Life, run with it! Girls on the Run of Silicon Valley

Overview>

A Life in Training...

Girls on the Run uses physical activity and experiential learning to teach very specific and well defined social and personal (character development) skills. Some of the issues that the Girls on the Run sessions address include: self-esteem, body image, healthy eating and lifestyle, dangers of drugs and alcohol, emotional health, peer pressure, anger management, gossiping, stereotyping and discrimination, and the importance of good communication skills. Girls on the Run uses the physical activity of running in combination with these life lessons because studies show that females who participate in physical activities or sports experience higher levels of self esteem and confidence, as well as lower levels of depression than those who do not. Exercise has also shown to boost girls’ self-esteem by offering them the tangible experiences of competency and success. To this end, throughout the program, the girls train to participate in a 5k run/walk event.

The program also emphasizes the importance of contributing to the community. In the last weeks of each session, the girls use the skills they have developed to design and carry out a community service project. Examples of past projects are clean-up and painting (with positive Girls on the Run pictures and phrases) of the well box at an elementary school and manning an “aid station” at an all-women’s triathlon.

The curriculum addresses and attempts to change the girl’s budding notion that how a person looks is more important than who she is; good girls don’t show anger or stand up for themselves; gossip is an acceptable behavior; and adults’ views are un-cool and outdated.

Girls on the Run pre and post tests are used to measure participant attitudinal changes. These surveys are collected from all of the Girls on the Run organizations across the country and have been analyzed to determine the success of the program. After professional evaluation, the curriculum has been found to improve girls’ self-esteem and body image to a significant extent.

The program is available to girls in 3^rd – 8^th grades (ages 8-14). We have two different curriculums to address the specific needs of 3^rd-5^th graders (“Girls on the Run”) and 6^th – 8^th graders (“Girls on Track”).