event
Girls on the Run completes these goals using an experiential learning curriculum that is broken down into three sections:
- Getting to know themselves. The girls examine their values, their likes and dislikes, who they envision themselves being and what decisions will make that vision come true.
- Being part of a team. The girls learn about being positive, supportive, listening, and cooperation. They also learn how to deal with bullies and how to stand up for themselves in a constructive way.
- Being part of a community. The girls learn how they relate to the world at large. This includes messages that we receive from the media and others (awareness to negative media messages and peer pressure). As well as how the girls can contribute to their own community (family, school, community groups, and city). To emphasize how they can make a positive affect the girls design and complete their own community project to benefit a person or group in the local community.
The girls will meet for an hour and fifteen minutes twice a week for 10 weeks, for a total of 20 lessons. At the end of the season the girls have worked up to, and complete a community 5k event to celebrate their accomplishments throughout the season. Upon completion of the program, the girls have learned lessons that apply to real life and have a set of “tools” to deal with peer pressure and other uncomfortable situations so they can live their lives according to their own values.
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