Girls Incorporated of Monroe County

Mission Statement
Girls Incorporated of Monroe County inspires all girls to be strong, smart, and bold.

Vision Statement
The vision of the organization is empowered girls and an equitable society.

FAQ
What is Girls Incorporated?
Girls Incorporated is a national youth organization dedicated to helping girls become strong, smart, and bold. We provide programs to girls after school, on weekends, and during the summer through our network of affiliates. In addition, we conduct research on girls’ issues and advocate for girls.

Why are you unique?
Unlike other youth organizations, Girls Incorporated has a dual focus. We work to help girls become strong, smart, and bold so that they can tackle the challenges they face. At the same time, we work to change the world to make it a more equitable place for girls. We prepare girls to be the leaders of the twenty-first century, and we’re determined to make the twenty-first century a time when girls can lead.

Girls Incorporated also has the only research center dedicated exclusively to girls. Our National Resource Center, located in Indianapolis, is the nation’s most extensive clearinghouse on girls’ issues. Our research staff conducts research on girls and evaluates our programs to make sure they are effective.

Why a girl-focused organization?
Too often, girls are denied opportunities on account of their gender. Girls get subtle, often unintentional messages that they are weaker, softer, and not as bright as boys are. We give them opportunities that they might not get elsewhere because of their gender. At Girls Incorporated, girls are the leaders, the decision-makers, and the risk-takers. We help them build the skills they need to become successful adults.

Who participates?
Girls who participate in our programs range in age from 6 to 18 and come from a variety of backgrounds, including Caucasian, African-American, Latina, Native American, and Asian, among others. Fifty-four percent are from single parent families.

How much does it cost?
Membership in Girls Incorporated is $55 per year (non-refundable). There is an additional fee to participate in sports. We have scholarships readily available and urge you to make this request if you want to participate in our programming.

What is a Girls Incorporated center like?
Our center is a place where girls learn that they can be whatever they want to be, where their strengths are valued, where they are treated with respect and honesty, and where they can assume new responsibilities and take risks. We also have a gym, a TEEN room, and a resource center.

Do you help girls build self-esteem?
Yes. At Girls Incorporated, girls are given opportunities to be leaders, to voice their concerns and get a quick response. They learn that they are important and valued, often for the first time.

Girls who participate in our programs feel good about themselves because they have learned new skills and accomplished new goals. Girls achieve in math and science, avoid early pregnancies and substance abuse, and try sports that are traditionally labeled “male.” And we see their pride in these accomplishments.

While much attention has been paid to the self-esteem of adolescent girls, we begin working with girls well before adolescence. We help them expand their horizons and their skills so that they can manage the challenges of adolescence successfully.

Tell me about your programs.
Our programs are carefully researched and designed to build important skills and prepare girls for the tough issues that they face. At the same time, they are fun; girls enjoy themselves as they build skills and knowledge. Some of our programming includes:

Operation SMART is a hands-on program that encourages girls to persist in science and math—to explore, ask questions, and take things apart. We have found that with these opportunities, girls respond to science and math with enthusiasm.
Sporting Chance builds girls’ competitive spirit, team playing skills, and interest in all sports, encouraging a lifetime commitment to fitness.
Action for Safety is a curriculum that helps girls keep themselves safe through awareness and physical training.
Friendly PEERsuasion is a substance abuse prevention program for girls 11–14. The program helps girls develop the assertiveness skills they need to avoid substance abuse. Friendly PEERsuasion is as much a leadership program as a prevention program; girls use their knowledge and skills to teach younger children what they have learned.
Sports Programming includes volleyball, basketball, and dance.

How do you attempt to make society more equitable for girls?
We work with the other affiliates of Girls Incorporated to disseminate our research and information gained through more than 50 years of experience working with girls to policymakers, fundraisers, and media. We also speak out on public policy matters on behalf of equitable opportunities for girls.