Dedicated to supporting girls as they design their futures for successful womanhood
WHAT WE OFFER
Girls to Women partners with Mid-Peninsula families, other local youth development agencies, and local schools to provide year-round programming which supports the healthy development of 75 low-income girls and young women ages 6 to 25. At the core of our youth development approach is respect for the abilities, knowledge and potential of each girl we serve.
Our girls thrive among the positive, culturally-reflective female role models they meet through Girls to Women. With an approach which sees the girls' unique attributes and 'herstories' as cues to help us best serve them and their families.
Leveraging our community's array of existing resources, we work collaboratively to brung together the facilities, personnel, and infrastructure to provide excellent programming within reach for the girls of East Palo Alto and Menlo Park.
Our current programming emphasizes:
Information Technology & 'Maker' Learning - Our girls are empowered and do tech!
Girls take to, and excel, in emerging and non-traditional creative activities ranging from coding to 3-D printing to carpentry and electronics. In partnerships with local schools, organizations, we are able to bring the experts and educators to our girls and bridging the 'digital divide' with access to information and education to computer science, coding, IT, other exciting emerging technologies. Numerous studies suggest significant growth in this sector of the economy for the foreseeable future, AND disproportionate opportunity for young women of color to build related skills. We are excited and proud to educate and empower our girls and young women to excel, feel comfortable in, and prepared to walk in to this sector with confidence.
Personal Development Through the Arts - Our girls are creative and introspective!
We provide, intentional, educational, and safe structured arts programming to facilitate greater self-awareness, promote intercultural understanding, and give voice to timely debates about gender, culture, and society. Through arts-based explorations we are able to help our girls question traditional models and give more room for thoughts, expression, and examination of identity, societal expectations, and self-determination, equity, injustice, and advocacy.
Support for Transition-age Women of Color - Our girls are graduates!
We host a regular support-group, workshop series, and provide related resources for our high-potential young women. We have found our young women are emerging with questions about our ever shifting society; about how to best to maneuver a dynamic job market, secure affordable housing, locate childcare, and establish independent living as they complete their transition from student to entry-level professional. We are so proud of how many of our community's girls have gone on to receive a collegiate or vocational degree in recent years - often they're the first in their families to have done so.
Health, Safety & Fitness - Our girls are healthy inside and out!
We provide both physical and educational activities promoting physical, social, and emotional development. Our range of sports activities, discussions with participants and their families, nutritional support & culinary classes, positive socializations & leadership building exercises, our annual Margaret Wright Wellness 5k Run/Walk, mindfulness trainings, field trips to regional natural areas and open-spaces, and more provide both the information and practices which girls and their families benefit from.
The Annual Margaret Wright Wellness 5K Run/Walk - Our girls help create a healthy community!
Put enthusiastic young people, Olympic athletes, local businesses, and some of our outstanding San Francisco Bay open-space together, and you have the makings of a powerful community-building event. Our Annual Margaret Wright Wellness 5K Run/Walk honors the memory of a much-loved benefactor of Peninsula youth while building awareness of the health benefits and sheer fun to be had through physical fitness. At this event our girls are often found running, walking, singing, face painting, and cheering with their families and neighbors.
WHY IT MATTERS
Learning and enrichment opportunities are critical for the healthy development of all children. Families in San Mateo County's "East of Bayshore (East Palo Alto and Menlo Park's Belle Haven neighborhood)" community depend on Girls to Women for year-round programming. We're the only girl-centered youth development program in the community.
Nevertheless, there's only slots for only about 20% of our K-8 youth . . . compare that to nearby Palo Alto, where such resources are on-hand for over 90% of young people. And even in "high-risk neighborhoods," over 80% of kids across the socioeconomic spectrum will be involved in at least one regular out-of-school program where they are available. That's certainly true for the East of Bayshore.
OUR OUTCOMES
As a result of their participation in Girls to Women, the girls will:
Girls to Women partners with Mid-Peninsula families, other local youth development agencies, and local schools to provide year-round programming which supports the healthy development of 75 low-income girls and young women ages 6 to 25. At the core of our youth development approach is respect for the abilities, knowledge and potential of each girl we serve.
Our girls thrive among the positive, culturally-reflective female role models they meet through Girls to Women. With an approach which sees the girls' unique attributes and 'herstories' as cues to help us best serve them and their families.
Leveraging our community's array of existing resources, we work collaboratively to brung together the facilities, personnel, and infrastructure to provide excellent programming within reach for the girls of East Palo Alto and Menlo Park.
Our current programming emphasizes:
Information Technology & 'Maker' Learning - Our girls are empowered and do tech!
Girls take to, and excel, in emerging and non-traditional creative activities ranging from coding to 3-D printing to carpentry and electronics. In partnerships with local schools, organizations, we are able to bring the experts and educators to our girls and bridging the 'digital divide' with access to information and education to computer science, coding, IT, other exciting emerging technologies. Numerous studies suggest significant growth in this sector of the economy for the foreseeable future, AND disproportionate opportunity for young women of color to build related skills. We are excited and proud to educate and empower our girls and young women to excel, feel comfortable in, and prepared to walk in to this sector with confidence.
Personal Development Through the Arts - Our girls are creative and introspective!
We provide, intentional, educational, and safe structured arts programming to facilitate greater self-awareness, promote intercultural understanding, and give voice to timely debates about gender, culture, and society. Through arts-based explorations we are able to help our girls question traditional models and give more room for thoughts, expression, and examination of identity, societal expectations, and self-determination, equity, injustice, and advocacy.
Support for Transition-age Women of Color - Our girls are graduates!
We host a regular support-group, workshop series, and provide related resources for our high-potential young women. We have found our young women are emerging with questions about our ever shifting society; about how to best to maneuver a dynamic job market, secure affordable housing, locate childcare, and establish independent living as they complete their transition from student to entry-level professional. We are so proud of how many of our community's girls have gone on to receive a collegiate or vocational degree in recent years - often they're the first in their families to have done so.
Health, Safety & Fitness - Our girls are healthy inside and out!
We provide both physical and educational activities promoting physical, social, and emotional development. Our range of sports activities, discussions with participants and their families, nutritional support & culinary classes, positive socializations & leadership building exercises, our annual Margaret Wright Wellness 5k Run/Walk, mindfulness trainings, field trips to regional natural areas and open-spaces, and more provide both the information and practices which girls and their families benefit from.
The Annual Margaret Wright Wellness 5K Run/Walk - Our girls help create a healthy community!
Put enthusiastic young people, Olympic athletes, local businesses, and some of our outstanding San Francisco Bay open-space together, and you have the makings of a powerful community-building event. Our Annual Margaret Wright Wellness 5K Run/Walk honors the memory of a much-loved benefactor of Peninsula youth while building awareness of the health benefits and sheer fun to be had through physical fitness. At this event our girls are often found running, walking, singing, face painting, and cheering with their families and neighbors.
WHY IT MATTERS
Learning and enrichment opportunities are critical for the healthy development of all children. Families in San Mateo County's "East of Bayshore (East Palo Alto and Menlo Park's Belle Haven neighborhood)" community depend on Girls to Women for year-round programming. We're the only girl-centered youth development program in the community.
Nevertheless, there's only slots for only about 20% of our K-8 youth . . . compare that to nearby Palo Alto, where such resources are on-hand for over 90% of young people. And even in "high-risk neighborhoods," over 80% of kids across the socioeconomic spectrum will be involved in at least one regular out-of-school program where they are available. That's certainly true for the East of Bayshore.
OUR OUTCOMES
As a result of their participation in Girls to Women, the girls will:
- Optimize their mental and physical development through nutritional support; emotional and physical health education & consultations; and through a variety of sports, games, and movement arts.
- Appreciate the arts and learn about themselves through participation in a variety of creative activities such as painting, drama, music, crafts, and through field trips to regional arts and cultural centers.
- Become competent with basic information technology that can help them achieve scholastic, creative, and basic communications objectives.
- Receive the physical, educational, and spiritual benefits of frequent exposure to the outdoors, gardens, and natural areas.
- Become more familiar with and feel supported by their local community, leading to viewing a multicultural community as an asset, while affirming their own cultural traditions.
- Gain a sense of their own positive potential as doers and leaders.
- Enjoy adult support and mentorship from well-prepared, motivated program staff and volunteers who retain their commitment over time.
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"I am an example of what is possible when girls from the very beginning of their lives are loved and nurtured by people around them" – Michelle Obama
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